Fun March Madness Betting Games
Conference tournament betting previews: Big East
- Tips For March Madness Betting. Bankroll management is a priority when declaring your March Madness betting strategy because there are so many games that funds can get depleted quickly. Declare a budget for March Madness betting odds and ensure that it is sourced from disposable incoming - meaning assets remaining after all bills have been paid.
- 23 hours ago Bet on March Madness 2021 with a New Jersey-licensed Betting Site. When placing your bets on March Madness online in New Jersey, you must be sure to use a state-licensed, legal betting site.
- Betting on March Madness 2021. The next section of our March Madness betting guide is focused on the latest edition of the tournament. Our team will be working around the clock to provide news, analysis, fresh betting predictions, and everything else that can help you with your wagers.
We’ve got all sorts of March Madness content coming, including our team by team previews. One fun prop bet that DraftKings is offering is odds on individual teams to make or miss the tournament, and that’s what we’ll be taking a look at today. Without further ado, let’s dive into five of the best bets on the board: Duke ‘Yes’ +175.
Welcome to championship week.
While many low and mid-major conferences have already begun (or even completed) their tournaments, the marquee leagues — the ones that produce the most NCAA tournament bids — have their tournaments beginning in the coming days.
The first major conference on tap is the ACC, beginning on Tuesday in Greensboro, North Carolina. The tournament’s top seed is Virginia. The Cavaliers, still technically the reigning national champions after the 2020 tournament was canceled, won the ACC regular season title over the weekend courtesy of a win over Louisville and Florida State’s surprising loss at Notre Dame.
The Seminoles have looked like the conference’s top team for much of the season, but are entering the conference tournament having lost two of three. Still, FSU, along with Virginia, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech, have earned double-byes as the tournament’s top four seeds. And what about blue bloods like North Carolina and Duke?
But are those the teams you want to bet on? Using the odds provided by BetMGM, here are the teams you’ll want to consider — and avoid — this week.
IT'S TOURNEY TIME.
More details » https://t.co/inOSoKNtLwpic.twitter.com/QeSzJhyjCd
— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) March 7, 2021Best bet: Florida State +275
Don’t let the last week of action fool you. Florida State is the best team in the ACC. Before the Seminoles’ two slip-ups this week, they had won nine of their previous 10 games.
The Seminoles are the top scoring team in the league, putting up nearly 80 points per contest. And they do it with a balanced attack with a mix of experienced options like M.J. Walker and RaiQuan Gray and underclassmen like Scottie Barnes and Balsa Koprivica. FSU is really deep, too. The Seminoles have nine players averaging at least 15 minutes per game.
FSU has struggled when playing outside of Tallahassee this season, but Leonard Hamilton’s team should be plenty motivated to make a run after letting the ACC regular season title slip through its fingers. The Seminoles have the size and shooting to match up with anybody in the conference, and especially have a favorable matchup against Virginia. FSU dominated the Cavaliers 81-60 back on Feb. 15.
At +275 odds, the Seminoles are a strong play.
Team to avoid: Duke +2000
You may be tempted to bet on perennial power Duke when it has such long odds, but the odds are what they are for a reason. This team isn’t very good.
The Blue Devils enter the ACC tournament as the No. 10 seed and in a very unfamiliar position: on the outside looking in for the majority of NCAA tournament projections. Duke has the ACC’s leading scorer in Matthew Hurt and plenty of other top-tier recruits, but this team has been extremely streaky all year.
It looked like the Blue Devils could be turning a corner when they won four straight in February, but they closed out the season with three consecutive losses. Two of those games ended in overtime, but Duke closed out the regular season with a blowout loss to rival North Carolina, 91-73.
At this point, it could take a run all the way to the ACC title game for Duke to reach the NCAA tournament. That would mean four games in four days. You’re better off spending your money elsewhere.
© Provided by Yahoo! Sports Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski reacts after a turnover during an NCAA college basketball game against Notre Dame on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, in South Bend, Ind. Duke won 75-65. (AP Photo/Robert Franklin)Sleeper: Georgia Tech +1600
Georgia Tech is entering the conference tournament on a roll. The Yellow Jackets have won six consecutive games, locking up a double-bye in the process. The most impressive win of that bunch was a 16-point road victory over then-No. 16 Virginia Tech.
Georgia Tech is an experienced team with four double-digit scorers, including ACC Player of the Year Moses Wright and ACC Defensive Player of the Year Jose Alvarado. Both Wright and Alvarado are seniors on the verge of playing in the NCAA tournament for the first time.
They are also looking to make noise in the conference tournament. And with odds of +1600, the Yellow Jackets are definitely worth a flier. That’s great value. Georgia Tech has the sixth-best odds, well behind teams like North Carolina (+550), Louisville (+700) and Virginia Tech (+700). And GT only needs to win three games to win the conference crown.
Barring any unforeseen upsets, Georgia Tech would face Virginia in the ACC semifinals. The Yellow Jackets have lost twice to Virginia this season, but lost those games by a combined 10 points. Virginia is a team prone to scoring droughts, and Georgia Tech has the personnel to pull off an upset should the two teams meet for a third time in 2021.
Full ACC tournament odds via BetMGM
Virginia +250
Florida State +275
North Carolina: +550
Louisville: +700
Virginia Tech: +700
Georgia Tech: +1600
Duke: +2000
Clemson: +2000
Syracuse: +5000
Pittsburgh: +5000
Notre Dame: +10000
NC State: +10000
Miami: +15000
Boston College: +25000
Wake Forest: +25000
More from Yahoo Sports:
Why March Madness Games in the Workplace are Good for Morale
After months of winter, optimism around the office is bound to be a little dwindled. Grey skies, cold winds thrusting tiny icy daggers into our skin, and snow on top of snow (and ice) can really take a toll on anyone’s morale.
Luckily, March Madness games are upon us! It’s a perfect distraction from the gloomy weather, and it gives basketball fans and non-fans alike something to have fun with. And where better to improve mood than the office?
March Madness Betting Strategy
Why Run a March Madness Pool in the Office?
You will find a lot of debate about whether March Madness office pools are a good idea or not. Many studies have shown that US companies have lost money in productivity because of distracted employees streaming games and checking their brackets.
However, according to various studies, it’s believed that workplace games related to March Madness – office pools, viewing parties – help improve employee bonds, and have a ripple effect: better collaboration and engagement, which ultimately leads to better productivity in the long run. The same can be said for any event that coworkers can enjoy together such as the World Cup.
What are some March Madness Workplace Games?
Workplace comradery is right around the corner, but here are some ways you can take the bonding effect of the bracket to the next level:
Viewing Parties: It goes without saying, but setting up viewing parties gets participants more into the spirit of the game and makes the tournament a more engaging and exciting experience. You can enhance it even further with a large HD LED-LCD TV for the break room or whichever location is most convenient in your office!
Extend the Party: Not only can you have a viewing party, but you can even hold an office tailgate party. This can be done in the office as a potluck (with/without the drinks depending on your office policy) or at a local place (ideally during a happy hour). Lucky for you, you can use our office tailgate party ideas to make sure you have everything covered.
Create a Festive Atmosphere: Decorating and setting up the office will help employees get into the spirit. There are many ways to accomplish this including putting up team banners around the walls, setting up after-hour intramural games, or even make the office its own faux basketball court with over the door basketball hoops.
Fun March Madness Betting Games
Provide more Prizes: There will be a big gift for the winner, but to keep enthusiasm up during the games, you can offer smaller prizes throughout. For everyone who chooses the right team each game you could give a prize such as a small gift card to a coffee shop or a free “leave work early” card. There can also be prizes set up for the 2nd and 3rd place runner ups after the final tally.
How do you actually Run a March Madness Office Pool?
There is a difference between deciding to run a bracket, planning all the workplace games associated with it, and actually running a bracket – they can be a lot of work if you underestimate them. However, it can be quite simple if you follow some of our ideas we’ve compiled for you and your office:
- Send out a company-wide email to encourage participation; more participants means a better pool and less cost per bracket. To inspire more participants, you can even have the company provide an additional bonus prize – an additional PTO day, a gift certificate to Amazon, or perhaps even a company match of the total pool.
- Print out a March Madness Bracket for every person who said they will participate; each person will completely fill out the bracket with the team they think will win each game – everyone should also write their estimation for how many points will be scored in the championship game in case there needs to be a tie breaker. It’s important to collect everyone’s bracket before the games begin.
- Alternatively, you can run your office tournament online. There are many game portals that you can sign up for (com and CBSSports.com, to name a couple) to create your office league, invite those who want to participate, and then follow through the same process as if it’s printed, but with less trees diminished from the world.
- Create a scoring system that assigns a number of points for each round. A simple system gives 1 point for the first round, 2 for the second, and so on – the participant with the most points at the end wins!
March Madness Betting Tips
There you have it: everything you need to run a successful March Madness Pool in your office. There are many ways you can make this a fun experience that improves office morale, bonds coworkers, and in the long run will make your company more productive. What are some ways you’ve celebrated March Madness in your office? Tell us in the comments!