Dean Etheridge
We’ve had Selection Sunday, and the NCAA Tournament kicked off on Tuesday with the First Four. On Thursday is when the real madness starts though. This is where all the big guns enter the fray, and the competition starts for real. So who will win the 2023 NCAA Tournament? Here we look ahead with our NCAAB betting picks.
- The NCAA Tournament takes place from March 14th to April 3rd, with the final taking place at the NRG Stadium, in Houston, Texas
- 68 teams will compete in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The whole field was seeded from 1-68 by the Selection Committee on the Sunday before the competition started
- The four number 1 seeds are Alabama Crimson Tide (South Regional), Purdue Boilermakers (East Regional), Houston Cougars (Midwest Regional), and Kansas Jayhawks (West Regional)
The NCAA competition is a special event that catches the attention of nearly all sports fans. It’s almost like Super Bowl weekend, except it goes on for nearly one month. And when the action gets under way for real on Thursday, it’s going to be one hell of a rollercoaster ride.
#MarchMadness Map 🗺
Each county is assigned to the closest team in the bracket!
(via @jloose128, @redditCBB) pic.twitter.com/suS7njsDPL
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 13, 2023
And it’s here that we are going to start our ride, with our futures picks.
NCAA Tournament Winner Betting
Before we go on, let’s first take a look at the betting to win the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The favorites are Houston and Alabama. Both number 1 seeds, and both now at +550. After the draw on Selection Sunday, Alabama went favorites on their own at +500 (Houston were at +550). They both then went to +500 joint favorites on Monday, and at the time of writing this article, they are both joint favorites at +550. All with BetOnline.
Who knows what odds they will be on Thursday, but at the moment, the market seems to be fluctuating one way, and then the other. And it may also depend on who you bet with, as to who is the favorites between the two teams.
Below we have more betting from the best college basketball betting sites. All of these sites are recommended by us here at MyTopSportbooks, and you can read more about them on our top US sportsbooks reviews page.
| NCAAB Tournament Winner Betting 2023 |  |  |  |
| Houston | +550 | +550 | +550 |
| Alabama | +550 | +550 | +550 |
| Texas | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Purdue | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| UCLA | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Kansas | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Gonzaga | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Arizona | +1400 | +1500 | +1600 |
| Connecticut | +1600 | +1600 | +1700 |
| Marquette | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Duke | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Baylor | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Tennessee | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
Picks to win the 2023 NCAA Tournament
You’ve seen the betting, now what about our NCAAB betting picks to win the competition? Well, here we’re going to look at four teams we think all have a chance, and offer great value.
Alabama Crimson Tide +550
One of the main reasons why the Crimson Tide assumed the favorites tag immediately after Sunday’s draw is that they are perceived to have been given a clearer pathway to the Final Four.
Alabama has gradually gotten stronger as the season went on. This gradual improvement has seen them work their way up the betting to become joint favorites. And as a result, they are a lot of people’s choice to win the competition outright. We agree, and we make the Crimson Tide one of our picks.
Duke Blue Devils +1800
Duke has been one of those teams that have been up and down all season. One week you look at them, and they were out at +1800 to win the Tournament. Then, a couple of weeks later, they were around +1200 to +1400 to win. And so on.
The +1800 available on them now looks better value than the +1000 available on the number 1 seed from the East Region, Purdue.
Texas Longhorns +1100
Rodney Terry has done an incredible job during his time in charge of the Longhorns. Can his fairytale story continue in the NCAA Tournament? Why not! We expect to see the Longhorns go a long way this year, and at +1100, we think they are far better value to be the team to emerge from the Midwest Region, than Houston are.
Kansas Jayhawks +1000
Another number 1 seeded team that we are expecting to do well is the Kansas Jayhawks. Bill Self’s team finished first in the Big 12, and they will need to draw on that exceptional form and fighting spirit that saw them win the conference, as they have one of the toughest draws of the top seeded teams.
If the Jayhawks can come through that, they will be well worthy of their place in the Final Four.
If we get in early on this market, we can hedge our bets here for more chances of making a profit. Yes, ifs’ fair to say if Alabama is the team that wins, then we will only make a small profit. But if you feel that strongly about backing Nate Oats’ team, then maybe hedging isn’t for you here.
Either way, getting in early here is key. When the madness starts on Thursday, odds will soon crash with the best betting sites for March Madness. It’s not given this name for nothing. So don’t be surprised if big names fall early, and as a result, the odds on any remaining favorites tumble. Get on now!
