Dean Etheridge
March Madness hasn’t failed to disappoint so far in 2023, and with the Sweet 16 taking place later this week, are we in for some more upsets? Here we take a look with our updated NCAAB futures.
- No.16 seeds, Fairleigh Dickinson’s 65-58 first round win over the No.1 seeded Purdue Boilermakers is the biggest shock of the competition so far
- Fellow No.1 seeds, the Kansas Jayhawks exited the tournament in Round 2. The defending champions went down 72-71 to eighth seeds, Arkansas
- Two No.2 seeds have also exited the competition. Arizona lost 59-55 to Princeton (15) in Round 1, and Marquette lost 69-60 to Michigan State (7) in Round 2.
Updated betting to win 2023 NCAA Basketball Tournament
It’s as you were, at the top of the betting to win the 2023 NCAA Basketball Tournament with the Alabama Crimson Tide and Houston Cougars still leading the way. The only changes we have seen is that both teams are now at shorter odds. The Crimson Tide is favored at +360, with Houston at +400. Both were trading at around +500 to +600 this time last week.
Following on from the leading two is Texas at +650, and UCLA at +750. The loss of two No.1 seeds, Purdue and Kansas, has resulted in the odds on the remaining favorites shortening. But four of the original six favorites still remain, and they are all pretty much in the same pecking order as they were this time last week, with the exception of Alabama and Houston, who have flipped.
Full betting on the 16 remaining teams can be found below. Here we have put together the odds from the best college basketball betting sites for 2023. You can read more about them at our top US sportsbooks reviews page.
| NCAAB Winner Betting 2023 ahead of Sweet 16 |  |  |  |
| Alabama | +360 | +360 | +360 |
| Houston | +400 | +400 | +400 |
| Texas | +650 | +650 | +650 |
| UCLA | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| Connecticut | +900 | +900 | +900 |
| Gonzaga | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Creighton | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Tennessee | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Kansas State | +2800 | +2800 | +2800 |
| Michigan State | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
| Arkansas | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
| Xavier | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
| San Diego State | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Florida | +4500 | +4500 | +4500 |
| Miami Florida | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
What’s next?
Next up is the Sweet 16 starting on Thursday. The opening match sees number 3 seed Kansas State taking on number 7 seed MI State, at Madison Square Garden. In total there are four games on Thursday, with the remaining four taking place on Friday.
The eight Sweet 16 fixtures in full are:-
- Kansas State (3) vs MI State (7)
- UConn (4) vs Arkansas (8)
- Tennessee (4) vs FL Atlantic (9)
- UCLA (2) vs Gonzaga (3)
- Alabama (1) vs San Diego State (5)
- Houston (1) vs Miami FL
- Creighton (6) vs Princeton (15)
- Texas (2) vs Xavier (3)
The Elite Eight then takes place on Saturday and Sunday.
Potential for more March Madness shocks?
So what is the potential for more March Madness shocks when the Sweet 16 starts? Two of the highest seeded teams left in the competition are number 6 seeds Creighton and number 15 seeds Princeton. They both meet in Kentucky on Friday, when one will be eliminated.
Creighton beat NC State (11) as expected in Round 1. They then pulled off a shock in Round 2 by defeating number 3 seeds Baylor (85-76). As for Princeton, they have reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in 56 years. They scored the first major upset of March Madness by taking out number 2 seeds Arizona in the first round. They then continued with their Cinderella story by defeating Missouri 78-63 in Round 2.
Fifteenth-seeded Princeton will continue its Cinderella run in the Sweet 16 at the 2023 NCAA men’s basketball tournament after a 78-63 victory over No. 7 seed Missourihttps://t.co/5n1ou6pGiG
— CNN (@CNN) March 19, 2023
Can Princeton keep the fairytale story going this Friday when they meet Creighton? Well, they didn’t just beat Missouri, they thrashed them by 15 points. So why not. The best March Madness betting sites don’t appear to share the optimism though. BetOnline are giving Princeton a 10 point start on the handicap. And on the moneyline, the number 15 seeds are +425. Creighton is at -525.
Elsewhere, and number 1 seeds and betting favorites Alabama are taking on number 5 seeds San Diego State. And also facing number 5 seeds are the Houston Cougars, who are facing Miami FL, who comfortably saw off Indiana (4) in Round 2.
Number 8 seed Arkansas will face No.4 seeds UConn. And FL Atlantic (9) will face number four seeds, the Tennessee Volunteers, in what should be a tricky match for conquerors of the heavily fancied Duke in the second round.
Updated March Madness Picks
It’s already been a March Madness full of shock results. Will there be more? Or will we finally start to see the remaining top seeds show their superior class?
Two of our picks have unfortunately departed the competition, and that leaves us still with two of our original four teams to follow. One of our teams to watch, Alabama (+360), are still looking the part.
BAMA IS ROLLIN' TO THE SWEET 16 🐘 @AlabamaMBB pic.twitter.com/vJIl8X1N3t
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) March 19, 2023
They have now been made outright favorites to win the competition for the first time in their history. But that said, long time former favorites, the Houston Cougars are still hanging around. And they’ve had little difficulty progressing to this stage of the competition.
As for our other team to watch, the Texas Longhorns, they are now into +650, from their pre March Madness odds of +1100. The Longhorns (2) face a tough match against the highly rated Xavier (3) on Friday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas. The Longhorns are getting 4 points on the handicap, and on the moneyline, they are -180. Xavier are +160.
As things stand, we see no reasons to change tactics and are happy to still be on the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Texas Longhorns.
