A Look Ahead to a March Filled with Madness at the NCAA Basketball Tournament
Every March, the top college Basketball teams in the United States, convene to contest the NCAA Basketball tournament, more colloquially known as ‘March Madness’.
The aim? For one team to be crowned the National Champions of the United States. With one tournament for male teams and another for female, and hundreds of teams taking part, this is a fantastic opportunity for punters to follow some of the top collegiate talent and even enjoy a wager on the outcomes.
What is the NCAA Basketball Tournament?
The NCAA Division I Men’s/Women’s Basketball Tournament is the annual championship for US collegiate basketball teams governed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
The tournament is held every March and as a result has earned the nickname “March Madness”, ostensibly because of the dramatic games, buzzer beating winning baskets and the large number of upset wins.
The tournament is also very simple. Teams play off against each other and if you lose, then you are out. The simple format means every game contains a sense of jeopardy, especially when they are close heading into the last seconds of the final quarter.
The tournament sees 68 teams qualify, with a stated structure.
- First Four
Four play in games featuring eight of the lowest ranked teams in the tournament begin the tournament, reducing the field from 68 to 64 teams.
- 64-team bracket.
The second section sees the teams split into one of four brackets, based on their geography. These are known as the South, East, Midwest and West and each region has their own mini-tournament. However, teams are still eliminated should they lose the game. And the rounds are organised thus:
- First Round (64 teams)
- Second Round (32 teams)
- Sweet Sixteen (16 teams)
- Elite Eight (8 teams)
After the elite eight, the final four teams qualify as the champions of their respective bracket and move on to the Final Four.
- Final Four (4 teams)
- National Championship Game (2 Teams)
One team from each of the four regions will qualify for the Final Four, where they will face off against each other in the two semi-finals before the two winning teams in those games play in the final.
The format for the men’s and women’s tournament mirror each other.
Most Successful Teams in the NCAA Tournament History
The tournament has been contested for many years but some teams have enjoyed more success than others. Outlined below are some of the best men’s and women’s colleges when it comes to winning the national championship.
Men’s Tournament
- UCLA Bruins – 11 Championships
- Kentucky Wildcats – 8 Championships
- North Carolina Tar Heels & UConn Huskies – 6 Championships
- Duke Blue Devils & Indiana Hoosiers – 5 Championships
- Kansas Jayhawks – 4 Championships
- Villanova Wildcats – 3 Championships
Women’s Tournament
- UConn Huskies – 11 Championships
- Tennessee Lady Volunteers – 8 Championships
- Stanford Cardinals, South Carolina Gamecocks, Baylor Lady Bears – 3 Championships
Latest Outright Betting Markets for 2026 Tournament
Betting odds shown were correct with bet365 Sport at the time of writing.
Men’s Tournament
- Michigan – 4.25
- Duke – 4.40
- Arizona – 5.25
- Florida – 8.00
- Houston – 11.00
- Connecticut – 21.00
- Illinois, Iowa State – 23.00
- Purdue – 41.00
- Michigan State – 46.00
- Kansas, St Johns – 51.00
Women’s Tournament
- Connecticut – 1.35
- UCLA – 6.50
- Texas – 8.00
- South Carolina – 10.00
- LSU 17.00
- Vanderbilt – 41.00
- Michigan, Duke – 76.00
- Iowa, Louisville – 101.00
- Oklahoma – 126.00
- NC State 151.00
The action begins on the 17th March going through to the 4th April in the men’s tournament. The women’s tournament runs from the 18th March to the 5th April.
