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Yesterday β€” 16 March 2026Main stream

2026 March Madness betting guide: Odds, best bets and bracket predictions

March Madness is here, which means Yahoo Sports has you covered with all the information you need to fill out your brackets and make your bets.

Even though the bracket was just released, we already have odds for every first-round game, including the two First Four matchups on Tuesday and Wednesday night at the University of Dayton.

Last year, the No. 1 seed Florida Gators defeated the No. 1 seed Houston Cougars 65-63 in the national championship game to win their first title since 2007.

In this year’s tournament, the No. 1 seeds are Duke, Michigan, Arizona and Florida. The Blue Devils are the +300 betting favorites at BetMGM.

[Enter Yahoo Bracket Mayhem now | Printable bracket]

Here is everything you need to know to help you fill out your bracket on Yahoo Sports’ Bracket Mayhem game and with make your wagers.

Who are the betting favorites?

Overall No. 1 seed Duke is the favorite at +300 at BetMGM, followed by Michigan (+350), Arizona (+400) and Florida (+650). Michigan was the betting favorite after the brackets were released on Sunday night, but Duke moved up. Yahoo Sports' Nick Bromberg has more.

Biggest March Madness bets

One BetMGM bettor is a big Purdue fan, wagering $100,000 on the Boilermakers to make the Final Four at +600 odds. Will the No. 2 seed in the West Region get past Arizona and others? Keep track of all the biggest March Madness futures wagers right here.

[Yahoo Finance: How sports betting taxes work; what you might owe]

5 things to know about betting college basketball

New to March Madness either from a betting perspective or filling out a bracket? Fear not, we've got a few tips to help you wade into the wagering pool and not lose all your money in the tourney's first few days.Β 

4 NCAA tournament bets we like right now

We've got odds on every first-round game, which means that we have opinions on them as well. Our college basketball handicappers Matt Russell and Corbie Craig combine for four wagers you should make right now.

Can Cinderellas bounce back after favorites dominated last year?

For many years, part of the beauty of the NCAA tournament was underdogs winning in the early rounds. March Madness was good for underdog bettors, too, but favorites have dominated recently. Is this the start of a new trend or an outlier the last few years? Frank Schwab investigates what bettors and those filling out brackets can expect this year.

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