The path to the 2024 NCAA national championship game has been set and March Madness is upon us. Bettors worldwide have already started placing their first-round wagers, locking in Final Four futures and filling out brackets in their pools. Today we will talk about March Madness futures props, including best bets and sleepers to make the Elite Eight, Final Four, and championship.
What makes March Madness so alluring to hoops fans and bettors alike is that practically every squad has a fighter's chance at advancing if everything comes together at the right time. We see far more upsets in the NCAA tournament than we typically do in the NBA Playoffs and other professional postseasons. Savvy bettors use these trends to their advantage, pinpointing wagers on the prop market that yield particularly strong value.
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Many bettors will be targeting longer-term, bigger-picture wagers like the best under-the-radar teams to go the distance and advance to the Elite Eight or Final Four. As last year's Furman, Princeton and Pittsburgh bettors know, if you hit on one sleeper to go deep — even with a modest wager — you could be cashing in big time.
Which prop bets and upsets should you keep in mind ahead of the second weekend of March Madness? Sporting News breaks down compelling prop bets from BetMGM and DraftKings for the 2024 NCAA Tournament, including some longshot teams that could go further than expected.
All odds courtesy of BetMGM and DraftKings Sportsbook.
March Madness prop bets 2024
Best bets to make the Final Four
- Connecticut (-250)
- Arizona (+120)
- Tennessee (+225)
Nobody plays a crisper, cleaner brand of team basketball on both sides of the floor like the defending champs, so UConn at -250 seems like a no-brainer if you're willing to take on some juice. It's like betting the Denver Nuggets to get to the Western Conference Championship — it just feels as safe as a March Madness futures bet can feel, which is why we promoted the Huskies at -120 to make the Final Four when these odds opened.
We also still can't get away from the value with Arizona (+120), as the West region seemed like a very fortunate draw for the Wildcats. North Carolina is quite obviously flawed and we think Arizona is better from top to bottom on both ends of the court. Plus, what a cool storyline if UNC transfer Caleb Love beats his old squad to get to the Final Four!
Tennessee (+225) also screams "value bet opportunity," as the Vols simply get it done at every level and never let the pace of a game overwhelm them. Dynamic scorer Dalton Knecht should become a household name by mid-April, and teams like Purdue and Gonzaga will struggle to contend with the Vols' suffocating defense.
EXPERT PICKS: DeCourcy (UConn) | Bender (UConn) | Iyer (UConn) | Yanchulis (South Carolina women)
NCAA Tournament winners best bets: Sleepers
- Marquette (+1600)
- Illinois (+2800)
It's not a great year to pick a sleeper to win it all, as we have mostly top-four seeds across our Final Four brackets and Mike DeCourcy, Bill Bender, Vinnie Iyer and myself all picked UConn to repeat. However, we don't mind putting a modest wager on Marquette (+1600), which has gotten hot at the right time and and has one of the best players in the nation in Tyler Kolek. We're also bullish on the Terrence Shannon and the Illini (+2800), who seem priced way too low considering Illinois' scoring punch and ability to go on wild runs.
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