Patrick Everson
FOX Sports Betting Analyst
March Madness odds are obviously huge for the games themselves, particularly on opening weekend. The first two days, Thursday and Friday, will see 32 games roll out, with betting opportunities aplenty.
But many bettors already have action on the NCAA Tournament, by way of March Madness futures odds or futures parlay tickets.
Like a major wager from a couple of weeks ago that could potentially win almost a million dollars.
Read on for more on that play and other notable NCAA Tournament bets.
100 grand on Gators
Florida is all the rage right now. The Gators rumbled through the SEC Tournament with three big wins, knocking off Missouri, Alabama and Tennessee in order.
Florida has won six in a row as part of a 12-1 overall run. And for what it’s worth — and it’s definitely worth something — the Gators are 12-1 against the spread in those games, too.
All of that has allowed Florida to earn one of the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, atop the West Region. At BetMGM, the Gators are now the +325 co-favorite with Duke to win the national title.
But earlier this month, a BetMGM customer got notably better odds on Florida, putting $100,000 on the Gators +900.
So, if Florida’s six-game win streak becomes a 12-game win streak, then that bettor will pocket a massive profit of $900,000, for a total payout of $1 million.
Earlier in the season, BetMGM took a $2,000 bet on St. John’s +5000 to win the championship. If the Red Storm go the distance, then that ticket nets $100,000 (total payout $102,000).
Terrific Ticket
How would you like to be sitting on a three-leg parlay to collect nearly $50,000, needing only a Duke championship to close out that bet?
Back during football season, a FanDuel Sportsbook customer was prescient enough to string together this $85 parlay:
- Ohio State +300 to win the College Football Playoff
- Philadelphia Eagles +1000 to win the Super Bowl
- Duke +1200 to win March Madness
Add those three up, and you’ve got odds of +57100, or in more digestible terms, 571/1.
Ohio State took care of the first leg, beating Notre Dame 34-23 on Jan. 20 to win the CFP. Three weeks later, on Feb. 9, the Eagles rolled over the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in the Super Bowl.
Now, with the NCAA Tournament on the horizon, all that remains is Duke making a title run. And as good fortune would have it, the Blue Devils are actually the +280 favorite in FanDuel’s odds to win the NCAA Tournament.
The only looming issue: Blue Devils freshman star Cooper Flagg turned his ankle in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. Flagg’s status isn’t certain yet. But to get to the finish line, Duke likely needs the Player of the Year candidate healthy.
If Flagg and the Blue Devils lift the trophy on April 7 in San Antonio, then that $85 parlay turns a profit of $48,535. That’s some pretty decent ROI.
John Fanta predicts the first-ever College Basketball Crown winner
Built For The Futures
Along with that aforementioned hefty Florida wager, there are countless more straight bets on championship futures in March Madness odds. DraftKings Sportsbook is sitting on a couple of tickets that would pay out six figures — if either of those teams can get there.
A customer put $1,000 on Wisconsin +11000 (110/1) to win the NCAA Tournament. If the Badgers make a surprising run, then the bettor profits $110,000. At the moment, Wisconsin is +6000.
Tennessee is among the favorites to win the national title, currently the +2200 sixth choice at DraftKings. Months ago, a DK customer put $2,500 on the Vols at +5000.
That bet stands to profit a hefty $125,000, if Tennessee can win it all.
Other notable bets in DraftKings’ NCAA Tournament futures odds:
- $2,453 Michigan State +3500, to win $85,855 (total payout $88,308)
- $1,000 UConn +7500, to win $75,000 (total payout $76,000).
- $4,000 Florida +1500, to win $60,000 (total payout $64,000)
- $5,000 Alabama +1100, to win $55,000 (total payout $60,000)
- $6,000 Auburn +600, to win $36,000 (total payout $42,000)
At DraftKings, Auburn is now the +400 third choice in March Madness championship odds. Florida is the +380 second choice and Alabama joins Tennessee as the +2200 sixth choice.
UConn is the two-time defending national champion but had a much rougher season than expected, as those 75/1 odds suggest. In fact, DraftKings now has the Huskies even longer, at 80/1.
Still, UConn made the Tournament as a No. 8 seed, and anything can happen from there.
Michigan State is very much in the mix. The Spartans are currently the +2500 seventh choice in DraftKings’ NCAA Tournament title odds.
School Of Hard Rock
Earlier in the season, Hard Rock Bet took a few relatively smaller wagers, but at longer odds. So the payouts are quite lofty. Among the most notable of those bets:
- $700 BYU +10100 (101/1). In the unlikely event of a Cougars championship, the bettor would win $70,700 (total payout $71,400).
- $500 Maryland +6100. A Terrapins title would land this bettor $30,500 in profit (total payout $31,000).
- $500 St. John’s +5100. If the surging Red Storm cut down the nets, then the bettor profits $25,500 (total payout $26,000).
- $250 Florida +6100. As noted above, the Gators are now among the favorites. If this bet hits, the customer profits $15,250 (total payout $15,500).
And file this one under “Just having some fun”: A Hard Rock customer put all of $5 on Omaha to make the Final Four, at massive +50000 odds. That’s 500/1.
If the Mavericks make such an insane run, then that five bucks rakes in $2,505 in profit.
March Madness opening round best bets
Hail Caesars
Caesars Sports also has a few customers looking to cash out big on March Madness futures bets. Way back on June 27, a customer put $10,000 on Houston +2200.
Now, Caesars has Houston as the +600 fourth choice. If the Cougars cut down the nets in April, then the customer profits a healthy $220,000 (total payout $230,000).
A side note on Houston: Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale is an avid fan of all Houston-based sports teams. So he might drop a million or more on the Cougars, as well, though he says he hasn’t done so yet. Stay tuned.
Two more notable futures bets at Caesars:
- $30,000 Auburn +350, to win $105,000 (total payout $135,000)
- $10,000 UConn +900, to win $90,000 (total payout $100,000)
That UConn wager was made on June 10, a couple of months after the Huskies won their second straight championship. So their odds were pretty short, expecting another big season.
Surely that bettor would rather have money on Caesars’ current UConn price of +8000, which would net $800,000 if the Huskies won an improbable third straight championship.
Still, that customer won’t be complaining if UConn somehow lifts the trophy. Ninety thousand dollars is nothing to sneeze at.
Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas.
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