March Madness betting in the first round is probably the most exciting part of the NCAA Tournament. There are 64 teams to consider as you make a March Madness bet. The teams are seeded 1 through 16 in each of the four regions. March Madness betting numbers have seen the #1 seeds win every time against the #16 seeds. The average margin of victory is 25.4 points per game so the #1 seed doesn’t always cover the spread for those making a March Madness bet.
The #2 seeds have won 96% of their games against the #15 seeds. The average margin of victory is 16.8 points per game. Once in a great while a #15 team pulls off the March Madness betting shocker but it hasn’t happened in nine years.
The #3 seeds win 85% of the time in their March Madness betting matchups against the #14 seeds. In the history of the tournament there have been 15 upsets. The average margin of victory in these 3-15 games is 11.4 points per game. #3 seeds lost in 2005 and in 2006 when Kansas and Iowa were upset in March Madness betting.
#4 seeds do almost as well as the #3 seeds for those making a March Madness bet, winning 79% of the time. They win by an average of 9.3 points per game. Last year Cleveland State was a winner as a #13 seed while two #13 seeds won in 2008.
The first round matchup that gets all of the attention in terms of upsets in March Madness betting is the #5 vs. the #12. The #5 seed wins only 66% of the time and the average margin of victory is just 4.8 points per game. In the past nine years, five seeds are just 20-16 against the twelve seeds.
Six seeds actually have a better winning percentage than the five seeds in March Madness betting. They have won 69% of the time with an average margin of victor at 4.3 points per game. Recently though the six seeds are 20-8 in the last seven years.
The #7 seeds have actually done pretty well, winning 62% of the time with an average margin of victory at 2.7 points per game. Last year though they lost three of the four for those making a March Madness bet.
The #8 vs. #9 game is very even with the #9 seeds actually holding the 54% edge.