Finally, the NCAA Tournament is back, which means a thrilling three weeks for casual and professional bettors alike.
While March Madness almost always lives up to its name, there are a handful of trends that persist over the years, and that could lead to solid values if you know where to look.
Here are five compelling trends to consider ahead of this year's tournament.
7 of the last 19 undefeated tournament teams won it all ...
... Which puts the pressure squarely on Gonzaga (26-0), the No. 1 overall seed and the +200 favorite to win its first-ever title. The last team to run the table was Indiana in 1976, when the Hoosiers won five tournament games to cap off a 32-0 season.
Since then, Indiana State (1979), UNLV (1991), Wichita State (2014), and Kentucky (2015) have all fallen short - and that doesn't include Memphis (2008), which has since vacated its runner-up campaign. Four of those five teams reached the Final Four, and Gonzaga is heavily favored to advance to at least that stage this year.
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10 of the last 13 champions have been No. 1 seeds ...
... And top-seeded teams have won 22 of 35 times since the tournament expanded to 64 squads in 1985. Those schools were also 35 of the 70 title contestants in that span, and the group boasts 57 Final Four trips, which is almost as many as the next three seeds combined (59).
However, the No. 1 overall seed hasn't won the tournament since 2013, and the preseason favorite hasn't won since 2009. That could mean looking beyond Gonzaga and laying short odds on the likes of Baylor, Illinois, or Michigan.
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At least 1 team seeded No. 5 or lower has reached the Final Four in 9 of the last 10 tournaments ...
... Including at least once in each of the last five tourneys. Three of those teams - Michigan State (2015), Syracuse (2016), and Loyola Chicago (2018) - are back to attempt another Cinderella run, with all three seeded eighth or lower this time. North Carolina and Wisconsin also reached the Final Four as No. 8 seeds in 2000, and the two squads face off in the 8-seed vs. 9-seed matchup this year.
Don't forget about No. 7 seed Connecticut and No. 10 seed VCU, two teams that have reached the Final Four from similar spots in recent years. Expect plenty of craziness and volatility after a season that featured lots of both.
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9 of the last 11 champions hailed from the ACC or Big East
And one of the other two teams (2014 Connecticut) has since returned to the Big East, which highlights just how dominant the two conferences have been over the past decade. Both experienced down years this season, but the conferences still combined to occupy 11 of the 68 spots in this year's field.
The ACC, in particular, has won three of the last five tournaments while placing at least one team in the Final Four during four of those campaigns. The conference earned seven bids in this year's field, with reigning national champion Virginia (No. 4 seed) and conference runner-up Florida State (No. 4 seed) leading the way. The latter reached the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in its last two tournament trips.
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No team since 2002 has won the title without a top-40 defense in adjusted efficiency
But some have come close. Duke (2015) and North Carolina (2009) both won with the No. 37 defense in the regular season, according to KenPom, while Michigan (2013) and Butler (2011) reached the title game despite ranking outside the top 60 defensively.
Baylor, Iowa, and Ohio State are all top-two seeds with defenses outside the top 40. Unsurprisingly, all three have posted top-five numbers offensively, and nine of the last 13 champions owned top-five offenses ahead of their title runs.
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