The March Madness betting tournament takes place annually every March and features over 68 teams battling for the opportunity to be named as National Champion for that season. While 68 teams start the tournament, it’s fair to assume in the sports betting world, that the tournament truly begins at the round of 16 stage. For the sports bettor unfamiliar with how to bet on the March Madness tournament, here is a guide on how to do so.

March Madness betting is similar to college basketball wagering, in that handicappers can use the point spread, money line and totals on each game. Today we will look at how to bet on March Madness and pass along some tips when using each method. The one method we will be looking at is the point spreads line.

1. Point Spread – The point spread is an advantage created by the sportsbook to make the underdog look more appealing. Essentially, when you play the point spread, your goal is to bet on whether you believe the favorite will win by the amount of points set up in the spread. Tip: In a game featuring seeds 5 to 12, you should take the underdog to cover the point spread because the teams seeded within these numbers are closer in skill level than those teams seeded one and 16 and onwards. Here is how it appears.

BYU

Florida +10

In this example, BYU is the favorite and bettors taking them on the point spread need the Cougars to win the game by 11 or more points. However, we suggest you take Florida in this matchup to cover the point spread, as they have a good defense and high scoring offense. Meaning to say, if you take Florida on the point spread, you need the Gators to lose the game by nine of more points, or win the game outright.

In less than a month the NCAA basketball betting online world will be front and center as the 2011 edition of the March Madness betting tournament to crown a National Champion in college hoops will be underway. While the AP top 25 takes most of the college basketball betting attention, there are many teams on the rise that could surprise in the tournament. Here is a look at some of the underdogs for this year’s tournament.

The UCLA Bruins and North Carolina Tar Heels will be back in the March Madness tournament, for the first time since 2009 as both schools appear to have turned a corner. Last week, the North Carolina Tar Heels, with a team made up mostly of freshmen and sophomores took the Duke Blue Devils, last season’s March Madness winner to the limit in a thrilling game. The Tar Heels weren’t able to come away with the win, however they showed the rest of the NCAA that a March Madness berth is on the mind this season.

Meanwhile, the UCLA Bruins are making lots of noise this college hoops season, a big change from last year’s team. The Bruins are currently riding a five game win streak and have won nine of their last 10 games. UCLA is 18 and seven this season with a nine and three record against the rest of the Pac 10. The Bruins are led by Malcolm Lee and Joshua Smith, who appear to be destined for good careers at the college level.

In years past, saying that the UCLA Bruins and North Carolina Tar Heels were underdogs, would have got us laughed at. However, this season, with such young rosters, both squads appear to be in Cinderella mode as opposed to heavyweight contender. Meaning to say, both of these teams could make serious runs in the March Madness Tournament, en route to surprise final four finishes.

NCAA basketball betting online handicappers have become all too familiar with the NBA recently, as many freshmen in college have made the jump right away to the NBA. During the 2010 NBA sports betting draft alone, 10 freshmen were selected in the draft. With so many college hoops stars making the jump to the big leagues, here is a look at two of the
2010-11 freshmen, that could make it to the NBA come June’s draft.

Side Note: Kyrie Irving from Duke was originally going to be a part of this list, as he was having an incredible freshmen year. However, in the middle of December Irving broke his toe, and his status for the rest of the season and NBA draft remain uncertain.

• Corey Joseph Texas G – At six foot three 180 pounds, Corey Joseph is one of the best players in the Big 12 this season. The rookie from Pickering, Ontario Canada is one of two rookies starting for the Longhorns this season. Joseph meshes well with teammates, and possesses amazing basketball IQ while his defensive play is strong as well. Right now, Joseph is averaging 11.2 points per game, with four rebounds and one steal per game. We project the young guard to go in the second round of the draft, and could end up as a backup guard for some lucky team.

• Brandon Knight Kentucky G – A year after losing freshmen phenom John Wall to the NBA draft and Washington Wizards, the Kentucky Wildcats under Head Coach John Calipari appear destined to once again lose a guard come June’s NBA draft. This time it is freshman Brandon Knight, a player that has been pivotal to Kentucky’s resilient effort to continue dominating the NCAA.

Similar to Wall from a season ago, Knight has outstanding court vision and is great defensively. At 17.6 points per game, four rebounds and nearly four assists per game, Knight has the potential to be the second Wildcat in a row to enter the NBA draft as the first overall selection.