NCAA Tournament 2018 Odds: Complete List Of Prop Bets And Expert Picks For March Madness

March Madness is extremely popular and most known for its brackets, which afford hardcore fans and casual observers—who usually only pay attention to college basketball at this time of year—alike a fun opportunity to predict the winner of every game. There’s almost always money on the line, with countless pools created in offices, schools and other groups across the country. While even the casual fans will fill out a bracket or two, some of the more gambling savvy hoops junkies will put money down on the point spread for certain games. What a lot of people aren’t aware of is the prop bets that offer another, highly unique method of wagering on the 2018 NCAA Tournament action.

Darren Heitner tweeted an America Gaming Association forecast that states only 3% of March Madness wagers (about $300 million) will be placed legally:

The @AmerGamingAssn estimates 97% of expected $10 billion wagered on #MarchMadness to be bet illegally

— Darren Heitner (@DarrenHeitner) March 12, 2018

Props are extremely popular during the Super Bowl, as oddsmakers release thousands of exotic lines on anything remotely related to the NFL’s championship. Back in February, bettors could put money down on anything from the result of the opening coin toss (heads, by the way) to the color of the Gatorade bath (which was green, fitting for a Philadelphia Eagles win) at the end of the game. What many don’t realize is that prop betting isn’t unique to the Super Bowl and is usually offered on a variety of sporting events, with big games and events like March Madness serving as the impetus for the creation of a plethora of props. While there aren’t as many offerings as the Super Bowl—nor do they venture into areas as bizarre as those tend to go—there are quite a few intriguing exotic bets up on the board for the Big Dance.

BetDSI Sportsbook released odds that cover all aspects of March Madness, ranging from the basic—who the Most Outstanding Player of the tourney will be or if anyone will record a triple-double—to more exciting events like the amount of buzzer-beaters or if a team seeded No. 8 or worse will win the national title. There’s also some fascinating props on whether any player will be declared ineligible for March Madness after from news that the FBI has been investigating recruiting violations recently broke. There are also exotics that touch on mascots that even the most indifferent college basketball viewers can have fun betting on. These odds include how many teams with a “Tiger” or “Wildcat” mascot will reach the Sweet 16 and/or the Final Four.

Jon Price of SportsInformationTraders.com was tapped to provide his take on the best prop bet on the board this year. The Vegas pro obliged and sent over a pick that you will not want to miss. Before getting to his expert prediction, take a look at the complete list of odds for the Most Outstanding Player award and all the other props available during the 2018 NCAA Tournament:

2018 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Odds

2018 NCAA Tournament Prop Bets And Odds

Prop covers entire tournament unless specified.

March Madness Prop Betting Odds Courtesy Of BetDSI Sportsbook. (More props are available on the site, which is also offering a $1 million prize for a perfect bracket this year, you can find more about that by clicking here).

A full First Round schedule and odds for every game can be found at the end of this article.

Top Prop: How Many Teams With “Wildcats” As a Mascot Will Reach The Sweet 16?

This unique prop is likely the most lucrative should the bracket shake out the way Jon Price believes it will. The over/under for the number of Wildcats to make it into the Sweet 16 is 2.5, which means more than half the schools with this mascot would need to advance through the first weekend. There are five Wildcats program that received a bid to this year's tourney, here's a peek at who they are and which opponents await them in the first two rounds:

Mike Anderson thinks the South portion of the bracket is tough for those who make their picks based on the mascots:

4 Wildcats in one half of the South region. That's gonna be real tough for people who pick on mascots

— Mike Anderson (@VUmander) March 11, 2018

As you can see in the table above, there are three Wildcats stacked up within the Boise, Idaho pod—which encompasses the No. 4 vs. No. 13 and No. 5 vs. No 12 matchups—of the South region. No matter how this pod shakes out, a maximum of three Wildcats can make it to the second weekend of March Madness. This is bad news for those considering the over on this bet, as they will need the two remaining Wildcats to have a flawless foray through the first two rounds.

It’s guaranteed that one Wildcat squad will be going home early due to an opening round battle between Kentucky and Davidson. It’ll be a sour experience for the losing school and its fan base, which will have to travel far westward for the Big Dance. Kentucky head coach John Calipari made it clear he wasn’t a fan of the location for his team’s opening contest and potential second matchup in the Round of 32, as per the Journal Sentinel:

I don’t expect anything different. Today they asked me, ‘What do you think?’ I thought we’d probably be a 12 and playing (the play-in game) in Dayton unless they have something in Anchorage (Alaska). If they could throw us in Anchorage they’d probably do that. But it’s all right… It is what it is. They’re not going to make it easy for us.

UK’s opponent, Davidson, will be making an even further journey than its first-round foe. The Charlotte-based campus is approximately 2,000 miles—as the crow flies—from the Taco Bell Arena in Boise, while Kentucky’s Lexington location is a shade fewer than 1,700 miles away. The long trek, combined with playing a second game in four days, isn’t going to do the winning team any favors come the second round. The tired Wildcats that move on will face the winner of Arizona or Buffalo on Saturday.

Ben Bruce noted that Kentucky might have to beat three Wildcats to get to the Elite Eight. They could potentially face all four of the other Wildcats in the same tournament if they meet ‘Nova in the national title game:

For UK to make the Elite 8, they will likely have to defeat Davidson, Arizona and Kansas State. Which all have the same mascot....
The Wildcats

— Ben Bruce (@BenLBruce) March 13, 2018

Arizona is a nine-point favorite over the Bulls in the NCAA Tournament opener and are projected to beat its No. 13-seeded opponent, but they’ll have to eliminate another Wildcats group to get into the second weekend of March Madness. For bettors taking the under, this is a good thing. Regardless of whether Davidson, Arizona or Kentucky successfully navigates to the South regional, both Villanova and Kansas State will have to win both of their first two games to hit the over on this bet.

Almost everyone will be penciling ‘Nova in to at least the Sweet 16 on their brackets, which is almost surely the right choice. It’s a No. 1 seed for a reason and the Wildcats will not lose to No. 16-seeded Radford, nor should they be troubled by Alabama or Virginia Tech. Even though these Wildcats sat on the same line last year and were upset by Wisconsin in the Round of 32, the Badgers were a vastly under seeded, highly experienced team that retained numerous players from their back-to-back Final Four runs in the prior two tournaments. Neither the Crimson Tide nor the Hokies have those things going for them, severely lacking the veteran savvy that comes from deep forays through the bracket. Either will definitely put up more of a fight than Radford, but that isn't saying much. They ultimately offer little in the way of real resistance to a 'Nova squad that seeking to win its second title in three years.

Chris O thinks there needs to some identifiers to differentiate the Wildcat mascots

Kansas State is the school that this bet truly hinges on. Unless Buffalo defies the odds and eliminates two sets of Wildcats in Boise, the over/under for this Sweet 16 prop will come down to whether or not K-State can best Creighton and Virginia. The former is KenPom.com’s No. 27 ranked program, 17 spots ahead of where these Wildcats fall. Should they pull off the upset as a two-point underdog, they’ll face much longer odds in the second round. UVA is the tournaments No. 1 overall seed—and it certainly isn’t falling to UMBC in Round 1—and hungry to avenge last season’s second-round exit.

2016 marked the last time that the Cavaliers sat on the No. 1 line, which they took advantage of to advance all the way to the Elite Eight. The only other time they earned a top seed since head coach Tony Bennett took over the program in 2009 was in 2014. The Wahoos didn’t live up to expectations that season, but still made it to the Sweet 16 before losing to a strong Michigan State foe.

K-State isn’t in the same league in terms of talent, ranking No. 60 in offense and No. 41 in defense as per Ken Pomeroy’s pace adjusted rankings. Virginia not only ranks No. 21 in offense and No. 1 in defense according to those same metrics, but is also the top-ranked overall squad. The Hoos are going to be heavily favored and a loss to K-State, if it even makes it past the Bluejays on Friday, would be one if the great upsets of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Don’t bank on that happening, which is why Jon Price says taking the under on 2.5 Wildcat mascot programs making it to the Sweet 16 this year is the top prop bet on the board.

Pick: Under 2.5 (-115)

2018 NCAA Tournament Viewing Guide And Updated Odds

All games streaming via March Madness Live

March Madness Round of 64 Odds Courtesy Of BetDSI Sportsbook.