NCAA March Madness 2020
March is already here, which means the biggest event in college football is right around the corner. The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, otherwise known as NCAA March Madness 2020, will begin with this season’s Selection Sunday on March 15th.It’s an exciting time for sports punters across the country. If you’re into NCAA Basketball betting, you’ve come to the right place – we’ll dive into all the information you need to get the most out of the 2020 edition of March Madness.
Table of content
NCAA March Madness 2020 Dates and Full Schedule
First thing’s first, let’s check out the scheduled NCAA March Madness 2020 dates.
- Sunday, March 15, 2020: Selection Sunday.
- Tuesday and Wednesday, March 17 – 18: First Four.
- Thursday and Friday, March 19 – 20: NCAA Tournament Round 1.
- Saturday and Sunday, March 21 – 22: NCAA Tournament Round 2.
- Thursday and Friday, March 26 – 27: Sweet 16.
- Saturday and Sunday, March 28 – 29: Elite 8.
- Saturday, April 4th: Final Four.
- Monday, April 6th: 2020 NCAA Championship Game.
The proceedings will kick off, as always, with a Selection Sunday, at which time the 2020 tournament field will be revealed along with the full field of 68, seeding, and bracket.
Below you’ll find NCAA March Madness schedule of rounds and events. You’ll also find the 2020 March Madness locations and timetable:
Time | Round | City, State | Host |
March 15 | Selection Sunday | N/A | / |
March 17-18 | First Four | Dayton, OH | University of Dayton |
March 19-21 | 1st/2nd Rounds | Albany, NY | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference |
March 19-21 | 1st/2nd Rounds | Spokane, WA | University of Idaho |
March 19-21 | 1st/2nd Rounds | St. Louis, MO | NCAA March Madness 2020 St Louis @MVC |
March 19-21 | 1st/2nd Rounds | Tampa, FL | NCAA March Madness 2020 Tampa @USF |
March 20-22 | 1st/2nd Rounds | Greensboro, NC | Atlantic Coast Conference |
March 20-22 | 1st/2nd Rounds | Omaha, NE | NCAA March Madness 2020 Omaha @CU |
March 20-22 | 1st/2nd Rounds | Sacramento, CA | NCAA March Madness 2020 Sacramento @CSU |
March 20-22 | 1st/2nd Rounds | Cleveland, OH | Mid-American Conference/Cleveland State |
March 26-28 | Midwest Regional | Indianapolis, IN | NCAA March Madness 2020 Indianapolis @IUPUI |
March 26-28 | West Regional | Los Angeles, CA | Pepperdine University |
March 27-29 | South Regional | Houston, TX | University of Houston |
March 27-29 | East Regional | New York, NY | St. John’s University |
April 4-6 | Final Four and Title Game | Atlanta, GA | Georgia Institute of Technology |
March Madness 2020 First Seeds
For the third consecutive year, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament selection committee released early previews of the top 16 seeds for the season more than a month in advance of Selection Sunday.
According to their official predictions, the top seeds this year will be Duke, Tennessee, Virginia and Gonzaga. Keep in mind that these are not yet set in stone, although most experts tend to agree with this prediction.
Duke were selected as the overall number 1 seed in the East region. The team has had an overall admirable performance throughout the regular season, led by a strong core of young talent, such as Wernon Carey Jr. or Tre Jones. However, recent outings in February saw a notable drop in their form, leading many to doubt how successful March Madness will be for the Blue Devils.
Tennesee is widely considered to be the strongest team in college basketball right now, so it should come as no surprise that they were chosen as the first seed for the South region. Although the past four SEC conference tournaments all went to Kentucky, The Volunteers seem poised to take the first seed for the first time in their history.
Virginia has had their ups and downs throughout the season, but are seemingly reaching their peak at just the right time. The Cavaliers are living up to their name as last year’s champions, earning themselves the position of No.1 seed in the Midwest region.
Gonzaga is going strong and steady, with important victories over San Francisco and Duke. The rare few losses have done little to change the projection of Gonzaga as the clear favourite for being the West’s first seed.
March Madness NCAA Basketball Betting Strategies
Now that you have the lay of the land, let’s take a look at some things to consider when betting on the upcoming NCAA March Madness. If want make NCAA bets with bitcoin, check best crypto sports betting sites.
Motivation: Conference vs. Field of 68
There’s a clear difference in how you need to look at player motivation during conference matches and field of 68. For the latter, you can expect every single player to be giving their best.
However, as we come closer to the Big Dance, you need to be careful with teams who have already secured an automatic bid. Chances are, if they have some breathing room, they’ll use it to relax a little and save the big plays for when it matters the most.
On the other hand, these last few weeks can be interesting for betting underdogs in NCAA. You can be sure they’ll be giving their all in a last push to qualify while they still can.
Defensive Play
This next piece of advice might be a bit controversial, but history has shown us that teams who focus on a stalwart defence rather than high-scoring offences fare better in the postseason.
It’s more of a matter of reliability rather than quality – aggressive teams are simply more likely to experience a major upset. And if your NCAA betting strategy is based on statistics, as it should be, predictability is what you’re looking for over impressive scores.
Public Favourites
In today’s online sports betting landscape, public perception can seriously affect the money lines bookies offer. This is not to say that a general sense of the teams’ respective strengths is always false – you just need to be aware of the concept of value betting.
A team favoured by the crowd will be wagered on no matter the odds, which can result in bad ratios of Moneyline to implied probability. If this is the case, the bets you make on popular teams can be bad from a value perspective, no matter if they win or not.
College Basketball Betting Strategies
As an endpoint, we’ll go over some general college basketball betting tips and pieces of advice for betting on NCAA college basketball.
- Home Court Advantage still matters for NCAA matches. Not only do you have to consider things like fan support and motivation, but also travel times and things like jet-lag. Consult the above locations before making your next bet.
- Know which information is relevant. Unlike a lot of other major sports leagues, college basketball boasts a huge number of games during the regular season. As such, it is subject to a lot of discussion and conjecture. You have to know how to filter good info from misleading sensationalism.
- Specialize in a conference or region. This can give you a clearer idea of team strengths and weaknesses, allowing for better predictions in the long run.
If you want find not only college basketball betting systems, but other basketball leagues, check out basketball betting guide page.
FAQ
? How many quarters in college basketball?
College basketball game has two 20 minute halves, unlike the four quarters that are there in typical matches.
? How many halves in college basketball?
College basketball plays in two 20 minute halves because that’s how the game was originally intended to be played.
? How many periods in college basketball?
Two periods each half lasts 20 minutes, making the total time 40 minutes for a regulation game.
? Does college basketball have quarters?
After a few years, it evolved into what is standard today in men’s college basketball — two 20 minute halves.
? Where to watch NCAA basketball streams?
Your NCAA March Madness 2020 games are live on TBS, TNT and TruTV, along with CBS in most cities.
? Where to watch college basketball streams outside US?
If you live in a country that has no official broadcast option to watch college basketball or a game isn’t playing locally because of regional restrictions, then you’re best bet is to use a VPN service to dial into a location in the US that does have coverage.