The March Madness tournament for 2023 is finally upon us as NCAA basketball looks to crown a national champion for the season.
It's been a fantastic season for several teams to put their case forward, but now we separate the genuine contenders from the pretenders as the best teams look to cut the nets down when we reach Houston on April 3rd, 2023.
We'll take a look at the contenders for the championship and provide you with our best free NCAAB picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash while you watch the college basketball elite compete with each other.
| March Madness 2023 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama Crimson Tide | +500 | +650 | +750 |
| Houston Cougars | +500 | +650 | +500 |
| Texas Longhorns | +1100 | +1400 | +1300 |
| Purdue Boilermakers | +1200 | +1200 | +1100 |
| UCLA Bruins | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Kansas Jayhawks | +1400 | +1200 | +850 |
Learn more about how to bet on March Madness here.
NCAAB March Madness 2023 information
- First Four: March 14-15
- First round: March 16-17
- Second round: March 18-19
- Sweet 16: March 23-24
- Elite Eight: March 25-26
- Final Four: April 1
- NCAA championship game: April 3
March Madness 2023 Contenders
Houston Cougars - (+650)
Kelvin Sampson's Cougars are among the best defensive units in the country, and it's absolutely no surprise that they're the favorites to win this tournament this year.
Despite the fact Houston reached the Final Four in 2021 and the regional final a year ago, there is definitely a worry about if Houston is battle tested enough coming out of the AAC. Plus, star senior senior guard Marcus Sasser is nursing a strained groin, and the Cougars looked lost without him, getting smoked by Memphis in the conference final by 10 points.
It really does all fall on Masser, because if he's available and fully fit then the team should be able to lock down any opponents and become the first non-Power 6 side to be champions since UConn in 2014.
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Alabama Crimson Tide - (+750)
Alabama is having arguably its best season in college basketball program history and are genuinely title contenders for this year.
Crimson Tide will have the best player on the floor for the most part with 6ft 9 freshman wing Brandon Miller, who is averaging more than 19 points per game and won SEC player of the year.
However, multiple factors should prompt bettors to proceed with caution. Miller is involved in some legal trouble after problems in January and while Alabama have so far navigated through it should it come back up during the tournament it could have a drastic effect on their chances.
Plus, the Crimson Tide are just 2-2 in the NCAA Tournament with Nate Oats as head coach so they're not proven at the highest level. Still, at +750 they're a great value bet.
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Purdue Boilermakers - (+1200)
The Boilermakers have not let the loss of 2022 leading scorer Jaden Ivey faze them, as Edey carried them to a second straight 25-win season. Freshman Fletcher Loyer picked up where Ivey left off, meaning Purdue still have a double threat that can hurt any team.
Purdue will enter the tournament on a five-game winning streak and has an extremely favorable draw in the East Region.
Matt Painter‘s ability to navigate the NCAA Tournament is a big question mark over this team though. He is just 7-13 in March Madness games and hasn’t advanced beyond the Elite 8 in his 13 tournament appearances.
UCLA Bruins - (+1200)
UCLA closed by winning 12 of its final 13 games, earning the No. 2 seed in the West and they're entering this tournament at the perfect time.
UCLA claimed the Pac-12 by four games over Arizona and USC, thus earning most of the conference’s marquee regular-season awards. Mick Cronin won Pac-12 coach of the year, Jaime Jaquez Jr. was named conference player of the year, Adam Bona earned freshman of the year honors, and guard Tyger Campbell was named first-team all-Pac 12. They're stacked.
The Bruins play stout defense, holding opponents to an average of just 60 points per game, and can score enough to get by.
UCLA would arguably be the favorites if not for the devastating Achilles injury to Pac 12 defensive player of the year Jaylen Clark, who will miss the rest of the season.
That will no doubt effect their chances of maintaining their season averages that have made them so impressive, and he's a big enough loss to put us off backing them to be successful.
Kansas Jayhawks - (+1400)
The defending national champions are back as a No. 1 seed despite a 2-4 spell that nearly sent their season off the rails.
Led by conference player of the year Jalen Wilson and Hall of Fame coach Bill Self, the Jayhawks successfully navigated the minefield that was the Big 12. Yet the Jayhawks’ stamina after playing so many tough games must be considered here, particularly on the heels of their national-championship run in 2022.
No team has won the national title in consecutive seasons since Florida did so in 2006 and 2007, so be sure to consider that fact before putting your money down on Kansas.
History is against them and their team isn't the strongest this season, so it's enough to put us off but if you fancy them to make history they're a great price.
