5 Top in-game bets to place during March Madness

March Madness is nearly upon us, with Auburn entering the 2025 tournament as the favorite. Here, we introduce you to five of the best in-game bets to place during March Madness, which may help you profit from the basketball action this spring. 

What is March Madness? 

March Madness is a single-elimination collegiate basketball competition. The NCAA Division 1 tournament draws huge crowds and attracts significant betting activity yearly.

Sixty-eight teams will compete across seven stages, with the NCAA Championship Game on April 7 determining the winner. This year’s final will be held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. 

March Madness Schedule 2025: Key dates 

Before we dive into the best in-game bets to place during this year’s tournament, we want to remind you of the key dates for your diary. 

Selection Sunday on March 16, 2025, gets us underway with the following key dates throughout the tournament: 

NCAA March Madness Previous Winners 

UConn has won March Madness twice in a row after winning in Houston in 2023 and then again last year in Glendale, Arizona. The Huskies might not be as strong this season, but they will likely feature in the Final Four in 2025. 

UCLA is the most successful team in March Madness history, with 11 wins, though the Bruins haven’t won the title since 1995. The other top winning teams are Kentucky (8) and North Carolina (6). 

Auburn and Duke are the strongest teams in this year’s tournament. The latter is hoping for its sixth title, its first since 2016, while Auburn will win its first-ever March Madness title if it wins in 2025. 

Our recommended in-game bets for March Madness 2025 

With so much basketball to look forward to this Spring, you can place in-game wagers throughout March Madness. 

In-game betting, or live wagering, requires waiting for the action to get underway. Here are five basketball wagers to add to your pre-match selections this spring: 

1: In-game spread betting 

March Madness is prime for in-game basketball spread betting. This is essentially the margin of points you expect one of the teams to win by. Looking back to the first four clashes in 2024 as an example, you could have won a parlay on Colorado State, Grambling State, and Colorado, all with a 6.5-point winning margin. 

But even better, the first and second rounds tend to offer great value for in-game spread bets, so consider this a viable option when doing your March Madness research this year. 

2: Rebounds + assists 

Prop betting is hugely popular among basketball fans, and March Madness offers prop bets galore. Consider which players you think will star for your favorite team and place a prop bet that combines their number of rebounds and assists. 

For example, in last year’s championship game, MVP Tristen Newton posted seven assists and five rebounds in the match, which would have offered great returns. 

3: Top point scorer 

Another popular option throughout March Madness is to pick the top point scorer in a match. In the early rounds, look for value in backing someone to score 30+ points against a weaker team. Again, Newton managed 20 points in the 2024 championship match, so big scores are certainly possible in the earlier rounds. 

4: Three-pointers made 

Going into the 2025 tournament, North Florida has the best average for most three-pointers made per game, with 12.4. If they make it into March Madness, betting over a specific number of three-pointers in any Ospreys game could pay dividends. Duke, who we fancy to go deep this year, also has a good three-point average of 10.3. 

5: Team over/under points 

One of our favorite basketball bets is this team prop, which is based on how many points you think one team will score. Alabama top-scored in 2024, averaging 90.8 points per game, while Virginia was the lowest scorer with just 62.9 points per game. Do your research and find out which teams are high- and low-scoring before this year’s tournament to make your selections. 

Bet on March Madness 2025 

Check out the best sportsbook bonuses and promotions ahead of March Madness 2025 and create an account. Then, place pre-match and live bets throughout the NCAA tournament this year.