March Madness is an informal time that refers to when the men’s and women’s basketball championship tournaments are held for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The NCAA division for the men’s basketball tournament is a single-elimination tournament with 68 teams. The national championship tournament has seven rounds. The women’s tournament consists of 64 teams that qualify by either being chosen at large entry by the NCAA committee or by winning the conference title.
The first tournament for the men was held in 1939 and remained unpopular for 20 years due to prestigious tournaments such as the National Invitation Tournament that hosted some of the best teams. The first women’s tournament was a 32-team format that started in 1982 and has since reached 64 teams in 1994.
What the Bookmakers Have to Say About the March Madness
One thing Bookmakers are famous for is offering the best odds on major sporting events. Without a doubt, the bookmakers will offer some of the best odds for the March Madness. The legalisation of gambling in the whole country means more people can place bets from the comfort of their own homes as they enjoy the action. All you have to do is visit top sports betting casinos to get some favourable odds.
A few tips from the bookmakers:
- Be selective and pick spots in the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament
- Areas that have the most value even in the past are the player prop bets
- The best way is also to wager through a bracket pool. You can get the bracket from the NCAA website.
Filling out a bracket comes highly recommended and it’s considered fairly simple. You pick a team that wins a matchup and then fill it out by writing the name of the team in the next round. The March Madness NCAA is a single-elimination tournament so losing a single game means the team is out. You can also have the team that you think will win in mind. In other words, there is no perfect bracket.
Who Are The Favourites From Mountain West for Men’s Basketball?
Four Mountain West teams made the 2023 March Madness namely: San Diego State, Nevada, Utah State and Boise State. This is the second year in a row that the March Madness hosts four teams from Mountain West. Here are some of Mountain West’s most prominent players.
Kenan Blackshear (Nevada)
Kenan Blackshear is an All-Mountain West second-teamer who has made 48.2% of his shots. He managed to move to the point guard this season and he’s a 6-6, 215-pound athlete. He is originally from Orlando Florida. He will be part of the Nevada Wolfpack in the 2023 March Madness.
Nevada has had a couple of losses over the season but has maintained the status of being a good team in Mountain West. The team also has some ambitions to rise in the tournament
Steven Ashworth (Utah)
Steven Ashworth is part of the Utah State Aggies. He was born in Highland and his height is 6-1. He is a point guard for the Utah State Aggies in the NCAA.
Max Rice (Boice)
Max Rice, also the son of the coach Leon Rice weighs 200 pounds and is 6-5 in height. His hometown is Boise Idaho and plays guard position for Boise State Broncos. The Broncos have 52% of their shots in the arc and a 37% of three-point attempts. He is also one of the five players averaging at least 10 points per game this season.
Matt Bradley(San Diego)
Matt Bradley weighs 220 lb with a height of 6-4 and played for the San Diego State Aztecs. His hometown is San Bernardino College. He is one of the four double-digit scorers for the team. He’ll be playing defence and his level of skill guarantees a difficult time for their opponents.
The History of Mountain West in the NCAA
The Mountain West Conference Tournament determines the teams that will compete in the March Madness NCAA. The winner gets an automatic bid into the March Madness.
Nevada has hosted most of the Mountain West Conference tournaments. San Diego on the other hand has won the tournament six times which is the highest meaning they had an automatic bid six times into the March Madness.
Their inability to score isn’t a major surprise as some of the best teams come from Mountain West. These teams have an all defence- first approach. San Diego State finished the regular season second and third in defence. Another thing Mountain West is known for is great talent, great gameplay and amazing momentum.
