March Madness bracket predictions: Expert picks, upsets, winners, odds & more for 2023 NCAA Tournament
The 2023 NCAA tournament is finally upon us. The first round of March Madness matchups starts Thursday, which means you only have a few hours to send a clip to the person in the office who organizes the pool each year, sending out a dozen emails about it in the process.
At The Sporting News, we’ve put together a wealth of content to help you make relatively informed decisions about filling out your bracket – and enjoying the tournament in general.
Here’s a roundup of our March Madness Bracket predictions, regional previews, surprise picks, tournament odds and more to guide you through the NCAA tournament.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Printable 2023 March Madness bracket
You can obtain a printable NCAA tournament bracket here to fill out before and during tournament play. The Sporting News will continue to update the bracket as games are played.
Download the Sporting News Printable NCAA Tournament Bracket (PDF) by clicking here.
TSN’s MARCH MADNESS headquarters
Live NCAA Bracket | TV Guide | prediction tool
Who will win the 2023 NCAA tournament?
Houston opened with the best odds for March Madness in 2023 at +550, according to the BetMGM sportsbook, but an injury to star Marcus Sasser has cast some doubt on the Cougars and it’s really everyone’s tournament.
No. 1 total seed Alabama (+800) and defending champion Kansas (+800) are next in line, followed by Purdue (+1100) to round out the #1 seeds. The second stage of UCLA, Arizona, Texas And UConn are slightly more sophisticated bets to win it all but still have the high-end talent to erase the chalk.
A team ranked 3rd or lower has only won the NCAA tournament five times since 1990, but it’s always possible — especially in a season of uncertainty like this one. The lowest seed to win the NCAA tournament was No. 8 Villanova in 1985.
March madness odds 2023
| team | opportunities |
| Houston | +550 |
| Kansas | +800 |
| Alabama | +800 |
| Purdue | +1100 |
| UCLA | +1200 |
| Arizona | +1200 |
| Texas | +1600 |
| UConn | +1600 |
| gonzaga | +1800 |
| Baylor | +1800 |
You can see the opening odds for the entire field of 68 here.
March Madness Bracket Predictions 2023
It wouldn’t be enough for just one expert to tell you who they think will win everything, so we asked several contributors to submit their NCAA tournament predictions to help you avert the blame if your group in bankrupt in the first round. Here are our experts’ tips for reaching the 2023 Final Four, with links to their full bracket analysis.
Mike DeCourcy: Alabama, Duke, Texas, UConn
Bill Bender: Alabama, Duke, Texas, Kansas
Ryan Fagan: Alabama, Marquette, Texas, Kansas
Elliot Pohnl: Alabama, Duke, Texas, Kansas
Vinnie Iyer: Alabama, Marquette, Texas, UConn
The Sporting News experts also break down individual fixtures to understand the biggest toss-ups in your group.
SOUTH
MIDDLE WEST
WEST
EAST
March madness angry predictions
NCAA tournament surprises are never easy to predict. If they were, it wouldn’t be called March Madness. However, there are at least a few understaffed teams each year who pull off a surprise or two on the first weekend and go on a Cinderella run. It’s all about uncovering them.
The Sporting News’ Bill Bender has broken down his nine sleeper teams most likely to cause an upset in 2023.
Oral Roberts (Opponents Round 1: Duke -6.5)
Oral Roberts ticks many boxes as No. 12 – almost so many that the upset election could become a 50/50 game. The Golden Eagles rank third in the nation in points per game (84.2) and are committing just 9.4 turnovers per game at this pace. Max Abmas — the hero of the last Sweet 16 run — is averaging 22 points per game and hitting 117 3-pointers, and 7-foot-5 center Connor Vanover is a matchup problem. This is coach Paul Mills’ best team, but Duke is a tough first-round matchup. The Blue Devils limit opposing teams to a 30.6% mark from three-point range. We like Oral Roberts, but we hate the first round matchup.
Charleston (Opponents Round 1: San Diego State -5.5)
Pat Kelsey is leading No. 12 Charleston to the NCAA tournament in his sophomore season, and senior guard Dalton Bolton and Ante Brzovic — a 6-foot-10 sophomore from Croatia — are a potent inside-out combination. Charleston averaged 80.8 points per game and ranked fourth nationally in total rebounds (40.5). This is a style that can make anyone uncomfortable, especially in the second half. In five previous tournament appearances, the Cougars advanced to the second round once, losing by 10 points or fewer each season. If Charleston can beat San Diego State – which won’t be easy – they could offer Virginia a real test in the second round.
Read the rest of The Sporting News’ sleep tips here.
HISTORY OF ORIGINS THROUGH SEEDS:
15 against 2 | 14 against 3 | 13 against 4 | 12 against 5
NCAA Bracket Region Guides
If simple picks aren’t your thing, Mike DeCourcy has broken down all four regions of the bracket for an in-depth analysis of the best storylines, most likely upsets, and more. We also have stats and sleepers that could decide each region.
Region South: No. 1-seeded Alabama was college basketball’s most dominant team. If The Tide doesn’t make the Final Four, it will miss out on the biggest upset since Duke and Zion Williamson in 2019.
Middle West: Texas appears to be a notch above in a region where the best team is struggling with a serious injury, the third best team is struggling on defense, the fourth best team is fickle and the fifth best team will have a hard time getting there escape first round
West Region: UConn has the kind of high-end performance at both ends of the court that suggests the Huskies could be national championship material. But sharing a bracket with Kansas and UCLA means the West will be running the gauntlet.
Region East: Duke features prominently in his first tournament of the post-Coach-K era. The Blue Devils have a challenging stretch of No. 4 Tennessee, No. 1 Purdue and No. 2 Marquette to make it to Houston, but they’re good enough to make it.
NCAA Tournament Bracket and Betting Tips
Play the odds: Know the story of each seedling as you choose your Final Four and championship teams.
Angry Warnings: These sleeper and Cinderella contestants are most likely to bust their class in Round 1, according to The Sporting News’ model.
The best final four bets: The Sporting News breaks down Vegas odds and our own projection model to determine the most likely team to make the Final Four in each region.
The best prop bets: For those tired of picking the perfect bracket, prop betting can be a more efficient way to win money at March Madness.
Round 1 best bets, parlays: SN’s guide to the odds, lines and point spreads for each game, as well as the best bets and parlays to consider in Round 1 of March Madness.
TeamRankings Tournament Prediction Tool: Use it to identify the highest probability tournament winners and the most likely NCAA trouble picks.
The best and funniest names for your mount: Having trouble finding a clever name for your mount? We’ll cover you.
Perfect March Madness Bracket Odds: Because of this, it’s almost impossible to pick all 63 games correctly.
Best March Madness Bracket Ever: What’s the longest time an NCAA tournament bracket has stayed perfect?
More March Madness news from Sporting News
Sporting News’ 2022-23 College Basketball All-Americans: SN’s Mike DeCourcy names the top 15 players of the 2022-23 college basketball season.
Sports News Player of the Year: Purdue’s Zach Edey joins rare company as the winner of the award, which includes legends such as George Mikan (1945) and Bob Kurland (1946), repeat winners Oscar Robertson (1958-60) and Michael Jordan (1983 and 1984 ) as well as Purdues include one of the previous winners, Glenn Robinson, in 1994.
Sports News Coach of the Year: Texas’ Rodney Terry unexpectedly took over as head coach when Chris Beard was fired in January. How he’s dealt with the aftermath and held together the Longhorns, who have gone 16-7 since Beard’s firing, made Terry the obvious choice for the 2022-23 Coach of the Year honor.
The 37 best teams not to win the NCAA tournament: Sporting News picks teams from the last three decades who haven’t delivered a title. Which was the best?
March Madness Cinderella Players We’ll Never Forget: Stephen Curry is among the greatest Cinderella players in March Madness history, but he’s not number 1 on our list.
Most Hated College Basketball Players of All Time: Sporting News takes a look at the most hated college hoop players of all time. Don’t worry, there’s a lot of Duke on this list.
The 10 best schools without a Final Four appearance: Who are the best schools not to make the Final Four since the start of the 64-team era in 1984-85?
The best college players who never made it to the NCAA tournament: Say hello to Ben Simmons, Noah Vonleh, Nerlens Noel, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and others who watched March Madness on TV. It’s quite a list.