The Public’s Favorite March Madness Picks After Selection Sunday 2026
By Sascha Paruk in College Basketball
Published:
- March Madness bets are flooding in on first-round games and the national champion
- Which spreads and moneylines are being targeted the most by the public?
- See the public’s favorite March Madness picks so far
The field is set, the printable March Madness bracket is out, and first-round odds are posted. The public has now had 24 hours to get the first influx of cash down on the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Thanks to sources at theScore Bet, SBD has details on the public’s favorite March Madness picks (ATS and moneyline) for all first-round games, plus the national championship futures.
Jump to: ATS || Moneyline || Championship
Public’s Favorite March Madness ATS Picks
The public’s favorite ATS pick so far is Akron catching 7.5 points against shorthanded Texas Tech in the 12-vs-5 matchup in the Midwest. Texas Tech is one of the most-prominent teams in the March Madness injuries thanks JT Toppin’s season-ending knee injury. Toppin was a top-five favorite in the Wooden Award odds when he went down.
The public also loves AAC champ South Florida to cover as 5.5-point underdogs against Louisville in the 11-vs-6 matchup in the East, along with High Point to cover as 9.5-point underdogs against Wisconsin in the 12-vs-5 matchup in the West.
Public’s Favorite March Madness Moneyline Picks
Big East Tournament-champion St John’s is the public’s favorite moneyline bet so far, despite laying short -650 odds against #12 Northern Iowa.
I can’t agree with the public here. I think Northern Iowa is one of the best value bets on the board at their current price, which is why I have them moving on in my expert March Madness bracket. They are rock-solid defensively and play at a sluggish pace. The Johnnies play slowly, too, and slow paces give underdogs a better chance (fewer possessions = higher variability).
Public’s Favorite March Madness Championship Picks
Since the bracket was revealed on Selection Sunday, a massive 22.3% of all money bet on the national championship winner has gone to the Arizona Wildcats, top seed in the West Region.
That’s more than twice as much as the next team, Midwest #1 Michigan at 10.9%. The next three teams combined (Michigan, Purdue, Iowa State) only account for 28.4% of handle.
Bookmark SBD’s college basketball public betting page to see the splits for every NCAA Tournament game.
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Managing Editor
Sascha has been working in the sports-betting industry since 2014, and quickly paired his strong writing skills with a burgeoning knowledge of probability and statistics. He holds an undergraduate degree in linguistics and a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia.
