“Massive Handle” In March Madness Sports Betting So Far

Posted on: March 24, 2026, 06:40h. 

Last updated on: March 24, 2026, 06:46h.

Mark Keast Read More
Expertise: Canadian Gaming, iGaming, Las Vegas, Sports Betting, NFL, Boxing, UFC.
  • First weekend of betting brought lots of handle on the men’s side
  • Sweet 16 play starts Thursday
  • Star players and top programs are driving significant engagement on the women’s side

March Madness has always been one of the biggest betting events of the year, and this year hasn’t disappointed so far, with the first weekend games in both the men’s and women’s brackets completed, and the Sweet 16 set to start Thursday.

Dylan Darling #0 of the St. John’s Red Storm shoots the ball against Elmarko Jackson #13 and Flory Bidunga #40 of the Kansas Jayhawks in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University Sunday in San Diego, California. (Image: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Sweet 16 Set

On the men’s side, starting Thursday, it’s No. 11 Texas versus No. 2 Purdue at SAP Center in San Jose, at 7:10 p.m. EST, and No. 9 Iowa versus No. 4 Nebraska, at Toyota Center in Houston, at 7:30 p.m. EST. Then No. 4 Arkansas versus No. 1 Arizona at SAP Center at San Jose, at 9:45 p.m. EST, and No. 3 Illinois versus No. 2 Houston at Toyota Center, at 10:05 p.m. EST.

Good Weekend for Bettors

“March Madness is always one of the biggest betting events of the year, and this year has been no different,” said Patrick Berbert, College Basketball Trader at Caesars Sportsbook. “The first weekend brought a ton of handle on the men’s side, especially on favorites and brand-name programs.

When the favorites went 16-0 straight up on Friday, bettors were able to roll those wins into the rest of the weekend, which helped create a massive handle. Once a few underdogs started knocking off those favorites on Sunday, the results swung significantly, and the volume kept climbing.”

Women’s Tournament

On the women’s side, starting Friday, it’s No. 6 Notre Dame versus No. 2 Vanderbilt at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, at 2:30 p.m. EST, and No. 4 North Carolina versus No. 1 UConn, at Dickies Arena, at 5:00 p.m. EST. Then No. 4 Minnesota versus No. 1 UCLA at Golden 1 Center, in Sacramento, at 7:30 p.m. EST, and No. 3 Duke versus No. 2 LSU at Golden 1 Center, at 10:00 p.m. EST.

The betting interest on the women continues to grow every year,” said Berbert. “Star players and top programs are driving significant engagement, and we’re seeing more bettors wagering on individual games rather than just futures.

“We saw a lot of early action on shorter underdogs on the money line. As we got closer to tipoff, bettors really embraced some of the big spreads north of 50 points. Those numbers didn’t scare bettors away at all.”

Duke Most Bet Team

According to a spokesperson from theScore, since the first round kicked off Thursday afternoon, Duke is seeing the biggest percentage of handle to win the national championship on the men’s side. Five teams, including Florida who were eliminated Sunday, brought in more tickets on tournament winner than the Blue Devils in that time, led by Arizona, Michigan and Houston.

Coming out of the weekend, Michigan is a +300 favorite to win the national championship at theScore. The Wolverines had the second-best odds (+375) entering the tournament on Thursday morning. Arizona currently has the second-best odds at +325. They entered tournament play with the third-best odds (+390) and were the odds-on favorite (+320) before their first game on Friday.

Duke has the third-best odds (+370) after being a +320 favorite prior to their game against Siena on Thursday.

Big Focus on Futures Exposure

Berbert said the big focus at Caesars Sportsbook looking forward to the Sweet 16 is futures exposure.

From our perspective, St. John’s would be one of the teams we’d like to see get knocked out at some point,” he said. “Ideally, we would like a mix of results and a few underdogs advancing to keep things balanced. That said, with the point spreads tightening as the tournament progresses, we’re in a pretty good position with some of the favorites advancing.

“Teams like Michigan, Duke and Arizona are some of our better outcomes from a futures standpoint. Of the eight Sweet 16 matchups, we’re expecting Illinois versus Houston to attract the most handle. Although the other seven games shouldn’t be far behind.

UConn Line Movement

“With 16 Power 5 programs remaining, this is really the best of the best at this point in the tournament. When you get matchups like that in the Sweet 16, the betting interest usually spreads evenly across the board, and we expect the handle to reflect that.”

At BetMGM, biggest line movement for women’s national championship futures in UConn +300 to -300 (Open to Current), UCLA +700 to +475, and South Carolina +250 to +900. Highest ticket percentage is UCLA 16.5%, South Carolina 15.7% and UConn at 11.3%.

Biggest Remaining Liabilities

Highest handle percentage is UCLA 26.7%, UConn 24.7% and South Carolina at 11.2%. Biggest liabilities at BetMGM are Texas Tech, Michigan and UCLA.

According to BetMGM, biggest line movement for men’s national championship futures is Michigan +2500 to +300 (Open to Current), Duke +1000 to +425, and Arizona +4000 to +325.

“It was a chalky opening weekend in the NCAA Tournament with favorites winning 22 straight games from Thursday to Saturday (on the men’s side). The sportsbook will be looking for a few upsets in the Sweet 16. On the futures book, St. John’s and Arkansas are the biggest remaining liabilities to cut down the nets, while all the 1-seeds are positive outcomes,” said Michael Ranftle, Senior Trader, BetMGM.