2025 March Madness Big Bets report: Bettor could win $500k with Arkansas title run

Contents

Is it surprising that all four 1-seeds made the Sweet 16?Bruce Pearl on Auburn’s first Sweet 16 since 2019

Patrick Everson

FOX Sports Betting Analyst

March Madness odds are obviously huge for the games themselves. We saw that over the first four days of the NCAA Tournament, with sportsbooks nationwide reporting heavy activity across the first 48 games.

But many bettors also tried to predict the future, wagering on March Madness championship odds.

In fact, just two days before the NCAA tourney, someone had the foresight to jump on one of the bigger surprises of the tournament so far.

And that bettor is now two steps closer to half-a-million dollars.

Read on for more on that play and other notable NCAA Tournament bets.

Hog happy

A week ago at Caesars Sports, Arkansas was +50000 — or 500/1 — to win the national championship. And that was a fair long-shot price.

The Razorbacks got the No. 10 seed in the West Region, earning a first-round meeting with perennial championship contender Kansas. On the bright side, the Jayhawks had a down year, as evidenced by their No. 7 seed.

Still, we’re talking about Bill Self and Kansas here. But a Caesars Sports customer decided to drop $1,000 on Arkansas +50000 to win the national championship.

Then the Razorbacks, as 5-point underdogs, took down Kansas 79-72.

But the tourney selection committee, always looking for a good storyline, had seemingly planned for that upset. The storyline: Arkansas coach John Calipari vs. St. John’s coach Rick Pitino, in a Saturday second-round clash.

St. John’s, the No. 2 seed, was a legit national title contender in the midst of a great season. Arkansas was a 7-point underdog.

And the Hogs delivered again with a 75-66 upset. Next up: Arkansas is a 5.5-point underdog to No. 3 seed Texas Tech on Thursday.

At the moment, Calipari’s crew seems to have the formula. If somehow Arkansas makes a magical run, that bettor stands to profit $500,000.

Rebel rousers

Ole Miss is also banging the drum for the SEC through two rounds of March Madness. For that matter, a lot of the SEC is banging the drum. Seven of the Sweet 16 teams are from the SEC, with Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama joining Arkansas and Ole Miss.

The Rebels, seeded sixth in the South Region, dumped No. 11 seed North Carolina 71-64 in Friday’s first round. Then they upended No. 3 seed Iowa State 91-78 in Sunday’s second round.

Just hours before Ole Miss tipped off against UNC, a Caesars Sports customer put $2,000 on the Rebels +15000 (150/1) to win the championship. Much like the aforementioned Arkansas bet, it probably seemed like a flier at the time, destined to die by the second round.

It may still be a flier, but Ole Miss is in the Sweet 16 now, with a Friday date against No. 2 seed Michigan State.

A Rebels championship run, unlikely as it may be, would net that bettor a $300,000 win (total payout $302,000).

Is it surprising that all four 1-seeds made the Sweet 16?

Terrific ticket

How would you like to be sitting on a three-leg parlay to collect nearly $50,000, needing only a Duke championship to close out that bet?

Back during football season, a FanDuel Sportsbook customer was prescient enough to string together this $85 parlay:

Ohio State +300 to win the College Football Playoff
Philadelphia Eagles +1000 to win the Super Bowl
Duke +1200 to win March Madness

Add those three up, and you’ve got odds of +57100, or in more digestible terms, 571/1.

Ohio State took care of the first leg, beating Notre Dame 34-23 on Jan. 20 to win the CFP. Three weeks later, on Feb. 9, the Eagles rolled over the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in the Super Bowl.

Now, with the NCAA Tournament through two rounds, all that remains is Duke making a title run. And as good fortune would have it, the Blue Devils remain the favorite in FanDuel’s odds to win the NCAA Tournament, now at +220.

Cooper Flagg’s ankle didn’t seem to be a problem through the first two rounds. Flagg had 14 points in the top-seeded Blue Devils’ 93-49 wipeout of No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary’s in the first round. And he scored 18 in Duke’s 89-66 second-round rout of No. 9 seed Baylor.

If Flagg and the Blue Devils lift the trophy on April 7 in San Antonio, then that $85 parlay turns a profit of $48,535. That’s some pretty decent ROI.

100 grand here, 100 grand there on Gators

No. 1 seed Florida is all the rage right now. The Gators coasted past No. 16 seed Norfolk State in the first round, then survived a big challenge from two-time defending national champion UConn on Sunday, winning 77-75.

Florida has won eight in a row as part of a 14-1 overall run. And for what it’s worth — and it’s definitely worth something — the Gators are 12-3 against the spread in those games.

At BetMGM, the Gators are now the +350 second choice to win the national title, behind only +225 favorite Duke.

But earlier this month, a BetMGM customer got notably better odds on Florida, putting $100,000 on the Gators +900.

So, if Florida’s eight-game win streak becomes a 12-game win streak, then that bettor will pocket a massive profit of $900,000, for a total payout of $1 million.

And over the weekend at Caesars Sports, another $100,000 bet landed on Florida, at +340. So that ticket stands to profit $340,000 (total payout $440,00), if the Gators go the distance.

Built for the futures

Along with those aforementioned hefty Arkansas and Florida payouts, there are countless more straight bets on championship futures in March Madness odds. DraftKings Sportsbook is sitting on a ticket that would pay out six figures if No. 2 seed Tennessee can get there.

The Vols are among the favorites to win the national title, currently in the +1500 range. Months ago, a DK customer put $2,500 on the Vols at +5000.

That bet stands to profit a hefty $125,000, if Tennessee can win it all.

Other notable bets in DraftKings’ NCAA Tournament futures odds:

$2,453 Michigan State +3500, to win $85,855 (total payout $88,308)
$4,000 Florida +1500, to win $60,000 (total payout $64,000)
$5,000 Alabama +1100, to win $55,000 (total payout $60,000)
$6,000 Auburn +600, to win $36,000 (total payout $42,000)

At DraftKings, Auburn is now the +500 co-third choice with Houston in March Madness championship odds. Florida is the +300 second choice, and Alabama is the +1800 sixth choice.

Michigan State is very much in the mix. The Spartans are currently the +2200 eighth choice in DraftKings’ NCAA Tournament title odds.

School of Hard Rock

Earlier in the season, Hard Rock Bet took a few relatively smaller wagers, but at longer odds. So the payouts are quite lofty. Among the most notable of those bets:

$700 BYU +10100 (101/1). In the unlikely event of a Cougars championship, the bettor would win $70,700 (total payout $71,400).
$500 Maryland +6100. A Terrapins title would land this bettor $30,500 in profit (total payout $31,000).
$250 Florida +6100. As noted above, the Gators are right on Duke’s heels as the favorite. If this bet hits, the customer profits $15,250 (total payout $15,500).

Bruce Pearl on Auburn’s first Sweet 16 since 2019

Hail Caesars

Caesars Sports also has a few customers looking to cash out big on March Madness futures bets. Of course, there are those Arkansas and Ole Miss wagers mentioned above.

But way back on June 27, a customer put $10,000 on Houston +2200. Now, Caesars has Houston as the +525 co-third choice with Auburn. If the Cougars cut down the nets in April, then the customer profits a healthy $220,000 (total payout $230,000).

A side note on Houston: Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale is an avid fan of all Houston-based sports teams. So he might drop a million or more on the Cougars, as well, though he says he hasn’t done so yet. Stay tuned.

Also at Caesars, a customer put $30,000 on Auburn +350, to win $105,000 (total payout $135,000).

Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas.

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