Best NCAA Tournament Bets for Elite 8 (2026 March Madness)
I’m taking a look at the two best NCAA Tournament bets for the Elite 8 using our premium betting systems. Let’s take a look at the potential winners, and I hope you’ll consider tailing the three best bets below.
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Elite 8’s Best NCAA Tournament Bets
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Purdue Against the Spread Road Underdogs
OK, just go with it. While this isn’t a true road game, it’s off-campus and not a home game either. Purdue, against the spread (ATS) as an underdog, has cashed in four in a row as an underdog away from home.
Purdue is playing with house money after narrowly escaping against Texas in the Sweet 16 round on Thursday night. It failed to cover as an 8.5-point underdog. However, as an underdog in the postseason, Purdue picked up an 80-72 outright victory as a 4.5-point underdog in the Big Ten Tournament Championship.
The last time they were an underdog away from home, Purdue won 80-77 in overtime at Nebraska back on February 10th. And, on November 13th, they beat Alabama 87-80 as a 2.5-point underdog. Are you noticing a trend here? Those are all top-tier NCAA Tournament opponents who advanced to at least the Sweet 16.
Arizona heads into this game on a roll, however. It has won 12 in a row and has covered in three of the past four games. In the NCAA Tournament, Arizona covered against Long Island University in the first round, and 109-88 as an 8.5-point favorite against Arkansas on Thursday. However, Arizona failed to cover against Utah State, winning 78-66 as a 12.5-point favorite. They faced just one Big Ten team, UCLA, in a neutral floor game, covering as a 1.5-point favorite in a 69-65 win.
Pick: Purdue +5.5 (-102)
Duke Moneyline as the Road Team
Like Purdue, let’s just roll with it. Duke meets UConn on Sunday at 5:05 p.m. ET on CBS at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., with the last Final Four spot up for grabs.
Away from home, Duke has won 10 in a row, including all six neutral-site games in the NCAA and ACC Tournaments. That includes a 68-63 victory in a neutral-site battle against Michigan on February 21st. The last time the Blue Devils lost on the Moneyline as a road team was when they fell 71-68 at North Carolina down the road at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill. It has won 15 of the past 16 games away from home, too.
The Blue Devils have failed to cover three of the past four games, while going 2-5 ATS in the past seven outings overall. UConn is just 4-4 ATS in the past eight games and 6-8 ATS across the previous 14 outings.
These teams haven’t met since December 18th, 2014. Duke picked up a 66-56 win as a 10.5-point underdog at the IZOD Center. They also won 68-59 on November 27th, 2009, as a 3.5-point favorite against the Huskies at Madison Square Garden, with the under cashing. Keep the under in mind here, too.
UConn has cashed the under in four of the past five games, and seven of the previous 10 outings, so keep that in mind if you’re looking for a same-game parlay (SGP) opportunity.
Pick: Duke Moneyline (-210)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe.