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Best NCAA Tournament Bets for Round 2 (2026 March Madness)

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Looking for the best March Madness betting systems and betting trends? Well, I have you covered below, thanks to our premium betting systems. Here's a look at three high-performing systems that feature winning opportunities during Saturday's slate of NCAA Tournament games.

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Round 2’s Best NCAA Tournament Bets

(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

Duke Total Points Under Angle

Duke unders have been the way to go for the majority of the season. Heading into Saturday's game against TCU, the under is 24-11 in Duke games, resulting in a profit of 10.81 units and a 30.89% return on investment (ROI). 

Despite Duke scoring just 71 points against Siena in the first round, the total for Saturday's game is still set at 139.5 points. This is crazy for a few reasons. First, Duke has scored 74 or fewer points in three consecutive games, and now, they have to play a defense allowing just 71.8 points per game this season. Second, TCU held Ohio State, a team averaging 79.8 points per game, to just 64 in the first round.

And finally, Duke's defense is really good. The Blue Devils are holding opponents to just 63.2 points per game, which is the third-fewest in the country. Duke has held 10 of its last 11 opponents to 70 or fewer points. If Duke's offense is sluggish like it was in the first round, neither team is topping 70 points in this game.

Pick: Under 139.5 Points (-105)

Even Money to +145 Moneyline (Postseason)

This system has a 70% win rate this season, resulting in a profit of 5.09 units and a 50.9% ROI. The average odds for the 10 picks that have fit this criteria were +117. There are two plays on Saturday with odds just outside of that average that fit into this system.

First, Nebraska is +120 to beat Vanderbilt, despite being the higher seed. While Vanderbilt picked up a huge win over Florida in the SEC Tournament, the Commodores struggled in the first round. Meanwhile, Nebraska finally picked up the program's first NCAA Tournament win, convincingly winning 76-47. While Vanderbilt has been more impressive in the past month, Thursday's performances make it seem as though oddsmakers are seriously undervaluing Nebraska.

Then there is Louisville at +164 against Michigan State. A lot of people were picking the Cardinals to lose to South Florida in the first round. And though the final score was close, Louisville dominated most of the game, even without star Mikel Brown Jr. Brown will be out for this game as well, but Louisville is now 4-1 without him, defeating three tournament teams during that span. Michigan State dominated its first game, but this is much more of a coin flip than what the current odds are projecting.

Picks: Nebraska Moneyline (+120) & Louisville Moneyline (+164)

Arkansas Point Spread Favorites

This system has been phenomenal all season long, with Arkansas covering in 15 of its 22 games as a favorite. If you've been backing the Razorbacks all season, then you've profited 6.49 units, and you've seen a 29.5% ROI.

Arkansas is favored by 11.5 points over High Point, and there is no doubt that the Panthers are going to be a public darling after their upset of No. 5 Wisconsin on Thursday. But these two teams play almost the same style of basketball, and ultimately, that's going to mean bad things for High Point.

Arkansas is averaging 90.1 points per game. The Razorbacks will easily top that number in a game with a projected total of 168.5 points. And while High Point will keep up for a while, eventually, Arkansas' offense will pull away, leading to a third consecutive win by at least 11 points.

Pick: Arkansas -11.5 (-115)

Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.

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