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Best and Worst March Madness Teams Against the Spread

By Iain MacMillan

Iowa enters the tournament with the best against the spread record amongst all teams from major conferences.
Iowa enters the tournament with the best against the spread record amongst all teams from major conferences. / Justin Casterline/GettyImages
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March Madness is finally here!

Whether you're filling out a bracket, placing bets on as many games as possible, or doing both like me, you need as much information as possible to help you make some educated choices.

One of the things you should consider is how good each team is at covering the spread. Like the old gambling adage goes, "good teams win, but great teams cover." So with that in mind, let's take a look at the best and worst teams at covering the spread in this year's March Madness tournament.

Top 10 March Madness Teams Against the Spread

  1. St Peter's 20-9 (69%)
  2. Longwood 19-9 (67.9%)
  3. Texas A&M C&C 20-10 (66.7%)
  4. Norfolk St 19-10-1 (65.4%)
  5. Houston 22-12 (64.7%)
  6. Iowa 22-13 (62.9%)
  7. Davidson 20-12 (62.5%)
  8. St. Mary's 18-11-2 (62.1%)
  9. TCU 18-11-3 (62.1%)
  10. Texas Tech 21-13 (61.8%)

The Saint Peter's Peacocks claim the top spot in the ATS standings in the tournament. They finished the season 20-9 against the spread, for a cover rate of 69%. We'll see if they'll be able to continue that cover rate on Thursday when they take on Kentucky in a No. 2 vs. No. 15 matchup.

WynnBET has Kentucky set as a massive 17.5-point favorite against Saint Peter's.

The top team from a major conference in terms of covering the spread is the Iowa Hawkeyes at 22-13. Few teams were hotter to close out the season, as Iowa went on to win the Big 10 Conference Tournament and they went 6-1 ATS in their final seven games.

The Hawkeyes will take on the A10 champions, Richmond in the first round. WynnBET has them set as 9-point favorites.

Worst 10 March Madness Teams Against the Spread

  • Alabama 11-21 (34.4%)
  • Texas 12-19-1 (38.7%)
  • Purdue 13-20-1 (39.4%)
  • Michigan 13-18 (41.9%)
  • San Francisco 13-18-1 (41.9%)
  • UConn 13-18-1 (41.9%)
  • Illinois 13-18 (41.9%)
  • Loyola-Chicago 13-17-1 (43.3%)
  • Seton Hall 13-16-1 (44.8%)
  • USC 15-18 (45.5%)

Alabama will enter March Madness as the worst team against the spread, with a record of 11-21. That's a cover rate of just 34.4%. Streaky shooting and subpar defense has plagued them all season.

Alabama lost three-straight games to close out the year, and finished on a 3-14 run against the spread. Despite that, the committee awarded them with a No. 6 seed. They'll take on the winner of Rutgers and Indiana, who will face-off in a play-in game on Thursday.

Follow BetSided's March Madness hub throughout the entirety of the NCAA men's and women's tournaments for full betting previews and picks for every game, updated betting odds, futures for the Final Four and national championship, insights, trends, videos, podcasts and more!

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