The Biggest Sucker Bets to Avoid During March Madness

Every year, we construct what is surely the perfect bracket just to see it busted ten minutes into the first game.

We're all trying to get as many picks right as possible to win that beloved office or family pool and get some extra cash right before the lovely weather welcomes us to the spring months.

While there are always certain things you can do to separate your bracket from others, there are also plenty of easy mistakes to avoid to give yourself the best chance of succeeding. Let's take a look at some of those mistakes and how to avoid being a sucker as you await opening tip of the NCAA Tournament.

Sucker Bets To Avoid

Trendy Underdog

There's tons of information out there about how a 12 or 13 seed always gets a win in the first round and makes a run. That's led to a bunch of brackets desperate to pick that upset correctly only to wind up picking the wrong one.

If everyone thinks an underdog is going to win, it may be best to play contrarian and side with the oddsmakers. The higher seed is a favorite for a reason, after all, and you don't want to take two steps backwards just to get a small edge on the field.

Picking All Favorites

But that doesn't mean there won't be any upsets. Just choose them carefully. On average, there's been around 12 upsets per year in March Madness' history. They'll happen, so you can't just pick all favorites.

If you decide to go chalk and just line up the favorites, you'll be in big trouble if one of your top seeds goes down early. Someone is going to lose, and if you wind up picking all No. 1 seeds to make the Final Four you'll miss out on a ton of value by picking the right upset.

Ignoring Recent Form

Context is everything, right? Sure, maybe a team is 20-10. But losing your first 10 games then winning 20 in a row is a lot different than winning 20 in a row before losing your last 10.

The way these teams are playing coming into the tournament is crucial. You can't just look at season-long statistics to paint a full picture. What if a team changed it's identity and is more comfortable now? Or what if there was a major injury or a major player returning from injury that's changed the outlook?

Be sure to look at each team's recent form to see if there's any trends you can take advantage of. With so many games to pick between, a lot of people just see an overall record and take it at face value. Don't be one of those people.

Ignoring Matchups

If Team A has a worse record than Team B but is elite at forcing turnovers while Team B can't protect the basketball, you'd be wise to side with Team A.

Matchups are everything in March Madness. With so many teams, you have to be on the look out for how their styles fare against one another and be ready to pounce on an advantage.

If you're picking a team to make the Final Four, make sure you understand why that team is good. Do they excel at one thing and happen to face teams that are weak against that strength? That kind of question is important to answer or else you'll wind up shocked at a result that was entirely predictable.

Keep all this in mind as you're filling out your bracket. Understand the why behind your picks and avoid sucker bets in the NCAA Tournament.

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