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March Madness betting trends come to light

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March Madness brackets are consuming households across America, but with the expanded legalization of sports gambling, more and more wagers are being placed on the tournament games.

The tournament is the only thing that could compete with the Super Bowl in terms of gambling, with 32 games being played on the court and each of them being watched by millions all over the country.

Picking upsets in brackets is stressful enough — you know they will happen, but you just don’t know which ones. But picking all of them on a sportsbook might actually be beneficial.

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March Madness court

General view of the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament tipoff between New Mexico Lobos and Michigan State Spartans at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on March 23, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

Since 2008, 12-seeds are 28-40 against No. 5 seeds — that .410 winning percentage certainly is not bad for teams that are normally underdogs of nearly double digits. Combine that with No. 11 seeds going nearly .500 (37-39) in the first round since 2006, and bettors may have cashed in, even if their brackets were busted.

“That’s where you take shots and that’s where, you know, the upsets have occurred,” Johnny Avello, an oddsmaker at DraftKings, told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.

Since 2019, 10-seeds are also 10-13 against 7-seeds, with one 7-seed advancing because of COVID-19 in 2021. In the last nine tournaments dating back to 2016, No. 9 seeds are 22-14 against No. 8 seeds, with the No. 8 team winning the majority of the games just twice in that span.

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Five players have been suspended this offseason for gambling, with a sixth on the way. (Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

TWO-TIME NCAA CHAMPION JALEN BRUNSON REVEALS WHAT IT TAKES TO BE GREAT IN MARCH MADNESS

Because of these trends, Avello has seen several lower seeds shrink their point spreads, including No. 11 South Florida against No. 6 Louisville (7- to 5-point underdogs) and No. 12 High Point against No. 5 Wisconsin (12.5 to 9.5). No. 12 Akron has also gone from 9.5-point underdogs to 7.5 against No. 5 Texas Tech.

Now, while some may want to go big or go home with some Nos. 13-16 seeds (kudos to those who bet on UMBC in 2018 and Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023), it may not be wise. In fact, Avello said lots of bettors go heavy on the favorites in those matchups.

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Avello opened No. 2 Purdue (who lost to the aforementioned FDU) as 23-point favorites against Queens, but that spread is now up to 25. No. 2 Iowa State went from 23.5- to 25.5-point favorites against No. 15 Tennessee State, while No. 3 Gonzaga also saw its spread against Kennesaw State go from 18.5 to 20.5.

Texas Tech remains the smallest five-seed favorite, but Vanderbilt and St. John’s stand at -11.5 against McNeese State and Northern Iowa, respectively. For context, the largest spread in a 5-12 matchup last year was Clemson at 7.5 against McNeese, who pulled off the upset. Two other five-seeds sat at -2.5.

March Madness logo

The March Madness logo at center court of the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. (Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports)

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And for what it’s worth, two No. 13 seeds were single-digit favorites last year, but this year they are all favored to win by double digits.

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2026 Masters winner predictions, picks: One of these nine players will likely take the green jacket

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Who among the 91 players in this year’s Masters field has an actual chance to slip on the green jacket?

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Shane Mosley says injury could disrupt Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2: “He’s having complications”

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The Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao rematch promotional run is not going smoothly following the official announcement.

Mayweather and Pacquiao faced off back in 2015, where ‘TBE’ claimed a legendary decision win over the Filipino phenomenon before hanging up the gloves two years later.

‘Pac Man’ revealed that he had suffered a severe right rotator cuff tear before the fight and has later said opting not to postpone the clash was the biggest regret of his career. He had surgery on his shoulder shortly after the fight but was unable to secure a rematch, that was until earlier this year, with a shock second encounter announced for September – undoubtedly one of the biggest events of the 2026 boxing calendar despite disapproval from many fans.

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However, in recent days the fight has been thrown into doubt after Mayweather said that the venue was not finalised and that it would be an exhibition, not a pro contest as announced. Pacquiao’s team say he is in breach of contract for that, as well as other reasons.

Now, in an interview with FightHype, Shane Mosley, who lost to Mayweather in 2010 and Pacquiao the year after, declared that he has heard rumours that Pacquiao’s shoulder is hindering him once again.

“Floyd’s not the same Floyd that he was … but Manny also has some complications. I don’t know if it’s his shoulder, in his sparring or something like that. There’s stuff going on with him too.

“I’m seeing that he [Pacquiao] is having complications with his shoulder and stuff, so I don’t think that he will be able to train the same way that he did to get ready for the [Mario] Barrios fight. So, that could be something.

“Before [hearing of the shoulder injury] I was saying Pacquiao [will win], now I am saying that I don’t really know because I don’t know what Pacquiao can do. I don’t know if he can still run or spar, he can’t do what he used to do.”

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It remains to be seen whether those whispers are true or not, with Pacquiao claiming to be fighting fit ahead of what is, until official word says otherwise, a professional rematch with Mayweather, scheduled for Saturday, September 19, live on Netflix.

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Coco Gauff drops 8-minute response to Miu Miu hair controversy after facing rampant criticism

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Coco Gauff released a shocking 8-minute response addressing the backlash to her Miu Miu campaign. The American star spoke out in defense of her natural hair and used the moment to stand up against the criticism faced by Black individuals.

The controversy around Gauff and Miu Miu started after their latest campaign began circulating online. While many fans loved seeing her step into the fashion space, the reaction quickly turned negative on social media.

A lot of the criticism was focused on her hair. Gauff chose a simple, natural look, where she put her hair in a bun, but some comments were unnecessarily harsh and crossed the line. Some users made offensive comparisons between the tennis star’s look and historical civil rights imagery, which many found deeply inappropriate.

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Initially, Gauff did not respond publicly. However, after returning to X following a month-long break, she came across the negative comments and called them out. A few days later, she addressed the backlash more directly, sharing an 8-minute video response on TikTok.

The two-time Grand Slam champ explained that the photoshoot was a simple setup in her parents’ backyard. The outfit choice, she made clear, was entirely hers.

“First of all, it’s Miu Miu. That’s their aesthetic. I love the Miu Miu aesthetic. So if you don’t like it, the girls who get it, get it. The girls who don’t, don’t. I picked the outfit out,” she said.

She also addressed comments about her hair, explaining why she chose the natural bun.

“I personally don’t like to slick back my hair super sleek because it does damage my hair.”

She added that she prefers to let her “4C hair” be natural, especially as a tennis player. Gauff emphasized representation as well, saying:

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“I’m not going to apologize for the way that my hair looks… There are other girls who have the exact same hair as me.”

She added that if her hair was good enough for a high-fashion campaign, “then yours is good enough” too.


“Black people are beautiful” – Coco Gauff’s positive message to people after Miu Miu controversy

Coco Gauff at the Miami Open - Source: GettyCoco Gauff at the Miami Open - Source: Getty
Coco Gauff at the Miami Open – Source: Getty

The latter half of Coco Gauff’s response video was filled with positive messages. She explained that people who criticize others are insecure about themselves, and no one should pay much heed to such criticism.

Sharing a beautiful and positive message for black people, Coco Gauff said:

“Black people are beautiful. Black hair texture, kinky afro hair texture is beautiful. You don’t need people on the internet who don’t like themselves, who are insecure about themselves to tell you that. Because, people who are secure will also find my shoot beautiful.”

On the tennis side of things, Gauff is gaining momentum in 2026. She started slowly but has reached the semifinal in Dubai and the final in Miami recently. She lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the final in Miami, but will move into the clay season with confidence as she looks to defend her French Open title.