March Madness Kicks Off With Upsets, Promotions and Special Betting Odds

The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, one of the most anticipated college competitions in the country, has finally kicked off with the First Four contest. Michigan will be represented by the Spartans, after the Wolverines failed to make the cut.

To ensure that the experience is enjoyable for all players, Michigan sportsbooks have rolled out several promotional offers and challenges that you can take advantage of. From predicting brackets to NCAA betting tips, there is a truckload of fun ahead in March Madness. Catch all the details below.

Selection Sunday is famous for the unveiling of teams to play in the Division I tournament and the curation of the competition bracket. The first set of matches that take place at March Madness is the First Four. This round represents a face-off between the four least ranked teams and the four least at-large seeded teams in the competition. All teams engage in a knockout round that produces the four that would join in the bracket.

This year’s tournament saw Pittsburgh narrowly edge Mississippi State, while Nevada was upset by the Arizona State Sun Devils. As always, the teams are divided across four categories, namely South, Midwest, East and West. Michigan State Spartans would be playing in the East Region and would face the USC Trojans in the first round. If they qualify from there on, they stand a chance of meeting either Vermont or Marquette in the second round.

There is a truckload of bracket challenges that would be open till the Final Four. Michigan Sportsbooks have planned several free bracket contests, with BetMGM Michigan offering the best prize of all. If you assemble a perfect bracket, you stand a chance to win $10 million naira. And even if you don’t, but still manage to come out tops in the Bracket Challenge, there is a $100,000 prize up for grabs for the winner.

BetRivers Sportsbook MI is taking a different approach to the bracket contests. The more March Madness bracket fixtures you get correctly, the more points you rack up. Winner with the highest points gets $600 while second and third place will receive $300 and $200, respectively.

At DraftKings, the prize is just as massive as what BetMGM is offering. Titled the Corona Beach Bracket Challenge, if you can correctly fill out the tournament’s bracket, you will walk home with $1 million. However, this promotion comes with a $100 entry fee.

Michigan online sportsbooks are not the only prize givers at March Madness. Mike Morse Law Firm is giving out $1 million to any player that can correctly assemble a bracket. If you miss out on that but still correctly predict 60 out of 67 games, you will get a reward of $25,000. Mind you, the chance of getting a perfect bracket is ridiculously low, if not non-existent. So, play responsibly.

Looking to support Michigan State University live from the venue of the NCAA tournament when they compete against USC Trojans? That means you’ll have to make a short trip to Columbus in Ohio. The game starts at 12:15pm ET on Friday, 17 and you may have to choose between a road trip and a flight, depending on when you’re leaving Michigan.

The game takes place at the Nationwide Arena which is located at 200 W Nationwide Blvd, Columbus, OH 43215. You can purchase tickets at the venue. MSU plays in Session 1 and purchasing that ticket gives you a free pass to also watch the Marquette-Vermont game on the same day. Ticket prices range from $64 to $120.

The Spartans are seeded 7th in the tournament. Early odds put the Michigan State Spartans moneyline at -134 with a 136.5 odds Game Over/Under. On spread bets, different Michigan sports betting apps place MSU between -1.5 and -2.5. Several of them also offer blended bets to boost your winning odds. Key players to watch out for will be Tyson Walker, Joey Hauser, and A.J. Hoggard for the Spartans.