Fanatics Markets: March Madness Trading Markets Available
March Madness is finally here, so it’s time to get in on the action with Fanatics Markets. Rather than traditional fixed-odds college basketball betting, Fanatics Markets is a trading platform where you can buy and sell positions on March Madness picks.
There’s nothing like betting on a single-elimination tournament with so many teams involved in the bracket, as you have tons of exciting action to choose from. My favorite way to target the tournament is by looking at futures bets, either to pick a team to get to the Final Four or win the National Championship.
The tournament tips off with the First Four on Tuesday, March 17th. There are several March Madness trading markets available, including spreads, moneylines, totals, and player props. It’s a robust selection to choose from, including the March Madness promo below:
What Is Fanatics Markets?
Fanatics Markets is a prediction market where users trade contracts tied to the outcomes of sporting events. Instead of placing a traditional sportsbook bet, participants buy and sell shares of an outcome. Each contract is priced between $0 and $1, where the price reflects the market’s implied probability of that outcome.
If the event happens, the contract settles at $1. If it does not, it settles at $0. Traders can buy when they believe the market is underestimating a team’s chances and sell when they think the probability is too high.
This structure works well during March Madness because you can enter and exit positions throughout the tournament. For example, imagine you took a longshot like No. 8 Georgia to win the National Championship at $0.02. Let’s say that Georgia advanced to the Elite 8. At this point, their odds may move to $0.20. You can then sell your position for a profit. This is the best way to approach March Madness trading at Fanatics Markets.
March Madness Game Markets
At the core of the March Madness offerings are the traditional game markets. These allow users to trade contracts tied directly to the outcome of a specific game. Below are the options here:
Available Game Markets
- Winner
- Point spread
- Alternate spread
- Total points
- Alternate totals
Similar to sportsbooks, prices will adjust as we get closer to game time. You can also make trades while the game is happening, which is like live betting.
March Madness Futures Markets
We recommend locking in on futures when trading on March Madness at Fanatics Markets. You can target each of these markets:
- National Championship Winner
- Advance to Final Four
- Advance to Elite Eight
- Advance to Sweet 16
Prices will fluctuate depending on what happens in the game. You can enter and exit positions before the event is settled. This is similar to an early cash-out function at sportsbooks, but you get better prices at Fanatics Markets.
Below, we’ll dive into three teams to target for your futures trades at Fanatics Markets. Remember, our goal is to exit our position early to secure a profit. We’re trying to focus on undervalued teams, hoping they win one or two rounds, and then we cash out. Each of these teams is well-balanced.
Iowa to reach Sweet 16
No. 9 Iowa went 21-12 this season, fresh off a close loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament. What I like about Iowa is how well-balanced they are. Per Pomeroy’s rankings, Iowa is 31st in Offensive Rating and 30th in Defensive Rating. We saw them play top-seeded Michigan tough in a three-point loss back on March 5th.
Iowa opens the tournament as short favorites against Clemson. If they can pull off that win, you can sell at a profit before the next round.
Texas Tech to reach Elite Eight
No. 5 Texas Tech finished 22-10 this season, but we saw them get blown out against Iowa State in the Big 12 tournament. Coming off a disappointing loss, we can get the Red Raiders at a nice price to reach the Elite Eight. This is another balanced team that ranks 12th on offense and 33rd on defense, according to KenPom.
Texas Tech should be able to take care of business against No. 12 Akron. I’d suggest waiting to see if the Red Raiders can get to the Sweet 16 before exiting your position.
Louisville to reach Final Four
No. 6 Louisville is 23-10, coming in at 19th on offense and 25th on defense, per KenPom. The Cardinals had a tough five-point loss to Miami in the ACC tournament, but they had won 11 of their previous 15 games before that, so they’re playing good basketball.
The Cardinals are relatively heavy favorites in the first round vs. South Florida. This squad has enough balance to go on a deep run in this tournament.
