March Madness betting specials: MOP, conferences, and buzzer-beaters

Find year-round coverage of betting news and insights for all sports by visiting our Betting section and subscribing to push notifications.

By now, you've likely filled out your bracket, locked in your Round of 64 bets, and dabbled in some futures. But there are more than just the traditional markets to bet on.

Unique markets are widely available, giving fans more to root for as the tournament rolls on. Let's dive into a few that are available at theScore Bet.

Total number of buzzer-beaters in the tournament

Buzzer-beaters make the NCAA Tournament great. They are ingrained into fans' memories. Remember San Diego State's buzzer-beater last year over FAU to send the Aztecs to the national championship? Or Jalen Suggs' incredible shot to lift Gonzaga past UCLA in 2021?

A buzzer-beater is defined as a shot that goes through the net with 0.0 seconds on the clock and gives the team a lead it didn't previously have. If there are 0.1 seconds on the clock after the ball goes in, it's not a buzzer-beater.

This bet is like betting on the Gatorade color at the Super Bowl. No insight can give you an edge, but it's fun to explore.

In the 23 tournaments since 2000, there have been 13 with a buzzer-beater, meaning 56% of the tournaments since 2000 have had one. The +105 odds imply there's a 48% chance it occurs. That slight discrepancy between oddsmakers and historical trends suggests it could be worth a bet.

Which seed will win the championship?

Since the tournament expanded in 1985, 1-seeds have won the national championship 63% of the time. No. 2 seeds have won five times, No. 3 seeds have won four times, and No. 4 seeds have won twice, including UConn last year. The lowest seed to ever win was Villanova as a 8-seed in 1985. A 5-seed has never won.

It's hard to bet against a No. 1 seed, especially this year when three of the four No. 1 seeds have been in a tier of their own since November.

Auburn is a No. 4 seed but has the seventh-best odds to win the title. Kentucky and Creighton are both No. 3 seeds and are tied for the ninth-best odds.

Winning conference odds

Three of the 11 teams with the best odds to win reside in the Big East - UConn, Creighton, and Marquette. The committee disrespected the rest of the conference, but those three are all national championship contenders. UConn is the No. 1 overall seed and the favorite.

Houston is the second favorite and reps the Big 12, but Iowa State is the only other team with top-12 odds from that conference.

The Big Ten had a down year and has become synonymous with disappointing tournaments. It hasn't won a national title since Michigan State in 2000, but this might be the best chance to end the drought. Purdue has the third-best odds and is a legitimate contender.

There are no true powerhouses in the SEC this year, but it still has four teams in the top 14 on the oddsboard in Auburn, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama, the most of any conference.

Most Outstanding Player odds

The Most Outstanding Player award is gifted to the best player on the championship team. Zach Edey's unsurprisingly the favorite because he's the best player on Purdue, a team with the third-best odds to cut down the nets in Phoenix.

UConn is the favorite to win the championship, and there are three Huskies players (Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton, and Cam Spencer) atop the oddsboard.

There's value in taking a player on a team with contending chances but not considered the favorite, like Dalton Knecht on Tennessee, RJ Davis on North Carolina, or Caleb Love on Arizona.

Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.