March Madness 2026 Parlays: Best March Madness Parlay Picks

Top Parlay for the National Championship Game

My Top Parlay for the National Championship Game

Check out our top March Madness Betting Sites.

Prop Bet #1: Yaxel Lendeborg Over 11.5 Rebounds

Caesars

4.5/5

Tip: Lendeborg Over 11.5 Rebounds

• Dominance
• Volume
• Matchup

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Lendeborg has been one of the most dominant rebounders in the tournament, consistently controlling the glass on both ends. Against a physical UConn frontcourt, there will be plenty of contested shots, creating additional rebounding opportunities. His versatility and positioning make him a strong candidate to exceed this total, especially in a championship setting where effort and physicality are elevated.

Prop Bet #2: Alex Karaban Over 2.5 Three-Pointers Made

FanDuel

4.6/5

Tip: Karaban Over 2.5 3PM

• Spacing
• Volume
• Opportunity

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Karaban’s ability to stretch the floor is critical for UConn’s offense. Michigan’s defensive scheme often prioritizes protecting the paint, which can open opportunities on the perimeter. Karaban’s experience and shooting ability make him a strong option to capitalize on those looks, especially in a game where spacing will be essential.

Prop Bet #3: Elliot Cadeau Over 8.5 Assists

BetMGM

4.5/5

Tip: Cadeau Over 8.5 Assists

• Playmaking
• Tempo
• Control

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Cadeau is the engine of Michigan’s offense, orchestrating their half-court execution with precision. In a game where Michigan is expected to control tempo, his assist opportunities should be plentiful. His ability to find shooters and create easy scoring opportunities makes this a strong value play.

DraftKings

4.6/5

Tip: 3 Player prop

• Karaban over 2.5, 3 pointers
• Cadeau over 8.5 assists
• Lendenborg over 11.5 rebounds

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What is a March Madness Parlay?

A parlay bet is a bet that combines multiple different outcomes into one big bet. The odds are usually quite high. The biggest winners you see on social media usually come from parlay bets. There have been some amazing winners over the years, but there is a small catch.

If just one of your selections doesn’t hit, the whole bet loses. This can make for some of the most heart breaking losses. Especially if it all comes down to the last leg. Some bookies do offer ways for the bettor to get a slight advantage on parlays, we’ll discuss some of those later on. Check out our top sports betting apps.

Types of March Madness Parlays

There are two main types of March Madness parlays that you can stake your funds on. Both are equally fun and important. There is a time and place for each to be effective. The two are:

• Multi-game parlay
• Same-game parlay

Multi-game Parlay

A multi-game parlay is the traditional type, and it’s exactly what it says on the tin. A parlay that includes multiple different games. The most popular way to incorporate this type of bet is to simply pick who you think will win each game.

The beauty of March Madness parlays is the volume of games to pick from. If you pick carefully, you can create a very high potential return with a very small wager. Higher odds tend to be far more enjoyable to track and the feeling is very sweet when you show your friends a +5000 parlay winning slip.

Same-game Parlay

Same game parlays are where things get even more interesting. You are tasked with picking multiple outcomes to happen in a single game. These bets take advantage of player prop markets, over/under markets, and more.

If you have a particular expertise on a game, a same game parlay can be your best friend. For example, if you fancied a player to get more than 20 points, his team to win, and there to be over ‘x’ amount of points, then you can combine them all and make some great odds.

You can even combine multiple same game parlays into one mega parlay. This is where things begin to get really interesting, the odds can skyrocket if you combine three or four of the same game parlays into one.

How to place a March Madness parlay

Right, now that you know exactly what a March Madness parlay is, the next thing is how to actually place one. Allow us to guide you through the process of setting up your betting account all the way to placing your first parlay ahead of March Madness.

Don’t worry, it won’t take long, and it’s really simple…

Step 1: Choosing a Sportsbook

The first step in choosing the best March Madness parlay is choosing which sportsbook you’d like to play with. There are quite a few that all offer unique bonuses and welcome incentives, so it can be a tough choice.

To make it easier, they are all laid out below with their welcome offers. If you’re struggling to pick, we would suggest going with BetMGM. We have always had a great experience with them here at The Gruelling Truth.

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Step 2: Set up an account

The sign-up process for a sportsbook is actually really simple. It takes less than five minutes for most of them.

You’ll just need to fill out some basic information and complete some identity checks and you’re in. Make sure to use a promo code as well to make sure you get all the welcome benefits.

Step 3: Do your research

If all has gone well, you should be set up and looking at your chosen sportsbook’s website/app.

Now don’t get ahead of yourself and start adding random legs onto a parlay, this is where you’ll end up losing money. Instead, open a new tab and get reading. If you’re unfamiliar with NCAAB then have read about it.

Also, look out for expert tips, we’ll share some later on, but closer to the start date when the fixtures are announced, there will be plenty of tips flying around. Give yourself the edge and get reading.

Step 4: Place that bet

By now, you should have an account set up with a sportsbook, some money loaded up, and some knowledge on college basketball. The brackets come out on the 17th of March, so you can’t quite pick a traditional parlay just yet.

But you should be well prepared now and ready to go when the first four are announced.

Make sure to check out our best sports betting apps if you are looking for the top on the go options!

Is March Madness betting legal?

March Madness betting is very legal, yes. But only in certain states. Here are the states where you can legally bet on it:

Best March Madness Parlays and Strategies

When placing bets, it is important to have some kind of strategy in place, unless it’s a throwaway bet with loose change. There are multiple tiers of strategy when it comes to March Madness betting sites, and all of them have their place.

Everyone has their own way of betting, and one of these strategies should suit you.

Strategy 1: Using expert opinions

The first type of March Madness parlay strategy is looking into expert opinions. You can find plenty of articles, TV programs, podcasts and YouTube videos where experts will be discussing March Madness. You can just take what the experts say and base your picks around that.

They’re not always right, but they’ll give you a good gauge.

Strategy 2: Watching the game

Strategy 2 is perhaps the most basic, it is simply watching the game of basketball and determining your picks based on what you see. You could watch a team huff and puff into the next round and know they’ll have a tough ride in the next round, or vice versa.

It also goes hand in hand with in-play betting. If you’re watching a game, you may get a sense early that it’ll be high scoring or that a certain player will do something.

The knockout format of the tournament makes the action much different from a regular season. One loss and you’re out, teams tend to give more and ‘leave it all on the court’. It makes for some great stories.

Strategy 3: Using statistics

Using stats is one of the best and most logical ways to make March Madness Parlay picks. You can find high end data for free at plenty of different sites. The amount of information available is quite frankly, insane.

In 2026, we have more data access than ever before, and you can use this to make picks based on logic and even find bookie mistakes. The vast majority of sportsbooks use supercomputer algorithms and automation to pick their odds, and sometimes you can find some amazing value through the cracks.

Using stats is the best way to find value in odds. Some sites worth checking out are:

• CBB Analytics
• ShotQuality
• Synergy

These are just a few, there are more out there too. It’s understandable if you’re not bothered about reading up on stats, as it does take some time, but it will give you much more contextual knowledge and a potential edge.

Also make sure to follow March Madness betting trends to keep up with the latest trends.

Things to avoid when betting on March Madness Parlays

In order to be successful when betting on March Madness parlays you need to be smart, disciplined and know your limits. It’s all well and good to know how to make picks, but managing your betting habits is equally important.

Here is what to avoid when betting on March Madness parlays. This is important.

How to find the best value March Madness parlays

Value spotting is one of the most advantageous ways of making money in the world of sports betting. It entails finding a hot pick with overpriced odds. In this next section, we will break down exactly how you can find the best value March Madness parlay picks.

Here we go…

Step 1: Find your pick

The best way to find a high value pick is by looking at the stats. You can see which players like to shoot, who gets rebounds, how they react to certain opponents, court heat maps and more.

For example, if you liked a certain player for threes made, it would be a smart idea to look at his potential opponent, watch some clips and see how he defends. You can find much more potential mismatches in the NCAA compared to the NBA.

To make this process easier, we’d suggest making a list of all of your potential picks as you find them.

Step 2: Shop around

Now you have your list of picks, the next thing to do is shop around for odds. Different sportsbooks offer better value than others in certain areas. If there is an odd that genuinely looks like a mistake, the chances are it’ll be rectified later on, and you could find yourself with a positive cash out before the tip off.

Some of the picks you find on stat websites will have low odds, the stats come into play when the sportsbooks price up the selections and they’ll know if Player X is likely to shoot threes. But there is still an opportunity to spot mistakes.

It’s also worth looking at some tipsters on platforms such as Reddit and X, there are plenty of value spotters around if you don’t fancy doing the work yourself.

Step 3: Make your parlay

At this stage you should have a few picks with decent odds. Now here comes the fun part. Add them to a parlay and see what odds the sportsbook offers. There is an element of shopping around here too, as different sportsbooks offer different parlay odds.

If you want to take the excitement of March Madness to the next level, you should also look into March Madness live betting alternatives.

Conclusion

The fun of March Madness parlays and the vast amount of opportunities to win ultimately outweighs the cons. Getting involved with March Madness 2026 parlays is something we intend to do, and if you’re planning on betting, then you should give it a try too.

Always take care when betting, no matter what the event or type of bet is. That is the most important message to take. Betting on sports can be incredible fun, don’t let it turn sour, when the fun stops, you stop as well.

Best of luck with all of your March Madness parlays and be sure to send us your slips over on X @Gruelingtruth.

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