March Madness Second Chance Brackets: Best NCAA Tournament Picks to Win Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four
There are no perfect March Madness brackets left, which means it's the ideal time for everyone to forget about their busted brackets and focus on getting it right in the final few rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
With March Madness second-chance brackets, everyone gets another shot at winning a bracket pool. And we're making our best NCAA Tournament picks to win the Sweet 16, Elite Eight, and Final Four as we try to predict the March Madness odds champion.
👉 Want more March Madness action? Check out the rest of our March Madness Sweet 16 predictions and stay up to date with the March Madness Sweet 16 odds and schedule.
🏀 March Madness bracket ahead of Sweet 16
🔄 What is a March Madness second-chance bracket?
A March Madness second-chance bracket is a pool where participants fill out a bracket following the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament as they try to predict games from the Sweet 16 to the national championship. It's a good way to stay involved with a bracket pool after everyone's initial bracket has busted.
All you do is make your picks for the final 15 games of the NCAA Tournament, and similarly to traditional bracket pools, there's a point system to crown a winner - inevitably nobody will have a perfect bracket, so the point system is key.
Joining a second-chance bracket pool can be a good way to earn redemption for your busted bracket, but they usually have a smaller field of participants, too, making it easier to win the pool.
👉 Want more Sweet 16 action? Check out our March Madness Sweet 16 survivor picks and our latest March Madness odds.
🍬 Best NCAA Tournament picks to win Sweet 16
| Matchup | Pick | Moneyline odds | Game details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama (2) vs. BYU (6) | BYU | +185 via Caesars | Thursday, March 27 at 7:09 p.m. ET (CBS) |
| Florida (1) vs. Maryland (4) | Florida | -285 via FanDuel | Thursday, March 27 at 7:39 p.m. ET (TBS/truTV) |
| Duke (1) vs. Arizona (4) | Duke | -420 via FanDuel | Thursday, March 27 at 9:39 p.m. ET (CBS) |
| Texas Tech (3) vs. Arkansas (10) | Texas Tech | -235 via Caesars | Thursday, March 27 at 10:09 p.m. ET (TBS/truTV) |
| Michigan State (2) vs. Ole Miss (6) | Ole Miss | +150 via DraftKings | Friday, March 28 at 7:09 p.m. ET (CBS) |
| Tennessee (2) vs. Kentucky (3) | Tennessee | -184 via FanDuel | Friday, March 28 at 7:39 p.m. ET (TBS/truTV) |
| Auburn (1) vs. Michigan (5) | Auburn | -385 via FanDuel | Friday, March 28 at 9:39 p.m. ET (CBS) |
| Houston (1) vs. Purdue (4) | Houston | -345 via FanDuel | Friday, March 28 at 10:09 p.m. ET (TBS/truTV) |
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- Alabama vs. BYU: Two similarly offensive-minded teams, with superstar scorers in Mark Sears and Richie Saunders, I think Kevin Young's Cougars will capitalize on the Crimson Tide's defensive woes
- Florida vs. Maryland: Although the Terrapins are riding the high of Derik Queen's buzzer beater, the Gators have too much offensive talent and a player capable of taking over the game in Walter Clayton Jr.
- Duke vs. Arizona: Tommy Lloyd has never led the Wildcats past the Sweet 16, and it's going to be nearly impossible to do it this year with how dominant the Blue Devils are behind the play of Wooden Award odds favorite Cooper Flagg
- Texas Tech vs. Arkansas: The Razorbacks are by far the worst team left in the NCAA Tournament - ranked just 36th by KenPom - and they don't have the offensive firepower to keep up with All-American JT Toppin and this Red Raiders team
- Michigan State vs. Ole Miss: Despite being Mr. March, Tom Izzo's Spartans struggled against New Mexico, and now they're running into a Rebels team that has some Cinderella in their blood thanks to Sean Pedulla, who's putting together a strong March resume of his own
- Tennessee vs. Kentucky: This is the third time these two teams have played this year, and the Wildcats won the first two, but this time around Rick Barnes' defense should slow Mark Pope's banged-up squad and win ... especially if Chaz Lanier comes to play
- Auburn vs. Michigan: This is a Johni Broome redemption spot with the Tigers' star off to a slow March Madness start and taking on the Wolverines' talented big men, but I think Auburn's guard play will ultimately be the difference.
- Houston vs. Purdue: Right now the Cougars look like the second-best team in the country after Duke thanks to their No. 1-rated defense and their inside-outside scoring combo of LJ Cryer and J'Wan Roberts, the Boilermakers just don't have the guns to stop Houston
🎟️ Best NCAA Tournament picks to win Elite Eight
| Projected matchup | Pick | Odds to win region | Game details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn (1) vs. Ole Miss (6) | Auburn | -135 via DraftKings (South) | Saturday, March 29/Sunday March 30 |
| Florida (1) vs. Texas Tech (3) | Texas Tech | +320 via DraftKings (West) | Saturday, March 29/Sunday March 30 |
| Duke (1) vs. BYU (6) | Duke | -175 via FanDuel (West) | Saturday, March 29/Sunday March 30 |
| Houston (1) vs. Tennessee (2) | Houston | -110 via FanDuel (Midwest) | Saturday, March 29/Sunday March 30 |
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- Auburn vs. Ole Miss: This is where Chris Beard's team's magic comes to an end with Broome and the guards around him being too talented for the Rebels to slow down ... the Tigers have already beaten Ole Miss three times this year
- Florida vs. Texas Tech: This would be the most interesting matchup of the Elite Eight, and I just don't think the Gators will be able to stop Toppin and Darrion Williams in the frontcourt in what would be a high-scoring game
- Duke vs. BYU: For as fun as this BYU team has been this year, it doesn't stand a chance against a team like Duke with Jon Scheyer having an eight-deep that can blow out this Cougars team that isn't the best defensively
- Houston vs. Tennessee: These are arguably the two best defensive teams in the country, but Houston has just a little bit more to lean on offensively and more consistency from its star players
4️⃣ Best NCAA Tournament picks to win Final Four
| Projected matchup | Pick | Odds to reach championship | Game details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke (1) vs. Houston (1) | Duke | +125 via FanDuel | Saturday, April 5 at 6:09 p.m./8:49 p.m. ET (CBS) |
| Auburn (1) vs. Texas Tech (3) | Auburn | +200 via FanDuel | Saturday, April 5 at 6:09 p.m./8:49 p.m. ET (CBS) |
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- Duke vs. Houston: This is the matchup everyone wants to see, Flagg and the most talented lineup in the country against Houston's ferocious defense, but the Blue Devils just have so much more when it comes to scoring, especially if Tyrese Proctor keeps stepping up
- Auburn vs. Texas Tech: This would be a best-case scenario for Auburn with Broome being able to lock down Toppin defensively and the Tigers' guards just having so much more juice than the Red Raiders'
🏆 Best NCAA Tournament pick to win March Madness
| Projected matchup | Pick | March Madness odds | Game details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn (1) vs. Duke (1) | Duke | +230 via bet365 | Monday, April 7 at 8:50 p.m. ET (CBS) |
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- Auburn vs. Duke: The No. 1 overall seed in the tournament against the favorite to win the whole thing, it's a perfect national championship game, but the Tigers don't have the talent to quiet Flagg and Kon Knueppel enough to pull off the win.
🧠 Sweet 16 expert picks
- Sweet 16 picks & Final Four predictions
- March Madness Sweet 16 Cinderella watch
- March Madness second chance brackets
- March Madness Sweet 16 survivor picks
- March Madness MVP odds and predictions
- March Madness Sweet 16 picks
- March Madness Sweet 16 predictions
- Latest March Madness odds
- March Madness Final Four odds
- 2025 March Madness stats
- March Madness long shots
- Who are the best players in the 2025 NCAA Tournament?
- One of these 8 teams will win the NCAA Tournament
🆚 Sweet 16 game predictions
- Alabama vs. BYU prediction
- Florida vs. Maryland prediction
- Duke vs. Arizona prediction
- Texas Tech vs. Arkansas prediction
- Michigan State vs. Ole Miss prediction
- Tennessee vs. Kentucky prediction
- Auburn vs. Michigan prediction
- Houston vs. Purdue prediction
💰 March Madness betting odds pages
| March Madness odds | March Madness MVP odds |
| Women's March Madness odds | March Madness MVP predictions |
| Final Four odds | March Madness prop bets |
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