Best March Madness Survivor Pool Picks Today: Ranking Every NCAA Tournament Team on Day 5
There are just 16 teams, 15 games, and four rounds of games left in the NCAA Tournament, so give yourself a pat on the back if you're still alive in your March Madness survivor pool. OK, now it's time to lock in.
As we head into an absurdly chalky Sweet 16, our March Madness Survivor pool picks today are backing the one team playing a double-digit seed while trying to preserve the March Madness odds favorites for the last few rounds.
👉 Want to win your March Madness survivor pool? We broke down the survivor pool basics and offered our best survivor pool tips & strategy.
🎯 Best March Madness survivor pool picks today: NCAA Tournament Day 5
| Ranking | Team (seed) | Matchup (seed) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas Tech (3) | vs. Arkansas (10) |
| 2 | Duke (1) | vs. Arizona (4) |
| 3 | Florida (1) | vs. Maryland (4) |
| 4 | Alabama (2) | vs. BYU (6) |
| 5 | BYU (6) | vs. Alabama (2) |
| 6 | Maryland (4) | vs. Florida (1) |
| 7 | Arkansas (10) | vs. Texas Tech (3) |
| 8 | Arizona (4) | vs. Duke (1) |
👉 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.
✅ Best survivor pool pick today: Texas Tech
No team has been luckier with its matchups through the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament than Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are taking on their third straight double-digit seed in the former of No. 10 seed Arkansas, which is by far the worst team left in March Madness.
While John Calipari's team has managed upsets of both Bill Self's Kansas and Rick Pitino's St. John's, the Razorbacks are the only team alive in the NCAA Tournament that's rated outside of KenPom's top 25 (36th). It doesn't seem like Arkansas will have its best player back either, after Adou Thiero missed practice yesterday (he's been out since Feb. 22).
Meanwhile, Tech is No. 5 in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency thanks to All-American JT Toppin and multiple capable 3-point shooters around him. The bonus in taking the Red Raiders is that you likely won't want to use them in the Elite Eight when they take on either Florida or Maryland.
📊 Texas Tech's odds to beat Arkansas: -220 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 68.75%
New customers only. Deposit min. $5. Place first bet of $5+ and win $250 in Bonus Bets, if your bet wins. (within 72 hours).
🛡️ Safest survivor pool pick today: Duke
Without a doubt, Duke is the best team in the country, so much so that it's -185 to win the East region by the Final Four odds. The Blue Devils haven't even been challenged yet, and Arizona doesn't have the talent to be the team that would give Jon Scheyer's squad a scare.
The Wildcats are outside the top 10 in adjusted offensive efficiency and outside the top 25 in adjusted defensive efficiency. They don't have the offensive talent to keep up with Wooden Award odds favorite Cooper Flagg, nor the defensive talent to slow the Blue Devils' star and his talented teammates, Tyrese Proctor and Kon Knueppel.
The Blue Devils are the obvious favorites to take the title at our best sports betting sites, and Tommy Lloyd has never led Arizona past the Sweet 16, and this doesn't look like the year he will. The downside in taking Duke is obviously not being able to use the championship favorite in the final three rounds.
📊 Duke's odds to beat Arizona: -490 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 83.05%
⚠️ Riskiest survivor pool pick today: BYU
The riskiest pick could be Alabama or BYU, I'd just steer clear of that game in general today. While I have the No. 6 seed Cougars pulling off the upset against the Crimson Tide, there's just no way to justify taking a pick so risky in the Sweet 16 of a survivor pool. But if you did take BYU, and it won, boy, you would be in great shape going forward.
The reason I like the Cougars against the Tide is because these teams are so similar stylistically. They both want to take a ridiculous amount of 3-pointers and spend little time playing defense. Kevin Young is coaching BYU to be like a LaVell Edwards football team with the way it's always putting the ball in the air.
If Richie Saunders continues to shine and Egor Demin's 3-point shooting stays efficient, BYU could take advantage of an Alabama defense that's 356th in the country in points allowed per game (81.0). I like BYU, but use it as a survivor pool pick at your own peril.
📊 BYU's odds to beat Alabama: +190 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 34.48%
Terms and conditions apply.
🚫 Popular March Madness survivor pool picks to avoid today
| Ranking | Team (seed) | Matchup (seed) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama (2) | vs. BYU (6) |
| 2 | Arizona (4) | vs. Duke (1) |
| 3 | Arkansas (10) | vs. Texas Tech (3) |
| 4 | BYU (6) | vs. Alabama (2) |
| 5 | Maryland (4) | vs. Florida (4) |
❌ Worst survivor pool pick today: Alabama
The reason the worst pick isn't Arizona today is that I don't think many people are going to back the Wildcats to take down the Blue Devils. Arizona is an obvious team to avoid taking, so that's why I'm focused on this Alabama team that, on paper, looks worthwhile to back since it's taking on a No. 6 seed.
Nate Oats' brand of basketball is so high risk and high reward that it scares the heck out of me to take the Tide in this spot. Yes, they have an All-American in Mark Sears, and big man Grant Nelson appears to be healthy now, but this team was on the ropes against Robert Morris and let Saint Mary's back into their second-round matchup.
Playing no defense is just not a great recipe, and BYU has the scoring talent in Saunders, Demin, and Trevin Knell to potentially steal this game. I think this could be the most entertaining game of the Sweet 16 and also the game that could end a lot of survivor pool hopes.
📊 Alabama's odds to beat BYU: -215 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 68.25%
⛔ Other survivor pool picks to avoid today
- Arizona has the Duke slayer in Caleb Love, but the Wildcats' poor defense and inefficient 3-point shooting are going to put them in a hole that they can't climb out of with nobody on the roster capable of guarding Flagg or Knueppel
- The last time Calipari took a team to the Elite Eight, he had Tyler Herro and P.J. Washington leading his Kentucky program, and Arkansas doesn't have that type of talent, especially if Thiero is out
- As much as I like BYU to pull off the upset against Alabama, there's no reason to make such a risky pick this deep into a survivor pool, and the Tide have one of the best players in the country in Sears
- Despite Florida's struggles with UConn, and Maryland's electric buzzer-beater to beat Colorado State, the Terrapins don't look like they have the firepower to upset the Gators, unless Derik Queen has an all-time outing
🏀 Best March Madness odds, predictions & expert picks today
- March Madness odds & schedule today
- Most popular March Madness bets today
- March Madness survivor pool picks today
- March Madness predictions today
- Best March Madness player props today
- Best March Madness parlay today
- Best March Madness AI picks today
- March Madness upset picks today
- March Madness trends today
- March Madness bracket update
✅ More Sweet 16 picks & predictions
- March Madness Sweet 16 picks
- March Madness Sweet 16 predictions
- March Madness Sweet 16 survivor picks
- March Madness updated bracket predictions
- March Madness second chance bracket
- Sweet 16 picks & Final Four predictions
🆚 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
- Michigan State vs. Ole Miss player props
- Tennessee vs. Kentucky prediction
- Tennessee vs. Kentucky player props
- Auburn vs. Michigan prediction
- Houston vs. Purdue prediction
- Houston vs. Purdue player props
💰 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 |
👑 Best March Madness betting sites
Ready to place your March Madness bets? Check out the best March Madness betting promos from the best March Madness betting sites as determined by our expert team at Sportsbook Review.
- Caesars Promo Code: SBRBONUSDYW | Read our Caesars Review
- BetMGM Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetMGM Review
- bet365 Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our bet365 Review
- FanDuel Promo Code | Read our FanDuel Review
- DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review
(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.
Not intended for use in MA.
Each betting site featured on SBR has been meticulously researched and selected by our team of experts. If you sign up through our links, we may get a commission
Related Articles
