The Round of 64 wrapped on Friday, March 20 with a mix of chalk survival and a handful of mid-seed upsets, but nothing that truly detonated the seed line. No 13, 14, or 15 broke through. That matters now. It means the King of the Dogs target resets heading into the Round of 32—because the ceiling outcome is still available.
And now the structure shifts with it. DraftKings has extended King of the Dogs across the entire Round of 32, turning this into a two-day puzzle across Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22. Fewer games, tighter matchups, heavier favorites—and a much more delicate balance between survival probability and payout leverage. The obvious clicks get louder in a smaller slate. The edge comes from resisting them.
Time to ask which underdog can win and avoid becoming the most popular answer. With the deeper seed lines still alive and the board compressed, the right pick is the one that lives in that narrow band—credible enough to hit, uncomfortable enough to thin the crowd.
With that framing, the two moneyline underdogs I like most for this Round of 32 poolf Round 1?
I get into the promo details below, and give you details on my favorite King of the Dogs picks for the entire Round of 32 this weekend.
Let’s meet the darlings, shall we? I’ll be pumping out these predictions for individual games all season, with plenty of coverage here on DraftKings Network. Follow my handle @dansby_edits for more betting plays.
DraftKings Sportsbook’s King of the Dogs promotion
Details
King of the Dogs – Key Details
- Objective:
Pick the lowest-seeded team (No. 8–16) that wins its Round of 64 game on March 20. - How to Enter:
- Opt in to the promo
- Use your single-use Qualifying Bet Token
- Place a pre-game moneyline bet (no spreads, totals, or live bets)
- Minimum bet: $5
- What Wins:
If your team is the lowest seed to advance to Round 2, you qualify as a winner. - Prize:
- Winners split a $2,000,000 bonus bet pool
- If multiple teams tie for lowest seed, the pool is split across all qualifying bettors
- Important Restrictions:
- Must be a single moneyline bet using the token
- Cashed-out or voided bets do NOT count
- Must use cash or DK Dollars (not other bonus bets)
- Payout Details:
- Bonus bets issued within 24 hours after Round 1 ends
- Bonus bets are non-withdrawable and expire in 7 days
- Stake is not returned on bonus bets
Best King of the Dogs picks for 3/20/26
Texas (No. 11) over Gonzaga (No. 3): +200
Texas is still the cleanest Saturday leverage play because the recent form is doing more than just keeping the Longhorns afloat—it is actively changing the texture of the team. Sean Miller’s group limped into March after dropping five of six before the tournament, but the last two games have looked different: a 68-66 survive-and-advance win over NC State in the First Four, then a 79-71 win over BYU in which Texas finally looked like a team with a real interior engine and enough late-game control to matter. Against BYU, the Longhorns got 23 points and 16 rebounds from Matas Vokietaitis and 19 points plus four blocks from Tramon Mark. Through two tournament games, Vokietaitis is averaging 19.0 points and 12.0 rebounds, which gives Texas a current-form anchor much sturdier than a hot three-point weekend.
The broader team profile backs that up. Texas averages 83.2 points and 37.9 rebounds per game, so this is not some underdog that needs the game dragged into the mud to survive. The appeal here is that the Longhorns are suddenly winning through paint pressure and rebounding. Gonzaga, meanwhile, is still the more polished favorite at 31-3 with 84.8 points, 40.1 rebounds, 18.3 assists, and only 65.9 points allowed per game, but the recent indicators are a little less pristine than the seed line suggests. The Bulldogs just beat Kennesaw State only 73-64, shot 39.7% from the field in that opener, and, per ESPN’s live tracker, needed a 17-4 second-half run just to create real separation after trailing by one deep into the second half. TeamRankings also shows Gonzaga’s defensive profile softening lately: the Bulldogs’ opponent effective possession ratio sits at 0.911 for the season but 1.015 over the last three games. In promo terms, that is exactly the kind of small recent-form wobble worth buying against.
Kentucky (No. 7) over Iowa State (No. 2): +170
Kentucky is the strongest Sunday token because the recent form is volatile in the right way: the Wildcats are are arriving with a ceiling performance already on the board. The Santa Clara game was a pressure test with 20 lead changes and 12 ties, and Kentucky survived it because Otega Oweh delivered one of the tournament’s biggest individual explosions: 35 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in an 89-84 overtime win. That line was historically rare—one of only four NCAA tournament games ever with at least 35 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists—and it came with real support around it. Mouhamed Dioubate added 17 points and eight rebounds, Brandon Garrison had 10 points, seven rebounds, and six blocks, and Denzel Aberdeen knocked down four threes on his way to 16 points. That matters because it suggests Kentucky’s current version has more than one offensive and defensive lane to stay alive.
Iowa State is still formidable, but the recent-form read is now inseparable from the Joshua Jefferson injury. The Cyclones blasted Tennessee State 108-74 even after Jefferson exited 2:36 into the game, forcing 16 turnovers, hitting 11 threes, shooting 52.7% from the field, and getting 25 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists from Killyan Toure. That is the good news for Iowa State. The shakier part is what Jefferson’s absence removes from the team’s current identity: 16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game from an All-American-level forward who connects their scoring, rebounding, and playmaking. Reuters reported he returned to the bench on crutches and in a walking boot, and the line moved from Iowa State -5.5 to -4.5 afterward. TeamRankings also shows Iowa State’s defense has been a little more human in the short term, with opponent effective possession ratio moving from 0.896 for the season to 0.949 over the last three games. So the Kentucky token case is not just Oweh hero-ball. It is a No. 7 seed with a proven closer, multiple recent contributors, and an opponent carrying the single biggest current-form variable on Sunday’s board.
