NCAA Tournament: First Round Games to Bet
The first round of the NCAA Tournament provides bettors with 32 games to wager on over a spad of two days.
Tip-off of the first game is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, with contests running up until the final tip-off of the first round on Friday at 9:57 p.m. Below, we give a breakdown of some of our favorite games to bet.
#9 Memphis Tigers (21-10) vs. #8 Boise State Broncos (27-7)
Time: 1:45 p.m. EST (Thursday)
Memphis finished in third place in a packed American Athletic Conference and fell in the AAC title game to Houston. Boise State was both the regular season and tournament champion in the Mountain West and one of four teams from the conference to receive a bid to the tournament.
Expect Thursday’s showdown to be a low-scoring affair, with the Tigers using their athletism and depth to do just enough to escape with a narrow victory over the Broncos.
Betting Pick: Memphis Tigers -2.5
#14 Longwood Lancers (26-6) vs. #3 Tennessee Volunteers (26-7)
Time: 2:45 EST (Thursday)
For the first time in school history, the Longwood Lancers are dancing. The Big South Champions are new to Division I, joining in 2012. Tennessee is making its 24th appearance in the tournament and fourth in a row.
Two teams with plenty of momentum heading into Thursday’s showdown, the Lancers have won 19 of their last 20 contests while the Volunteers are winners of 12 of 13 games. This is the fourth-largest spread of Thursday’s games, and the Vols will flex their muscle and end any chance of a Cinderella run.
Betting Pick: Tennessee Volunteers -17.0
#12 New Mexico State Aggies (26-6) vs. #5 UConn Huskies (23-9)
Time: 6:50 p.m. EST (Thursday)
The Western Athletic Conference champion gets to test its chops against one of the top finishers in the Big East Conference. UConn finished third in the Big East and returns to the tournament for the second year in a row. The Aggies are back after a two-year hiatus from the Big Dance.
A 12-seed over a 5-seed is one of the most common upsets in the tournament, but the WAC’s most efficient offense led by conference Player of the Year Teddy Allen will run into a UConn lineup that can light it up from deep and crash the boards.
Betting Pick: UConn Huskies -6.5
#10 Loyola Chicago Ramblers (25-7) vs. #7 Ohio State Buckeyes (19-11)
Time: 12:15 p.m. EST (Friday)
Porter Moser headed to Oklahoma in the offseason, but the Ramblers are back in the tournament under first-year head coach Drew Valentine. The Ramblers finished second in the Missouri Valley but rolled through the MVC Tournament to capture the league’s auto bid. OSU limps into the postseason, losers in four of its last five games after getting bounced from the Big Ten Tournament by Penn State.
Loyola flexed its muscle last season with an upset victory over the Illinois Fighting Illini, and the pieces are there for the Ramblers to take down another Big Ten foe. With the health of Ohio State in question, we like the Ramblers to advance to the Round of 32.
Betting Pick: Loyola Chicago Ramblers PK
#14 Yale Bulldogs (19-11) vs. #3 Purdue Boilermakers (27-7)
Time: 2 p.m. EST (Friday)
The Ivy League champion takes on one of the top teams in the Big Ten Conference in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Purdue comes into the tournament after an appearance in the Big Ten Tournament title match against Iowa while the Bulldogs narrowly knocked off Princeton in the Ivy League Tournament.
Yale should be able to take advantage of Purdue’s defense, but the Boilermakers present numerous matchup problems offensively. Expect a close battle in the first half, with Purdue pulling away in the second half and cruising to a comfortable victory.
Betting Pick: Purdue Boilermakers -15.5
#11 Virginia Tech Hokies (23-12) vs. #6 Texas Longhorns (21-11)
Time: 4:30 p.m. EST (Friday)
A compelling matchup between the ACC Tournament champion and a Texas team that’s dropped its last three games. The Hokies finished seventh in the ACC standings and the Longhorns fourth in the Big 12. VT put it all together in the conference tournament, knocking off four teams over four days for the title. Texas will rely on its defensive strength, but the Hokies look like a team that can make a deep run in the tournament.
Betting Pick: Virginia Tech Hokies +1
#14 Colgate Raiders (23-11) vs. #3 Wisconsin Badgers (24-7)
Time: 9:50 p.m EST (Friday)
The Patriot League champion gets a Big Ten squad that was bounced from the tournament in the quarterfinals and dropped their final game of the regular season. Colgate comes into the tournament winners of its last 15 games. Wisconsin completed the regular season as co-champions in the Big Ten.
Wisconsin has played 21 games decided by eight points or fewer, coming victors in 17 of those. Colgate is one of the best teams in the country and shooting the three, and the Raiders are more than capable of pulling off the upset if the shots are falling.
Betting Pick: Colgate Raiders +7.5
Derek Hudson
Derek is a long time sports bettor who grew up in Providence, RI. Derek is data driven and believes the key to betting the sportsbooks is finding an edge in analytics. Derek is happily married and has two young boys. Derek will bet on anything if you let him.
