Best NCAA March Madness Odds: First Round Spreads, Moneylines, And Totals For Every Game


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March Madness National Championship Odds: Opening Spreads, Moneylines, & Total For NCAA Title Game

Second-round March Madness odds are officially out. Brackets are set for the men’s 2024 NCAA Tournament, and top March Madness sportsbooks have released odds on every upcoming game. UConn is at +460, making the team the favorite to win the tournament, which would be its second straight title. Other favorites include Houston (+600) and Purdue (+800).

Betting odds for every March Madness game in the first round of the tournament are available below. Play will begin with the first four on March 19 and 20, with the first round of the tournament officially beginning on March 21.

Jump to region: East | West | South | Midwest

Best NCAA Tournament odds: First round

East Region odds

Defending champ UConn is the top seed in the East Region. San Diego State, which faced the Huskies in last year’s championship game, finds itself in UConn’s bracket this time. Full seeds and odds are below.

MatchupFavoriteTotal
1 UConn vs. 16 StetsonUConn (-27.5) – Won and covered146 – Under hits
8 Florida Atlantic vs. 9 NorthwesternFlorida Atlantic (-3.5) – Lost and did not cover142.5 – Under hits
5 San Diego State vs. 12 UABSan Diego State (-6) – Won and did not cover140 – Under hits
4 Auburn vs. 13 YaleAuburn (-13.5) – Lost and did not cover140.5 – Over hits
6 BYU vs. 11 DuquesneBYU (-9) – Lost and did not cover141.5 – Under hits
3 Illinois vs. 14 Morehead StateIllinois (-10.5) – Won and covered147.5 – Over hits
7 Washington State vs. 10 DrakeDrake (-1) – Lost and did not cover139 – Under hits
2 Iowa State vs. 15 South Dakota StateIowa State (-15) – Won and covered135 – Over hits

West Region odds

North Carolina is the top seed in the West. The Tarheels will start off against the winner of Howard and Wagner, which face each other in one of the four play-in games. Full odds and seeds are below.

MatchupFavoriteTotal
1 North Carolina vs. 16 WagnerNorth Carolina (-24.5) – Won and covered134.5 – Over hits
8 Mississippi State vs. 9 Michigan StateMichigan State (-1.5) – Won and covered130.5 – Under hits
5 Saint Mary’s vs. 12 Grand CanyonSaint Mary’s (-5.5) – Lost and did not cover131.5 – Over hits
4 Alabama vs. 13 CharlestonAlabama (-8) – Won and covered173.5 – Over hits
6 Clemson vs. 11 New MexicoNew Mexico (-1.5) – Lost and did not cover152.5 – Under hits
3 Baylor vs. 14 ColgateBaylor (-14.5) – Won and covered137.5 – Over hits
7 Dayton vs. 10 NevadaNevada (-1.5) – Lost and did not cover136.5 – Under hits
2 Arizona vs. 15 Long Beach StateArizona (-19.5) – Won and covered163.5 – Under hits

South Region odds

Houston is the top seed in the South, and Duke ended up as the fourth seed in this region. Boise State and Colorado will face each other in a play-in game to determine which team enters the tournament as the No. 10 seed. Full odds and seeds are below.

MatchupFavoriteTotal
1 Houston vs. 16 LongwoodHouston (-24) – Won and covered129 – Over hits
8 Nebraska vs. 9 Texas A&MTexas A&M (-1.5) – Won and covered149.5 – Over hits
5 Wisconsin vs. 12 James MadisonWisconsin (-5.5) – Lost and did not cover144 – Under hits
4 Duke vs. 13 VermontDuke (-12.5) – Won and covered134 – Under hits
6 Texas Tech vs. 11 NC StateTexas Tech (-5) – Lost and did not cover145 – Over hits
3 Kentucky vs. 14 OaklandKentucky (-13) – Lost and did not cover160 – Under hits
7 Florida vs. 10 ColoradoColorado (-1.5) – Won and covered157 – Over hits
2 Marquette vs. 15 Western KentuckyMarquette (-14.5) – Won and covered157 – Under hits

Midwest Region odds

The No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region is Purdue, one of the top favorites to win this year’s national championship. Montana State will play Grambling State in a play-in game to see which team comes into the tournament as the 16 seed. Full odds and seeds are below.

MatchupFavoriteTotal
1 Purdue vs. 16 Grambling StatePurdue (-26.5) – Won and covered138.5 – Under hits
8 Utah State vs. 9 TCUTCU (-3.5) – Lost and did not cover149.5 – Over hits
5 Gonzaga vs. 12 McNeeseGonzaga (-6.5) – Won and covered148.5 – Over hits
4 Kansas vs. 13 SamfordKansas (-7.5) – Won and did not cover153 – Over hits
6 South Carolina State vs. 11 OregonOregon (-2.5) – Won and covered136.5 – Over hits
3 Creighton vs. 14 AkronCreighton (-11.5) – Won and covered142.5 – Under hits
7 Texas vs. 10 Colorado StateTexas (-2.5) – Won and covered143.5 – Under hits
2 Tennessee vs. 15 Saint Peter’sTennessee (-22) – Won and covered130.5 – Over hits

Explore March Madness odds

There are more ways to wager on March Madness beyond the first round. LegalSportsReport covers various ways to bet on the NCAA Tournament. Here are some additional options:

March Madness first round betting preview

Mississippi State vs. Michigan State

Michigan State covered the spread of -1.5, and the total went under 130.5.

Mississippi State is coming off a season with four quad-one wins and an overall record of 21-13. It defeated Tennessee in the SEC tournament.

Michigan State, meanwhile, won its way into this tournament. Only a month ago, it was a team on bubble watch, but after a decent ending to its season and a strong Big 10 Tournament showing, it is a nine seed in this tournament. Michigan State finished its season 19-14 with three quad-one wins.

San Diego State vs. UAB

San Diego State won but did not cover the -6 point spread. The under also hit, with a total set at 140.

San Diego State came up short to UConn last year. This year, it’s put together four quad-one wins and an overall record of 24-10. The team is led by Jaedon LeDee, who is averaging 21.1 points per game this season.

UAB has an amazing story headed into March Madness. It first knocked off the No. 1-seeded USF in the AAC Tournament and then went on to win the whole thing. The team has a record of 21-11 coming into the tournament.

Texas Tech vs. NC State

NC State beat Texas Tech and covered the spread of +5. The over (145) hit with a final score of 80-67.

Texas Tech comes into March Madness as a No. 6 seed and will face off against a tough NC State team. The Red Raiders come into the tournament with a 23-10 record, and their top scorer, Pop Isaacs, is averaging almost 16 points per game. They also finished with six quad-one wins.

NC State won its way into the tournament with victories over North Carolina and Duke in the ACC Tournament, finishing the season with three quad-one wins and a record of 22-14.

Gonzaga vs. McNeese

Gonzaga covered the spread of -6.5, and the total went over 148.5.

Gonzaga is a name we all know when it comes to college basketball and March Madness, but in recent years, it has swayed somewhat from that powerhouse reputation. The team ended the year with a 25-7 record and finished the regular season with only three quad-one wins.

McNeese, meanwhile, will line up as a sleeper in this matchup. This year, the team put up one quad-one victory and 30 overall wins. Shahada Wells is averaging 17.8 points per game.