NCAA March Madness Odds: First Four Spreads, Moneylines, And Totals


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March Madness: Best Betting Odds For First Four

The First Four games have completed, and the teams who moved on to the first round of March Madness are Wagner, Colorado State, Grambling, and Colorado. First Four odds are available at the best college basketball betting sites as we get set for March Madness. The action tips off on Tuesday night with Wagner vs. Howard and Colorado State vs. Virginia, the winners of which will advance to the first round. 

Then, on Wednesday night, Grambling will take on Montana State, and Colorado will square off with Boise State, with the winners advancing to round one. You can catch all four matchups on truTV. Read on for a complete preview and the latest First Four betting odds.  

NCAA Tournament odds: First four

First Four point spreads

First Four moneyline odds 

First Four over/under lines 

Explore March Madness odds

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

Grambling vs. Montana State betting preview 

Grambling was a 2.5-point underdog to Texas Southern in the SWAC tournament final but managed to exit with a 75-66 victory. It’s won three straight and four of its last five to land at 16-16. Montana State has won four in a row to get to 17-17. It pulled out an 85-70 win over Montana in the Big Sky championship as a 6.5-point underdog. 

Colorado vs. Boise State betting preview 

Colorado is 24-10 following a 75-68 loss to Oregon in the Pac-12 final. The Buffaloes were -2.5 favorites entering that one, a defeat that snapped an eight-game winning streak. Boise State, meanwhile, is 22-10 following a 76-66 loss to New Mexico in the Mountain West quarterfinals and has dropped two of its last three.    

Wagner vs. Howard betting preview 

Wagner pulled out a 54-47 upset over Merrimack as an 8.5-point underdog in the Northeast Conference Tournament final. Now 16-15, the club has won three straight heading into the First Four. Howard is 18-16 following a 70-67 victory over Delaware State in the MEAC Tournament final and has also won its last three in a row.   

Colorado State vs. Virginia betting preview 

Colorado State has a record of 24-10 following a 74-61 loss to New Mexico in the Mountain West semifinals. The defeat snapped a four-game winning streak. Virginia was a -2.5 favorite over NC State in the ACC Tournament semifinals but came up short in a 73-65 overtime loss. The club is 23-10 overall and 3-2 over its last five games.  

March Madness First Four history

A single play-in game was introduced for the 2001 NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Two teams squared off, with the winner advancing to play in the tournament. It remained as a standalone game through 2010. All 10 of the winners of the play-in game over that span were then eliminated in the first round. 

The tournament expanded to include the First Four in 2011. Eight teams square off in four play-in games, with the winners advancing to play in the opening round. A few teams from the play-in round have found solid success since then. Two First Four teams — VCU in 2011 and UCLA in 2021 — advanced all the way to the Final Four.