Vegas knows best. For all those that have been staring at the same matchups in their bracket and not sure where to lean, let Vegas be the tie breaker. Their prognosticating, fortune telling deal with the devil is always astonishingly accurate.
Year in and year out it seems like the linemakers know more about the NCAA Tournament than the Selection Committee. So if you’re debating whether or not to take your chances on an upset, it’s never a bad idea to check the lines. Some notably close lines between teams with distant ranks are No. 11 Loyola and No. 6 Miami, who is only a 2 point favorite; No. 12 New Mexico State and No. 5 Clemson, only a 5 point favorite; And also No. 10 Butler and No. 7 Arkansas, where the higher ranked Arkansas is actually getting 1.5 points.
Obviously, the smaller the spread, the greater the chance for an upset. Check out all the updated spreads for the First Round below, via OddsShark.
Thursday, March 15
No. 10 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Rhode Island (-2)
No. 14 Wright State vs. No. 3 Tennessee (-12.5)
No. 13 UNC Greensboro vs. No. 4 Gonzaga (-12.5)
No. 16 Penn vs. No. 1 Kansas (-13.5)
No. 15 Iona vs. No. 2 Duke (-20.5)
No. 11 Loyola Chicago vs. No. 6 Miami (-2)
No. 12 South Dakota State vs. No. 5 Ohio State (-8)
No. 9 NC State vs. No. 8 Seton Hall (-2.5)
No. 16 Radford vs. No. 1 Villanova (-23.5)
No. 12 Davidson vs. No. 5 Kentucky (-5)
No. 11 San Diego State vs. No. 6 Houston (-4)
No. 14 Stephen F. Austin vs. No. 3 Texas Tech (-11.5)
No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 8 Virginia Tech (-2)
No. 13 Buffalo vs. No. 4 Arizona (-8.5)
No. 14 Montana vs. No. 3 Michigan (-11.5)
No. 11 St. Bonaventure vs. No. 6 Florida (-5.5)
Friday, March 16
No. 10 Providence vs. No. 7 Texas A&M (-3)
No. 15 CS Fullerton vs. No. 2 Purdue (-21)
No. 13 Marshall vs. No. 4 Wichita State (-12)
No. 15 Georgia Stage vs. No. 2 Cincinnati (-14)
No. 15 Lipscomb vs. No. 2 North Carolina (-19.5)
No. 10 Butler vs. No. 7 Arkansas (+1.5)
No. 12 Murray State vs. No. 5 West Virginia (-10.5)
No. 10 Texas vs. No. 7 Nevada (-1)
No. 9 Kansas State vs. No. 8 Creighton (-1.5)
No. 14 Bucknell vs. No. 3 Michigan State (-14.5)
No. 13 College of Charleston vs. No. 4 Auburn (-9)
No. 16 UMBC vs. No. 1 Virginia (-21.5)
No. 9 Florida State vs. No. 8 Missouri (+1.5)
No. 12 New Mexico State vs. No. 5 Clemson (-5)
Xavier and TCU matchup odds yet to be added
