The wait for March Madness is finally over and the 2021 NCAA Tournament bracket is set. Now comes the fun part for college basketball fans — looking at odds and filling out your bracket. This is the best time of year for college hoops.
The 2021 NCAA Tournament is upon us. Favorites like Gonzaga, Baylor, Illinois, and Michigan look tough to beat, but there are always a few Cinderellas in March. Let’s take a look at first-round odds, game lines, and championship futures.
There is going to be a lot of hype surrounding the 2021 NCAA Tournament in the next few days. After all, we missed out on the Big Dance in 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
Due to COVID-19 concerns, this year’s NCAA Tournament will be packed into a short period of time. This year’s First Four will take place on Thursday and lead directly into the First Round on Friday and Saturday. The Round of 32 will go down on Sunday and Monday.
Sign up with DraftKings Sportsbook by clicking here and get 64-1 odds on any underdog in the first round.
2021 NCAA Tournament Odds
The First Round of the NCAA Tournament is always memorable. There are bound to be a few upsets and tight finishes as teams fight to survive and advance. Let’s dive into the first-round odds:
|
THU MAR 18TH
|
POINT SPREAD
|
TOTAL POINTS
|
MONEYLINE
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
4:00PM
Norfolk State
|
+1.5
-109
|
O 135.5
-108
|
+104
|
|
Appalachian State
|
-1.5
-110
|
U 135.5
-112
|
-124
|
|
FRI MAR 19TH
|
POINT SPREAD
|
TOTAL POINTS
|
MONEYLINE
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
4:00PM
Hartford
|
+25.5
-109
|
O 141.5
-113
|
|
|
Baylor
|
-25.5
-110
|
U 141.5
-107
|
|
|
4:00PM
Utah State
|
+4.5
-108
|
O 132.5
-113
|
+165
|
|
Texas Tech
|
-4.5
-112
|
U 132.5
-107
|
-200
|
|
4:00PM
Cleveland State
|
+19
-109
|
O 135.5
-109
|
+1300
|
|
Houston
|
-19
-110
|
U 135.5
-112
|
-3335
|
|
4:00PM
Drexel
|
+22
-109
|
O 145
-108
|
+1900
|
|
Illinois
|
-22
-110
|
U 145
-112
|
-10000
|
|
4:00PM
Colgate
|
+9
-109
|
O 157.5
-108
|
+340
|
|
Arkansas
|
-9
-110
|
U 157.5
-112
|
-435
|
|
4:00PM
Rutgers
|
-1
-109
|
O 129
-108
|
-114
|
|
Clemson
|
+1
-112
|
U 129
-112
|
-104
|
|
4:00PM
Virginia Tech
|
+1
-112
|
O 137.5
-108
|
-105
|
|
Florida
|
-1
-109
|
U 137.5
-112
|
-114
|
|
4:00PM
Georgia Tech
|
+1.5
-109
|
O 127.5
-108
|
+104
|
|
Loyola Chicago
|
-1.5
-110
|
U 127.5
-113
|
-124
|
|
4:00PM
Syracuse
|
+1
-112
|
O 137.5
-108
|
-105
|
|
San Diego State
|
-1
-109
|
U 137.5
-112
|
-114
|
|
4:00PM
Wisconsin
|
+2.5
-109
|
O 139
-108
|
+120
|
|
North Carolina
|
-2.5
-112
|
U 139
-112
|
-143
|
|
4:00PM
Oral Roberts
|
+17.5
-109
|
O 154.5
-110
|
+1100
|
|
Ohio State
|
-17.5
-110
|
U 154.5
-109
|
-2500
|
|
4:00PM
Liberty
|
+9.5
-110
|
O 146.5
-108
|
+375
|
|
Oklahoma State
|
-9.5
-110
|
U 146.5
-112
|
-500
|
|
4:00PM
North Texas
|
+8
-110
|
O 125.5
-112
|
+300
|
|
Purdue
|
-8
-110
|
U 125.5
-109
|
-385
|
|
4:00PM
Oregon State
|
+8.5
-109
|
O 135
-113
|
+325
|
|
Tennessee
|
-8.5
-110
|
U 135
-107
|
-420
|
|
4:00PM
Winthrop
|
+6
-109
|
O 137
-113
|
+215
|
|
Villanova
|
-6
-110
|
U 137
-108
|
-265
|
|
4:00PM
Morehead State
|
+12
-109
|
O 137.5
-107
|
+575
|
|
West Virginia
|
-12
-110
|
U 137.5
-113
|
-835
|
|
SAT MAR 20TH
|
POINT SPREAD
|
TOTAL POINTS
|
MONEYLINE
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
4:00PM
Iona
|
+16
-109
|
O 143.5
-110
|
+1050
|
|
Alabama
|
-16
-110
|
U 143.5
-110
|
-2000
|
|
4:00PM
Georgetown
|
+5
-109
|
O 139
-107
|
+180
|
|
Colorado
|
-5
-112
|
U 139
-113
|
-220
|
|
4:00PM
Missouri
|
+2
-109
|
O 141
-108
|
+112
|
|
Oklahoma
|
-2
-112
|
U 141
-112
|
-132
|
|
4:00PM
Maryland
|
+2.5
-109
|
O 131.5
-108
|
+120
|
|
UConn
|
-2.5
-112
|
U 131.5
-112
|
-143
|
|
4:00PM
UC Santa Barbara
|
+8.5
-109
|
O 140.5
-107
|
+330
|
|
Creighton
|
-8.5
-110
|
U 140.5
-113
|
-420
|
|
4:00PM
UNC Greensboro
|
+10.5
-110
|
O 145.5
-108
|
+450
|
|
Florida State
|
-10.5
-110
|
U 145.5
-112
|
-625
|
|
4:00PM
Grand Canyon
|
+16
-109
|
O 144.5
-110
|
+1000
|
|
Iowa
|
-16
-110
|
U 144.5
-110
|
-2000
|
|
4:00PM
Ohio
|
+10.5
-110
|
O 132
-107
|
+460
|
|
Virginia
|
-10.5
-110
|
U 132
-113
|
-625
|
|
4:00PM
Eastern Washington
|
+11.5
-110
|
O 141
-108
|
+550
|
|
Kansas
|
-11.5
-110
|
U 141
-112
|
-770
|
|
4:00PM
Abilene Christian
|
+10
-110
|
O 139
-113
|
+410
|
|
Texas
|
-10
-110
|
U 139
-107
|
-560
|
|
4:00PM
VCU
|
+5.5
-109
|
O 138
-107
|
+195
|
|
Oregon
|
-5.5
-110
|
U 138
-113
|
-240
|
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CLAIM OFFER!2021 NCAA Tournament Odds on Tournament Winner
Gonzaga and Baylor have been at the top of NCAA Championship futures all year long. It’s no surprise to see those two schools open as the favorites, but there are a few of Big Ten schools like Illinois and Michigan that could wind up cutting down the nets in Indianapolis. Take a look at the current championship futures odds of some of the top contenders:
- Gonzaga: +215
- Baylor: +250
- Michigan: +600
- Illinois: +800
- Oklahoma State: +1400
- Texas: +1700
- Alabama: +2000
- Florida State: +2000
Meanwhile, squads like Grand Canyon, Eastern Washington and Abilene Christian check in at +30000 odds.
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March Madness Betting Trends to Know
One thing to remember about March Madness is that oddsmakers don’t always agree with the selection committee. Picking games based on seeding can be a bit misleading for bettors. Figuring out who is getting hot at the right time or which teams have fallen off is just as important as looking at seeding.
There are a few March Madness betting trends that you should know before picking your bracket or making your first-round bets. Let’s take a look at a few interesting NCAA Tournament betting trends:
- The “5 vs. 12 Upset Special” — This is one of the more well-known March Madness betting trends, but it’s still worth highlighting. Over the last 20 NCAA Tournaments, there has been at least one 12-seed upset 16 times. Five seeds are 48-32 all-time against 12 seeds. It’s highly likely that at least one of the 12 seeds wins in the First Round. The hard part is figuring out which team will do it.
- First Four Run? — Keep an eye on the teams in the First Four. In the last nine years, First Four teams have won in the round of 64 eight times. Four of those teams advanced to the Sweet 16. VCU’s 2010-11 team had the furthest run of any First Four team in history. The Rams went all the way to the Final Four before losing to Butler.
- Fade The 1 Seeds? — Obviously, No. 1 seeds dominate 16 seeds straight up. Virginia’s loss to UMBC in 2018 is the only time that a top seed has dropped to a 16 seed. However, No. 1 seeds aren’t quite so dominant against the spread. The underdogs were 3-1 against the spread in the 1 vs. 16 matchup in 2019. The lower seeds are 17-15 against the spread since 2012.
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