March Madness 2018 Lines: Point Spreads, Betting Odds, TV Schedule For First-Round Games
The NCAA Tournament will undoubtedly feature some upsets, but March Madness 2018 could see fewer Cinderella stories than usual. Only two lower seeds are favored to win their first-round matchups, according to the latest betting odds, and half of the betting lines are in double-digits.
The game between No.1 overall seed Virginia and No.16 seed UMBC features the largest point spread. Virginia, Duke and Purdue are all favored by at least 20 points. Villanova has the best odds to win the national championship, and they might be a 20-plus point favorite when their first-round matchup is decided after the “First Four” games.
No.10 Butler and No.10 Texas are both favored over No.7 seeds, though both betting lines are less than two points. The matchup between No.9 Florida State and No.8 Missouri is the one pick’em on the schedule.
Below are the available betting lines for Thursday’s and Friday’s first-round games, as well as the complete TV schedule. These are the consensus odds from multiple sportsbooks in Las Vegas and online, via OddsShark.
Thursday, March 15
No.10. Oklahoma (+1.5) vs. No.7 Rhode Island, 12:15 p.m. EDT, CBS
No.14 Wright State (+13) vs. No.3 Tennessee, 12:40 p.m. EDT, truTV
No.13 UNC Greensboro (+12.5) vs. No.4 Gonzaga, 1:30 p.m. EDT, TNT
No.16 Penn (+14) vs. No.1 Kansas, 2 p.m. EDT, TBS
No.15 Iona (+20) vs. No.2 Duke, 2:45 p.m. EDT, CBS
No.11 Loyola-Chicago (+2.5) vs. No.6 Miami (Fla.), 3:10 p.m. EDT, truTV
No.12 South Dakota State (+8.5) vs. No.5 Ohio State, 4 p.m. EDT, TNT
No.9 NC State (+2) vs. No.8 Seton Hall, 4:30 p.m. EDT, TBS
No.16 LIU-Brooklyn/Radford (N/A) vs. No.1 Villanova, 6:50 p.m. EDT, TNT
No.12 Davidson (+6) vs. No.5 Kentucky, 7:10 p.m. EDT, CBS
No.11 San Diego State (+4) vs. No.6 Houston, 7:20 p.m. EDT, TBS
No.14 Stephen F. Austin (+11.5) vs. No.3 Texas Tech, 7:27 p.m. EDT, truTV
No.9 Alabama (+1.5) vs. No.8 Virginia Tech, 9:20 p.m. EDT, TNT
No.13 Buffalo (+9) vs. No.4 Arizona, 9:40 p.m. EDT, CBS
No.14 Montana (+12) vs. No.3 Michigan, 9:50 p.m. EDT, TBS
No.11 St. Bonaventure/UCLA (N/A) vs. No.6 Florida, 9:57 p.m. EDT, truTV
Friday, March 16
No.10 Providence (+3.5) vs. No.7 Texas A&M, 12:15 p.m. EDT, CBS
No.15 CSU Fullerton (+20.5) vs. No.2 Purdue, 12:40 p.m. EDT, truTV
No.13 Marshall (+11.5) vs. No.4 Wichita State, 1:30 p.m. EDT, TNT
No.15 Georgia State (+14) vs. No.2 Cincinnati, 2 p.m. EDT, TBS
No.15 Lipscomb (+19.5) vs. No.2 UNC, 2:45 p.m. EDT, CBS
No.10 Butler (-1.5) vs. No.7 Arkansas, 3:10 p.m. EDT, truTV
No.12 Murray State (+10.5) vs. No.5 West Virginia, 4 p.m. EDT, TNT
No.10 Texas (-1) vs. No.7 Nevada, 4:30 p.m. EDT, TBS
No.9 Kansas State (+1) vs. No.8 Creighton, 6:50 p.m. EDT, TNT
No.14 Bucknell (+14.5) vs. No.3 Michigan State, 7:10 p.m. EDT, CBS
No.16 NC Central/Texas Southern (N/A) vs. No.1 Xavier, 7:20 p.m. EDT, TBS
No.13 Charleston (+10.5) vs. No.4 Auburn, 7:27 p.m. EDT, truTV
No.16 UMBC (+22.5) vs. No.1 Virginia, 9:20 p.m. EDT, TNT
No.11. Arizona State/Syracuse vs. No.6 TCU, 9:40 p.m. EDT, CBS
No.9. Florida State (PK) vs. No.8 Missouri, 9:50 p.m. EDT, TBS
No.12. New Mexico State (+5) vs. No.5 Clemson, 9:57 p.m. EDT, truTV
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