March Madness is back this week, and with it is one of the best sports betting times of the year. The first-round matchups are set for the 2023 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, and there are already odds in the market for the First Four and first-round games.
The First Four — games between the last four at-large teams selected and four lowest-ranked automatic qualifiers — takes place Tuesday and Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio, with the winners joining the round of 64, which will be played Thursday and Friday at eight sites around the country.
Naturally, the biggest spreads in the first round appear in the No. 1 vs. No. 16 matchups, with Kansas favored by 22 points over Howard and Houston by 21 points over Northern Kentucky. (The other two top seeds, Alabama and Purdue, are waiting on the First Four to determine their first games.)
Most other matchups, of course, are projected to be much closer, lending not much of a hit as you begin to fill out brackets. Here are the point spreads from Caesars Sportsbook, plus over/unders and money lines available in the market as of Sunday evening:
First Four
TUESDAY, MARCH 14
Texas A&M Corpus Christi (-4½, -210) vs. Southeast Missouri State (+180)
Mississippi State (-2, -130) vs. Pitt (+110, o/u 131.5)
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15
Texas Southern (-3½, -165) vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (+140)
Arizona State (-1½, -120) vs. Nevada (+100)
First round
THURSDAY, MARCH 16
No. 1 Houston (-21, -15000) vs. No. 16 Northern Kentucky (+3000, o/u 121½)
No. 9 West Virginia (-1, -140) vs. No. 8 Maryland (+120, o/u 140½)
No. 5 San Diego State (-5, -205) vs. No. 12 Charleston (+175, o/u 143½)
No. 7 Texas A&M (-3, -165) vs. No. 10 Penn State (+140, o/u 135½)
No. 10 Boise State (-2, -130) vs. No. 7 Northwestern (+110, o/u 128½)
No. 9 Auburn (-1, -120) vs. No. 8 Iowa (+100, o/u 154)
No. 2 Arizona (-13, -1650) vs. No. 15 Princeton (+950, o/u 157½)
No. 2 Texas (-14½) vs. No. 15 Colgate (o/u 151½)
No. 2 UCLA (-18, -2800) vs. No. 15 UNC-Asheville (+1300, o/u 134½)
No. 4 Virginia (-6½, -255) vs. No. 13 Furman (+215, o/u 132)
No. 5 Duke (-7) vs. No. 12 Oral Roberts
No. 10 Utah State (-2, -130) vs. No. 7 Missouri (+110, o/u 159½)
No. 1 Kansas (-22) vs. No. 16 Howard (o/u 149½)
No. 8 Arkansas (-2½, -135) vs. No. 9 Illinois
No. 4 Tennessee (-13, -600) vs. No. 13 UL-Lafayette (+450)
FRIDAY, MARCH 17
No. 3 Xavier (-12½, -700) vs. No. 14 Kennesaw State (+510, o/u 155½)
No. 7 Michigan State (-1½) vs. No. 10 USC
No. 5 Miami (-2½, -165) vs. No. 12 Drake (+140, o/u 147½)
No. 4 UConn (-10, -500) vs. No. 13 Iona (+400, o/u 144½)
No. 6 Kentucky (-3) vs. No. 11 Providence
No. 8 Memphis (-2½, -145) vs. No. 9 Florida Atlantic (+125, o/u 150½)
No. 3 Baylor (-11, -580) vs. No. 14 UC Santa Barbara (+440, o/u 143½)
No. 6 Creighton (-5½, -240) vs. No. 11 NC State (+200, o/u 147½)
No. 5 St. Mary’s (-5, -240) vs. No. 12 VCU (+200, o/u 120½)
No. 4 Indiana (-5½, -240) vs. No. 13 Kent State (+200, o/u 141½)
No. 2 Marquette (-12) vs. No 15 Vermont
No. 3 Gonzaga (-14½, -2100) vs. No. 14 Grand Canyon (+1100, o/u 156½)
No. 3 Kansas State (-10) vs. No. 14 Montana State
