March Mads Odds, Lines, Point Spreads: Best bets and picks for choosing First Four, Round 1 games

The moment that college basketball fans have long been waiting for has arrived. The 2021 NCAA tournament is here.

A year after the March Madness was completely canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament would make its winning comeback. Selection On Sunday, all 68 teams selected will close in the state of Indiana and hold the tournament like no other.

It will feature blood-blooded wins, big-time bracket-busting buzzer beaters, and Cinderella stories of teams that will quickly earn the love of interested fans.

Of course, there will be plenty of opportunities to place bets on sports throughout the tournament. Every tournament always has at least some major ups and downs, but there are also opportunities to easily make money on heavy favorites and make some tricky parlays that need to be repaid.

What are the best bets for the first round of March Madness, include the first four? Sporting News has given you a chance with some of the top trends, advice and covers to prepare for the NCAA tournament.

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March Madness Odds for First Four, Round 1

Below are the March Maids odds for the first four and Round 1, including point spreads, money lines and over-under totals for each game, According to FanDuel Sportsbook.

* One refers to the first four games

Brief Picture: DeCourcy (Gonzaga) | Alcoholic (Illinois) | Fagan (Gonzaga)

March Madness Best Bet for First Four, Round 1

North Carolina (-2) vs. Wisconsin

The UNC was on the verge as a bubble team, until a strong final six games put them on the tournament ground. The Tar Heels set a 4–2 record in those competitions and two defeats came from Syracuse, another tournament team and Florida State, with a combined five points with the No. 4 seed in the East Region of the bracket. They managed to make it to the semi-finals of the ACC tournament and look to be warming up at the right time. Incredibly, in 29 NCAA tournament appearances, head coach Roy Williams did not succeed in winning at least one game and advanced to the 32nd round. Thus, UNC seems like a good bet against a Wisconsin team that has dropped nine of its last 14 matches (albeit against a tough Big 10 schedule).

Winthop (Moneyline, +215) vs. Villanova

Here is the best upset bid you can bet on in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Villanova is usually a March Madness darling and has taken home two national championships under Jay Wright, but this year it may be harder for him to do so. He lost one of his best players, point guard Colin Gillespie, to a torn MCL on March 4. They lost both of their games without them and although the loss difference was only by three combined points, the combined records of the teams they lost was Providence and Georgetown, 26-25.

Meanwhile, Winthrop (22-1) cruises through the Big South with an experienced team that plays as many as 11 players in any game. He has a great head coach in Pat Kelsey and has won all of his Big South tournament games by at least 21 points. He should be fresh after a long time and will give Villanova a lot of trouble with his depth and versatility, especially ‘Nova Down of a Stars’. If you’re less adventurous, you can take Winthrop (+6) in this game, but this is a classic 12-5 glitch.

Boiler (-26) vs Hartford

The Bears have played eight non-conference games this year and they have won them all. His average margin of victory in those games was 30.4 points per game, and includes games against Washington, Auburn, and the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Illinois. The Hawks are a great story, as they are making their first March of Madness in program history after winning their conference tournament as the No. 6 seed, but Beiler should be able to handle them even if the Bears are not as fast . They were once since the mid-February COVID layoffs.

Field Construction:
WEST | East | South | MIDWEST

March parade best for Mad First Four, Round 1

Illinois (-22.5) and LSU vs. St. Bonventure over (144.5)

Illinois has played three non-Power 5 teams this year. His average margin of victory in those games was 41 points. The Drexel Dragons have not played in NCAA tournament games since 1996, so they will probably have a hard time competing with Illinois.

The more complex part of this parley is the other leg. The Tigers and the Bonnies are complete opposites in terms of how they run their teams. LSU is a fast-paced offense that averages 6.9 possessions per game, good for 79th in the nation, while St. Bonventure averages 6.9 possessions per game, ranking 329th in the nation. Said that, if LSU can control the pace in this game, they should get a chance to easily hit the over in this one, as the Tigers and their opponents have crossed the point in eight consecutive games. We are taking this shot at +264 odds to advance this wager.

West Virginia (-12.5) and Michigan State (-2)

On paper, some may find Morehead State’s idea troubling West Virginia as the Eagles have won 18 of their last 19 games. However, Morehead State played three Power 5 opponents this year and lost those contests by an average of 28 points. Which included games against Kentucky and Clemson. Bob Huggins has won a tournament game in six of nine seasons with West Virginia in the big dance, so he should have a chance to win with this one hand.

Meanwhile, Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans have failed to win NCAA Tournament games only once since the 2006–07 season. It is usually safe to place bets on great coaches coming in March, so we will take Michigan State to advance to the first four and get solid value on these two bets.

Syracuse (Moneyline) and Winthrop (Moneyline)

There is a troubled special parel here that can pay large sums of money. We’ve already talked about what I like about Winthrop above, so we’ll stick to Syracuse here.

The Orange were considered to be the bubble top in the tournament, but were successful in the matchup with San Diego State. While the Aztec will be a tough opponent, Syracuse has won at least one game in eight of its final nine NCAA tournaments under Jim Boehm. This includes appearances as a double-digit seed in 2014 and 2016 with Syracuse as the Final Four as 10 seed and Sweet 16 as 11 seed.

Crossing these two games increases the odds to +643. Obviously, this is a risk, but it can be just crazy enough to work.