Nothing tops the Super Bowl, when it comes to sports betting. The first weekend of March Madness comes the closest, though.
With 48 games between Thursday and Sunday for the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament, there is a lot of action. The NCAA tournament attracts all sports bettors, from the serious player who is watching Big West games on a Wednesday night to those who won’t watch their first college basketball game this season until noon Eastern time on Thursday.
Here are the opening lines for the first-round games (four matchups won’t be set until the First Four is completed), with the spreads from BetMGM:
East Region
No. 1 UConn (-26.5) vs. No. 16 Stetson
No. 8 Florida Atlantic (-1.5) vs. No. 9 Northwestern
No. 5 San Diego State (-7.5) vs. No. 12 UAB
No. 4 Auburn (-12.5) vs. No. 13 Yale
No. 6 BYU (-7.5) vs. No. 11 Duquesne
No. 3 Illinois (-13.5) vs. No. 14 Morehead State
No. 7 Washington State (-1.5) vs. No. 10 Drake
No. 2 Iowa State (-16.5) vs. No. 15 South Dakota State
South Region
No. 1 Houston (-23.5) vs. No. 16 Longwood
No. 8 Nebraska (-2.5) vs. No. 9 Texas A&M
No. 5 Wisconsin (-5.5) vs. No. 12 James Madison
No. 4 Duke (-11.5) vs. No. 13 Vermont
No. 6 Texas Tech (-5.5) vs. No. 11 NC State
No. 3 Kentucky (-12.5) vs. No. 14 Oakland
No. 2 Marquette (-14.5) vs. No. 15 Western Kentucky
Midwest Region
No. 8 Utah State vs. No. 9 TCU (-3.5)
No. 5 Gonzaga (-6.5) vs. No. 12 McNeese State
No. 4 Kansas (-8.5) vs. No. 13 Samford
No. 6 South Carolina (-1.5) vs. No. 11 Oregon
No. 3 Creighton (-12.5) vs. No. 14 Akron
No. 2 Tennessee (-18) vs. No. 15 St. Peter’s
West Region
No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Michigan State (-1.5)
No. 5 St. Mary’s (-5.5) vs. No. 12 Grand Canyon
No. 4 Alabama (-10.5) vs. No. 13 Charleston
No. 6 Clemson vs. No. 11 New Mexico (-1.5)
No. 3 Baylor (-12.5) vs. No. 14 Colgate
No. 7 Dayton vs. No. 10 Nevada (-1.5)
No. 2 Arizona (-20.5) vs. No. 15 Long Beach State
