The 2021 NCAA Tournament gets started Thursday afternoon with the First Four and continues into early next week with the first and second rounds. Read below for a full preview on how BetRivers.com and PlaySugarHouse.com bettors are wagering on the First Four and First Round matchups.
FIRST FOUR PREVIEW:
The public is backing Michigan State with more money and more bets than any other team competing in the First Four. Michigan State -2 is currently the most wagered-on bet of the opening weekend, with 83% of the spread handle and 82% of the spread bets backing the Spartans over UCLA. Drake opened as a two-point underdog to Wichita State, but is now a 1.5-point favorite. The public is nearly split on the matchup. Drake is backed by 55% of the spread handle and 52% of the spread bets, while Wichita State is backed by 58% of the ML handle and 51% of ML bets.
5:10 p.m. ET: #16 Mt. St. Mary’s (-0.5, -109 ML) vs. #16 Texas Southern (-109 ML). O/U 133
6:27 p.m.: #11 Drake (-1.5, -125 ML) vs. #11 Wichita State (+105 ML). O/U 141
8:40 p.m.: #16 Appalachian State (-3, -159 ML) vs. #16 Norfolk State (+135 ML). O/U 133.5
9:59 p.m.: #11 Michigan State (-2, -136 ML) vs. #11 UCLA (+114 ML). O/U 135.5
FIRST ROUND PUBLIC UPSET PICKS:
The first round of the NCAA Tournament tips off on Friday afternoon. The public has identified four first round upsets to back, including three of the four #5 seed vs. #12 seed games. Over the past 40 years, the #12 seed has won 50 of 140 games against the #5 seed (35.7%), with 21 #12 seeds advancing to the Sweet 16.
#12 Winthrop (+215 ML) vs. #5 Villanova: 91% of ML handle, 85% of ML bets
#12 UCSB (+245 ML) vs. #5 Creighton: 79% handle, 72% bets
#12 Georgetown (+180 ML) vs. #5 Colorado: 78% handle, 86% bets
#9 Georgia Tech (+128 ML) vs. #8 Loyola (IL): 66% handle, 72% bets
FIRST ROUND MOST WAGERED-ON BETS:
No first-round game is backed by more money or more bets than the matchup between #8 North Carolina and #9 Wisconsin. The public is backing UNC -1.5 with more money than any other first round game bet. Virginia exited the ACC Tournament due to COVID contact tracing and the public is backing the Ohio Bobcats to cover in their first-round game. In fact, Ohio +7.5 is backed by the largest percentage of spread handle (93%) and spread bets (86%) of any first-round game.
1. #8 North Carolina -1.5 (-113) vs. #9 Wisconsin. Fri., 3/19. 7:10 p.m.
2. #13 Ohio +7.5 (-114) vs. #4 Virginia. Sat., 3/20. 7:15 p.m.
3. #6 Texas Tech -4.5 (-109) vs #11 Utah State. Fri. 3/19. 1:45 p.m.
4. #12 Winthrop +6 (-109) vs. #5 Villanova. Fri., 3/19. 9:57 p.m.
5. #1 Illinois ML (-10000) vs. #16 Drexel. Fri., 3/19. 1:15 p.m.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP FUTURES:
Gonzaga continues its stranglehold on the NCAA Championship futures. Since the brackets were revealed, no team has been backed by more money or bets to win the NCAA Tournament than the Bulldogs, with twice as many bets and twice as much handle as Illinois, the second most popular team. Prior to the start of the conference tournaments, Illinois was outside the top ten in most wagered-on NCAA Championship futures bets. But with Ayo Dosunmu healthy and a dominant Big Ten Tournament performance under their belts, the public believes the Illini to be a threat to the undefeated Bulldogs.
Team, Odds (Handle %/Bet %)
#1 Gonzaga +205 (24%/37%)
#1 Baylor +500 (8%/10%)
#1 Illinois +700 (13%/15%)
#1 Michigan +800 (8%/7%)
#2 Iowa +1700 (5.5%/4%)
#2 Houston +2000 (5%/4.5%)
#2 Alabama +2000 (5%/4%)
#2 Ohio State +2000 (4%/3%)
#4 Oklahoma State +2700 (4%/3%)
#3 Texas +3300 (3%/2%)
