College Basketball Opening Odds
(The Spread) – The long-awaited day is finally here as the NCAA College Basketball Tournament hits full swing Thursday with 16 first round games.
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Just like any opening Thursday in the history of March Madness, there is no shortage of thrilling matchups on tap. One of the more intriguing battles will take place in Tampa, Fla., as the seventh-seeded UCLA Bruins (22-10) square off with the No. 10 seed Michigan State Spartans. Play begins at approximately 9:20PM EST.
Oddsmakers and online sports book Bodog.com have made Michigan State a 1.5-point favorite in the contest, while the over-under is set at 125. According to the latest trends, Michigan State is 11-19 ATS in all games this season. Michigan State is also 6-15 ATS as a favorite. UCLA is 8-2 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record after 15 or more games this season.The Bruins are 8-1 ATS when the total is 120 to 129.5 over the last two seasons.
Michigan State was a bubble team heading into the Big Ten Tournament, but wins over Iowa and Purdue before falling short against Penn State was enough to get the Spartans into the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State went 9-9 in conference play during the regular season.
UCLA was 13-5 during Pac-10 play, but then were throttled 76-59 by Oregon in the opener of its conference tournament despite playing in its hometown.
Reeves Nelson scores 13.9 points per game to lead the Bruins, while Malcolm Lee scores 13 ppg. For Michigan State, Kalin Lucas highlights the offense as he pours in 17.2 per game. Draymond Green scores 12.3 ppg.
Among the other NCAA Tournament games on tap are the first one on the schedule as fifth-seeded West Virginia tips off against 12th-seeded Clemson at 12:15PM EST. West Virginia is a 2.5-point favorite and the over-under is 122.5. No. 3 seed Connecticut faces a test in 14th seed Bucknell at 7:20PM EST. UConn is a 10-point favorite with an over-under of 132. No. 6 seed St. John’s and 11th-seeded Gonzaga start at around 9:45PM EST. St. John’s is a 1.5-point favorite and the over-under is 135. The last scheduled game of the day is slated to start at 9:57PM EST as No. 5 seed Kansas State plays No. 12 seed Utah State. Kansas State is a 2.5-point favorite, while the over-under is 128.5.
Thursday March Madness Opening Odds & Totals
707 Clemson +2.5 (122.5)
708 West Virginia -2.5
709 Princeton +13 (130.5)
710 Kentucky -13
711 Cal-Santa Barbara +13 (127.5)
712 Florida -13
713 Michigan State -1.5 (125)
714 UCLA +1.5
715 Bucknell +10 (132)
716 Connecticut -10
717 Missouri +1 (137.5)
718 Cincinnati -1
719 UNC-Asheville +18 (135)
720 Pittsburgh -18
721 Old Dominion -2 (122)
722 Butler +2
723 Richmond +3 (135)
724 Vanderbilt -3
725 Morehead State +9.5 (131)
726 Louisville -9.5
727 Wofford +8.5 (147)
728 Brigham Young -8.5
729 Gonzaga +1.5 (135)
730 St. John’s -1.5
731 Northern Colorado +15.5 (130)
732 San Diego State -15.5
733 Penn State +2.5 (121)
734 Temple -2.5
735 Utah State +2.5 (128.5)
736 Kansas State -2.5
737 Belmont +5 (126.5)
738 Wisconsin -5
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