Let the March Madness unofficially begin. Yes, the First Four is the NCAA’s official beginning, but for the bracketologists and the hard-core and casual bettors among us, today is the start of the NCAA mens basketball tournament.
And we’ll have all the first-round coverage live here throughout the day. Keep checking here throughout, as we’ll cover the games in progress, cover how the betting lines are shifting, where the late money is moving if you’re looking to make last-second wagers and be part of the $10 billion expected to be wagered on this year’s Madness.
The 16-game slate day kicks off with a staggered slate of games. Here’s the full schedule for the day, where to watch and what the lines are looking like.
| First Round | ||
| Thursday, March 15 | ||
| 12:15 p.m. | No. 10 Oklahoma vs No. 7 Rhode Island (CBS) | URI -1.5 |
| 12:40 p.m. | No. 14 Wright State vs No. 3 Tennessee (truTV) | TENN -12 |
| 1:30 p.m. | No. 13 UNC Greensboro vs No. 4 Gonzaga (TNT) | GONZ -12.5 |
| 2 p.m. | No. 16 Penn vs No. 1 Kansas (TBS) | KU -14 |
| 2:45 p.m. | No. 15 Iona vs No. 2 Duke (CBS) | DUKE -20 |
| 3:10 p.m. | No. 11 Loyola Chicago vs No. 6 Miami (truTV) | MIA -2 |
| 4 p.m. | No. 12 South Dakota State vs No. 5 Ohio State (TNT) | OSU -8 |
| 4:20 p.m. | No. 9 NC State vs No. 8 Seton Hall (TBS) | HALL -2.5 |
| 6:50 p.m. | No. 16 Radford vs. No. 1 Villanova (TNT) | NOVA -23.5 |
| 7:10 p.m. | No. 12 Davidson vs No. 5 Kentucky (CBS) | UK -5 |
| 7:20 p.m. | No. 11 San Diego State vs No. 6 Houston (TBS) | HOU -4 |
| 7:27 p.m. | No. 14 Stephen F. Austin vs No. 3 Texas Tech (truTV) | TTU -11 |
| 9:20 p.m. | No. 9 Alabama vs No. 8 Virginia Tech (TNT) | VT -2 |
| 9:40 p.m. | No. 13 Buffalo vs No. 4 Arizona (CBS) | ARIZ -8 |
| 9:50 p.m. | No. 14 Montana vs No. 3 Michigan (TBS) | MICH -11 |
| 9:57 p.m. | No. 11 St. Bonaventure vs. No. 6 Florida (truTV) | UF -5.5 |
We highlight the Nova game because the line has moved in Nova’s favor three points overnight. Same with Kentucky-Davidson: folks are seemingly liking that 5-12 upset pick more and more because the line has gone done from -7 to -5 overnight. Those two are the biggest movers on the board.
The Arizona-Buffalo line has also moved down a point overnight, as has Montana-Michigan. A point shift here or there is to be expected with the 5-12 and 4-13 games, as folks are getting gutsy to take the upsets.
Stay tuned here as the first games hit and we’ll be back with live coverage.
