Just because the committee seeds one team over another doesn't necessarily mean it's the better team in the minds of the oddsmakers. The highest totals heading into the tourney were Gonzaga-Grand Canyon, Missouri-Utah State and Texas A&M Corpus Christi-Southeast Missouri State at 155 1/2 each, Xavier-Kennesaw State at 153 1/2, Auburn-Iowa at 151 1/2 and Florida Atlantic-Memphis and Colgate-Texas at 150 1/2 each. Some of these totals may give bettors second thoughts before taking the over, but that doesn't mean it's the wrong move. The old saying is that life is too short to bet the under, but it's often the wise play. Kansas was favored by 22 1/2-over Howard in their first-round matchup - the same spread Fairleigh Dickinson faced against Purdue before its shocking 63-58 win.

Furman did advance to the second round with a big win over 4th-seeded Virginia.Īlabama was a 23 1/2-point favorite over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Nineteen teams were listed at plus-50,000: Arizona State, Charleston, Colgate, Furman, Grand Canyon, Howard, Iona, Kennesaw State, Kent State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Montana State, Nevada, Northern Kentucky, Oral Roberts, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas Southern, UC Santa Barbara, UNC Asheville and Vermont. If you're looking for the next Saint Peter's or Loyola-Chicago, check out these options.

What does plus 135 mean in betting