With first round tournament action getting underway Wednesday in a number of conferences, we’re seeing some tight lines on the opening. Leagues are trying to reward the top regular season squads by giving them a bye and in some cases a double-bye before hitting the hardwood. That typically pits the worst of the group against each other in the early rounds and therefore we have closer spreads.
That’s the case in the Big East and Big Ten with a pair of first-round matchups having just one opening line higher than 2-points. St. John’s opened as a 4.5-point favorite against DePaul. Butler is laying 1-point to Providence in the other Big East tilt, despite losing twice to the Friars in the final two weeks of the regular season.
BookMaker.eu will have college basketball odds and live betting options for every game on the Wednesday schedule.
College Basketball Schedule for Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Clemson ( -1.5, 140.5 ) vs. NC State, 12 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Miami vs. No. 16 Virginia Tech ( -7.5, 137.5 ), 2 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Arizona ( -1, 138 ) vs. USC, 3 p.m. ET (PAC12)
California vs. Colorado ( -9.5, 137.5 ), 5:30 p.m. ET (PAC12)
Nebraska ( -2, 137 ) vs. Rutgers, 6:30 p.m. ET (BTN)
Butler ( -1, 135 ) vs. Providence, 7 p.m. ET (FS1)
Georgia vs. Missouri ( -4, 129.5 ), 7 p.m. ET (SECN)
Oklahoma State vs. TCU ( -4, 138 ), 7 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
Notre Dame vs. Louisville ( -8, 134 ), 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Bucknell at Colgate ( -3.5, 145 ), 7:30 p.m. ET (CBSSN)
West Virginia vs. Oklahoma ( -6.5, 145.5 ), 9 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
Vanderbilt vs. Texas A&M ( -4, 133 ), 9 p.m. ET (SECN)
Pittsburgh vs. Syracuse ( -7, 132 ), 9 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Northwestern vs. Illinois ( -2, 136.5 ), 9 p.m. ET (BTN)
Stanford ( -1, 152 ) vs. UCLA, 9 p.m. ET (PAC12)
DePaul vs. St. John's ( -4.5, 154.5 ), 9:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Washington State vs. Oregon ( -11, 138 ), 11:30 p.m. ET (PAC12)
Wednesday Opening Lines Report
The two first-round games in the Big Ten are an example of why conferences shouldn’t invite every team to the tournament. Northwestern, Illinois and Rutgers all have losing overall records, and Nebraska is just one game over the break-even point. The cash cow that is the conference tournament forges ahead, however, proving once again that the mighty dollar rules everything.
The Huskers with their hefty 16-15 record opened as 2-point chalk over Rutgers, which needs to win at least three postseason games to finish at .500. Illinois and Northwestern combined for 11 Big Ten wins and 24 overall victories, yet they still have a chance to represent the league in the Big Dance. The Illini are laying 2-points to their opponent. Here’s hoping they both lose on Wednesday.
Along with the Big East and Big Ten, we’ll also have first-round games taking in place in the Big 12, Big Sky, A-10, Conference USA, Mountain West, Pac-12, Southland and WAC. And we see a few games with double-digit numbers on the opening line. Montana State is laying 12-points to a 5-win Idaho team in the Big Sky.
There are two Pac-12 games with opening lines over 10. Oregon is an 11.5-point favorite to beat Washington State while Colorado is giving 10.5-points to the not so Golden Bears of Cal.
When talking about double-digit spreads, the underdogs will point to Saint Mary’s and their upset of mighty Gonzaga on Tuesday as a 15-point dog. Okay, you have a point. But I counter with the fact that the Gaels are a 20-win team and were on the NCAA Tournament bubble anyway. They are not a bad team.
They punched their ticket, not leaving anything for the committee to ponder since they probably wouldn’t have been invited otherwise. And anything to prevent another middle-of-the-pack ACC, Big 12 or Big Ten team from getting in the Dance is just fine by me.
So, let me be the 1,000th or so person to say it, Let the Madness begin.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go.
Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
