2024 NCAA Tournament First Four Betting
In the beginning, the First Four was a path for the NCAA to gain four extra money and attention. Gamblers, fans, and TV networks quickly took to the First Four format. Of course, the four winners will advance to the regular bracket of the NCAA Tournament, making for instant drama. Just as important, the First Four has legitimate hope for big things. Two teams that started in the First Four, VCU in 2011 and UCLA in 2021 made it to the Final Four. The 2019 tourney was the only one since the field expanded to 68 teams where at least one First Four team didn’t win a game in the main bracket. It is possible in the future that the First Four could be history. The NCAA Tournament may expand to 96 teams, and if that happens, 32 teams would likely get a bye into the second round while the other 64 teams play first round games.
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NCAA Tournament First Four History
The NCAA Tournament expanded to 65 teams back in 2001, forcing the worst two teams in the field to "play-in" to the bracket to face a No. 1 seed. The game was considered a smashing success, as it gave fans something to look forward to before the start of the NCAA Tournament, which eventually led to the decision to expand from 65 teams to 68 teams.
A No. 1 seed had never lost to a No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament before UMBC defeated Virginia in 2018. That led to a week’s worth of stories about the plucky underdogs, and there was a firestorm on social media as a result of the upset win. Don’t feel too bad for Virginia being on the wrong side of history though as the following season they won the national championship.
The First Four was extended to four games starting in 2011, with the early games on Tuesday and Wednesday featuring the worst four conference tournament winners in the NCAA Tournament, while the two late games those days pit the last four teams in the at-large field against each other.
2024 NCAA Tournament First Four Results
South Region:
(10) Colorado 60, (10) Boise State 53
Midwest Region:
(16) Grambling 88, (16) Montana State 81
Midwest Region:
(10) Colorado State 67, (10) Virginia 42
West Region:
(16) Wagner 71, (16) Howard 68
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