March Madness 2017 Lines: Vegas Point Spreads, Complete Betting Odds For First-Round Games

Wichita State College Basketball — After winning the Missouri Valley Conference Championship at the Scottrade Center on March 5, 2017 in St. Louis, Wichita State is a heavy favorite as a No.10 seed in their first-round March Madness game, via the Las Vegas betting lines. Getty Images

The first round of the NCAA Tournament is usually the most exciting, and the case should remain the same in March Madness 2017. Plenty of games could go either way, and that fact is reflected in the betting lines at Las Vegas sportsbooks.

No team in the preliminary round is favored by more than three points. Seven games in the round of 64 feature point spreads of two points or less, and that number could rise once the first four teams are eliminated.

READ: College basketball experts make their Final Four predictions

Playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, Northwestern is a one-point underdog in the first round as a No.8 seed. No.9 Seton Hall and No.11 Rhode Island are also one-point underdogs in their respective matchups.

Wichita State is the biggest favorite of any team that’s facing a higher seed. The No.10 seeded Shockers are giving No.7 Dayton six points.

No.5 Minnesota is favored over No.12 Middle Tennessee State by just one point. Middle Tennessee State defeated Michigan State as a No.15 seed a year ago.

No No.1 seed has ever failed to win a game in the NCAA Tournament. No.1 North Carolina is the biggest first-round favorite prior to the preliminary games, giving Texas Southern 25.5 points. No.1 Gonzaga is a 22.5-point favorite over South Dakota State, though they’ve come close to losing as a No.1 seed in the past. In 2013, the No.1 seeded Bulldogs defeated No.16 Southern by just six points, and the game was tied with less than four minutes left.

Below are the available betting lines for all the opening-round and first-round games, including the point spreads and over/unders. These are the consensus odds from multiple sportsbooks in Las Vegas, via OddsShark.

Tuesday, March 14

Mount St. Mary’s (+1.5) vs. New Orleans, 131.5

Kansas State (PK) vs. Wake Forest, 152.5

Wednesday, March 15

North Carolina Central (-3) vs. UC Davis, 131.5

USC (-1) vs. Providence, 140

Thursday, March 16

Princeton (+7) vs. Notre Dame, 133.5

UNC Wilmington (+8.5) vs. Virginia, 135.5

Winthrop (+11) vs. Butler, 143

South Dakota State (+22.5) vs. Gonzaga, 153

Bucknell (+13.5) vs. West Virginia, 146