March Madness Picks Against The Spread 2021: First-Round Predictions ATS For NCAA Tournament

Heading into the First Four games of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, nine teams are favored by double-digits in the first weekend of March Madness. One game is a pick’em, and 10 contests feature a betting line of five points or fewer.

Here are picks against the spread for every first-round game in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, as well as updated betting odds, courtesy of OddsShark.

Friday, March 19

No. 7 Florida (PK) vs. No. 10 Virginia Tech

Averaging 22.6 points over his last five games, Tre Mann could carry Florida in this one.

Prediction ATS: Florida

No.3 Arkansas (-8.5) vs. No.14 Colgate

Having faced just one team this season that has a winning record, Colgate might not be ready to compete with Arkansas.

Prediction ATS: Arkansas

No.1 Illinois (-22.5) vs. No.16 Drexel

With one loss in the last two months, Illinois is playing as well as anyone in the country. The No. 1 seed is 19-10 against the spread.

Prediction ATS: Illinois

No.6 Texas Tech (-4.5) vs. No.11 Utah State

Texas Tech reached the national championship game in the last NCAA Tournament. The Red Raiders could be a tough out, once again.

Prediction ATS: Texas Tech

No.2 Ohio State (-16.5) vs. No.15 Oral Roberts

Attempting 29 3-pointers per game, Oral Roberts might make this one interesting for a bit if they can knock down some shots. Guard Max Abmas is the nation’s leading scorer.

Prediction ATS: Oral Roberts

No.1 Baylor (-26) vs. No.16 Hartford

Baylor has defeated five out of its seven non-Big 12 opponents by 29 points or more.

Prediction ATS: Baylor

No.8 Loyola Chicago (-3.5) vs. No.9 Georgia Tech

Loyola Chicago’s top two scorers are seniors that were part of the team that reached the Final Four three years ago. The Ramblers lead the country in scoring defense.

Prediction ATS: Loyola Chicago

No.5 Tennessee (-7.5) vs. No.12 Oregon State

Beating three tournament teams in a row to win the Pac-12 Championship, Oregon State is more than capable of pulling off a first-round upset.

Prediction ATS: Oregon State

No.4 Oklahoma State (-7.5) vs. No.13 Liberty

Look for Cade Cunningham to go off in his first March Madness game.

Prediction ATS: Oklahoma State

No.8 North Carolina (-1.5) vs. No.9 Wisconsin

With Kentucky and Duke missing the tournament entirely, betting on blue bloods has not been a winning strategy this season.

Prediction ATS: Wisconsin

No.2 Houston (-20.5) vs. No.15 Cleveland State

Houston ranks behind only Gonzaga, beating its opponents by an average of 19 points per game.

Prediction ATS: Houston

No.4 Purdue (-7.5) vs. No.13 North Texas

The Boilermakers are the only team in the field that gets to play the entire tournament in its home state.

Prediction ATS: Purdue

No.7 Clemson (+1.5) vs. No.10 Rutgers

Rutgers is the only lower-seeded team favored in the first round for a reason.

Prediction: Rutgers

No.6 San Diego State (-3) vs. No.11 Syracuse

San Diego State’s 14-game winning streak has come against largely subpar competition.

Prediction ATS: Syracuse

No.3 West Virginia (-13) vs. No.14 Morehead State

Morehead State ranks second in the field of 68 with a 19-9 record against the spread.

Prediction ATS: Morehead State

No.5 Villanova (-6.5) vs. No.12 Winthrop

Winthrop has a single loss this season, and it came by two points. Add in the fact that Villanova is without Collin Gillespie and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a 12-5 upset.

Prediction ATS: Winthrop

Saturday, March 20

No.5 Colorado (-5) vs. No.12 Georgetown

A Big East championship run has made Georgetown overvalued. Even after the conference tournament, the Hoyas are only a game over .500.

Prediction ATS: Colorado

No.4 Florida State (-10.5) vs. No.13 UNC Greensboro

The Seminoles are a popular pick among college basketball experts to make a Final Four run.

Prediction ATS: Florida State

No.3 Kansas (-10.5) vs. No.14 Eastern Washington

Kansas withdrew from the Big 12 Tournament because of a positive COVID-19 test. Don’t be surprised if a lack of recent games and practice time makes the Jayhawks a little rusty.

Prediction ATS: Eastern Washington

No.8 LSU (-1.5) vs. No.9 St. Bonaventure

Over the last 15 years, the underdog in the 8-9 matchup has won against the spread around 60% of the time.

Prediction ATS: St. Bonaventure

No.5 Creighton (-7.5) vs. No.12 UC Santa Barbara

It hasn’t been a good stretch for Creighton, who’s lost three times in six games while its coach is surrounded by controversy. UC Santa Barbara senior JaQuori McLaughlin averaged 20.3 points on 52.8% shooting during the team’s conference tournament run.

Prediction ATS: UC Santa Barbara

No.2 Alabama (-17) vs. No.15 Iona

Rick Pitino’s team could give Alabama a scare after winning its conference tournament.

Prediction ATS: Iona

No.2 Iowa (-14.5) vs. No.15 Grand Canyon

Facing no NCAA Tournament teams this year, Grand Canyon might not be prepared to take on Luka Garza and Iowa. The nation’s top player over the last two years, Garza is averaging 23.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.

Prediction ATS: Iowa

No.7 UConn (-3) vs. No.10 Maryland

With a losing conference record and just one victory in its last four games, Maryland isn’t much of a threat to make a serious March Madness run.

Prediction ATS: UConn

No.4 Virginia (-7.5) vs. No.13 Ohio

Three years after becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed, Tony Bennett will have Virginia ready to roll past an underdog Ohio squad.

Predation ATS: Virginia

No.8 Oklahoma (-2) vs. No.9 Missouri

In another toss-up, the safe bet might be to go with the trend of No. 9 seeds performing well in the first round.

Prediction ATS: Missouri

No.3 Texas (-9) vs. No.14 Abilene Christian

Texas is another team, outside of the No. 1 seeds, that is being picked to win its region by a lot of experts. The Longhorns are on a five-game winning streak.

Prediction ATS: Texas

No.7 Oregon (-5.5) vs. No.10 VCU

The Ducks are among the top sleeper candidates to make a deep tournament run. Oregon is shooting 37.9% from 3-point range and has won 11 of its last 14 games.

Prediction ATS: Oregon

No.6 USC (N/A) vs. No.11 Wichita State/Drake

No.6 BYU (N/A) vs. No.11 Michigan State/UCLA

No.1 Gonzaga (N/A) vs. No.16 Norfolk State/Appalachian State

No.1 Michigan (N/A) vs. No.16 Mount St. Mary's/Texas Southern