March Madness Friday Betting Preview

The Madness continues Friday as more Cinderella teams hope for upsets and the overall No. 1 seed Virginia Cavaliers make their debut.

Let’s start in the South where the Cavaliers tip off their tournament against the No. 16 UMBC Retrievers as a 21-point favorite at Bovada Sportsbook. A No. 16 has never beaten a No. 1, but a win against the spread for UMBC is possible with Virginia owning a lackluster 2-6 ATS mark in its last eight tournament games.

Over in the East, the 10-7 matchup has delivered a 7 seed underdog with the Arkansas Razorbacks a 1.5-point underdog vs the Butler Bulldogs. The Bulldogs have been money in the tournament lately, at 6-1 ATS in their last seven, and they’ve covered in six straight when favored. The Razorbacks are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 tournament games, and this season as an underdog they’re 3-8 ATS in their last 11.

In the Midwest, the No. 3 seed Michigan State Spartans are heavy 14.5-point favorites vs the No. 14 Bucknell Bison. In their last nine games as a favorite of 14 or more, the Spartans are 7-2 ATS, and they’re 5-1 ATS in their last six games in the first round of the tournament.

In another Midwest matchup, the No. 4 Auburn Tigers are a sizable 9-point favorite vs the No. 13 Charleston Cougars. In 10 games when favored by at least 9 points this season, Auburn was 9-0 SU and 7-2 ATS. As a double-digit underdog, Charleston has lost 13 straight at 4-9 ATS.

Finally, in the West, the oddsmakers are calling it a relative toss-up between the No. 9 Florida State Seminoles and No. 8 Missouri Tigers, with the Seminoles a slim 1.5-point favorite. The Seminoles enter the tournament on a terrible 1-7 ATS run in their last eight, while Missouri wasn’t much better at 2-4 ATS in their last six. One plus for the Tigers, they are 5-1 ATS in their last six vs ACC opponents.

The West is also home to the No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels, who open their title defense as a 19.5-point favorite vs the No. 15 Lipscomb Bisons. North Carolina was 3-2-1 ATS last year en route to its sixth NCAA Tournament title. Lipscomb looks to be assured as a one-and-done, as the Bisons are 0-11 SU and 5-5-1 ATS in their last 11 as a double-digit underdog.