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The Big Dance tips off today and we're looking at the March Madness odds for every one of Thursday's Round 1 matchups.
We've got the latest odds for each of those 16 games, with no shortage of intrigue for potential Cinderellas, teams looking to turn First Four wins into deep tournament runs, and favorites looking to take care of business.
First Round Odds Thursday, March 20 (early games)
The early slate of Thursday's games features No. 1 seeds Houston and Auburn, both around 30-point favorites, along with popular upset picks High Point (vs. Purdue) and McNeese (vs. Clemson).
Creighton vs. Louisville odds
12:15 p.m. ET | Lexington, KY | CBS
- Spread: Creighton +2.5 (-105) | Louisville -2.5 (-115)
- Total: Over 145.5 (-110) | Under 145.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Creighton +125 | Louisville -150
High Point vs. Purdue odds
12:40 p.m. ET | Providence, RI | truTV
- Spread: High Point +8.0 (-110) | Purdue -8.0 (-110)
- Total: Over 154.0 (-110) | Under 154.0 (-110)
- Moneyline: High Point +280 | Purdue -360
Montana vs. Wisconsin odds
1:30 p.m. ET | Denver, CO | TNT
- Spread: Montana +17.0 (-110) | Wisconsin -17.0 (-110)
- Total: Over 153.0 (-110) | Under 153.0 (-110)
- Moneyline: Montana +1200 | Wisconsin -2400
SIU Edwardsville vs. Houston odds
2:00 p.m. ET| Wichita, KS | TBS
- Spread: SIU Edwardsville +28.5 (-110) | Houston -28.5 (-110)
- Total: Over 126.5 (-110) | Under 126.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: SIU Edwardsville +2500 | Houston -10000
More college basketball odds from Covers
Alabama State vs. Auburn odds
2:50 p.m. ET | Lexington, KY | CBS
- Spread: Alabama State +32.5 (-110) | Auburn -32.5 (-110)
- Total: Over 149.5 (-110) | Under 149.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Alabama State +2800 | Auburn -20000
McNeese vs. Clemson odds
3:15 p.m. ET | Providence, RI | truTV
- Spread: McNeese +7.5 (-105) | Clemson -7.5 (-115)
- Total: Over 133.5 (-110) | Under 133.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: McNeese +275 | Clemson -350
VCU vs. BYU odds
4:05 p.m. ET | Denver, CO | TNT
- Spread: VCU +2.5 (-115) | BYU -2.5 (-105)
- Total: Over 146.5 (-110) | Under 146.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: VCU +110 | BYU -135
Georgia vs. Gonzaga odds
4:35 p.m. ET | Wichita, KS | TBS
- Spread: Georgia +6.5 (-110) | Gonzaga -6.5 (-110)
- Total: Over 151.0 (-110) | Under 151.0 (-110)
- Moneyline: Georgia +240 | Gonzaga -300
Expert March Madness picks
Looking for the best bets to make this March? Covers has you, well, covered with all our free expert March Madness picks — from Round 1 to the National Championship!
First Round odds for Thursday, March 20 (late games)
Thursday's evening session features a couple of No. 2 seeds (Tennessee and St. John's), as well as upset alert games in Yale vs. Texas A&M, Drake vs. Missouri, and UC San Diego vs. Michigan.
Wofford vs. Tennessee odds
6:50 p.m. ET | Lexington, KY | TNT
- Spread: Wofford +19.0 (-110) | Tennessee -19.0 (-110)
- Total: Over 133.5 (-110) | Under 133.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Wofford +1550 | Tennessee -4000
Arkansas vs. Kansas odds
7:10 p.m. ET | Providence, RI | CBS
- Spread: Arkansas +5.0 (-110) | Kansas -5.0 (-110)
- Total: Over 145.5 (-110) | Under 145.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Arkansas +185 | Kansas -225
Yale vs. Texas A&M odds
7:25 p.m. ET | Denver, CO | TBS
- Spread: Yale +7.5 (-110) | Texas A&M -7.5 (-110)
- Total: Over 139.0 (-110) | Under 139.0 (-110)
- Moneyline: Yale +275 | Texas A&M -350
Drake vs. Missouri odds
7:35 p.m. ET | Wichita, KS | truTV
- Spread: Drake +6.5 (-110) | Missouri -6.5 (-110)
- Total: Over 133.0 (-110) | Under 133.0 (-110)
- Moneyline: Drake +220 | Missouri -270
More March Madness picks from Covers
- Three underdogs to bet in Round 1
- Score predictions for every Round 1 game
- March Madness Survivor picks
- March Madness by the numbers
- Biggest upsets in March Madness history
Utah State vs. UCLA odds
9:25 p.m. ET | Lexington, KY | TNT
- Spread: Utah State +5.5 (-110) | UCLA -5.5 (-110)
- Total: Over 144.0 (-110) | Under 144.0 (-110)
- Moneyline: Utah State +195 | UCLA -240
Omaha vs. St. John's odds
9:45 p.m. ET | Providence, RI | CBS
- Spread: Omaha +18.5 (-110) | St. John's -18.5 (-110)
- Total: Over 148.0 (-110) | Under 148.0 (-110)
- Moneyline: Omaha +1500 | St. John's -3500
UC San Diego vs. Michigan odds
10:00 p.m. ET |Denver, CO | TBS
- Spread: UC San Diego +2.5 (-110) | Michigan -2.5 (-110)
- Total: Over 142.5 (-110) | Under 142.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: UC San Diego +120 | Michigan -140
UNC Wilmington vs. Texas Tech odds
10:10 p.m. ET | Wichita, KS | truTV
- Spread: UNC Wilmington +14.5 (-110) | Texas Tech -14.5 (-110)
- Total: Over 142.5 (-110) | Under 142.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: UNC Wilmington +950 | Texas Tech -1700
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