At the onset of March Madness action with the College Basketball lines is the First Four. It is a two-night play-in event, with the winners advancing to the field of 64. Two games are played on Tuesday night with two more on Wednesday night. There have been some teams that came out of the First Four that went on to considerable success. Consider that Virginia Commonwealth went all the way to the Final Four in 2011. So, too, did UCLA turn the Final Four trick out of the First Four in 2021. However, those are rare exceptions.
2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament First Four
| Date and Time: | March 19 and March 20, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Location: | Dayton Arena, Dayton, OH |
| TV Coverage: | TruTV |
SBG 2024 NCAA Tournament Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Connecticut | +450 |
| Houston | +650 |
| Purdue | +700 |
| Tennessee | +900 |
| Arizona | +1200 |
| Kentucky | +1600 |
| North Carolina | +1800 |
| Duke | +2000 |
| Creighton | +2500 |
| Marquette | +3000 |
| Iowa State | +3000 |
| Auburn | +3000 |
| Kansas | +4000 |
| Illinois | +4000 |
| Alabama | +5000 |
| Baylor | +5000 |
| Michigan State | +6000 |
| Wisconsin | +6000 |
| All Other teams | +7500 or Higher |
NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament First Four Round Schedule
March 19, 2024
Howard vs Wagner, 6:40 p.m. ET
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wagner | +3 -110 | 128 -110 | +140 | |
| Howard | -3 -110 | 128 -110 | -165 | |
| ||||
Virginia vs Colorado State, 9:10 p.m. ET
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado State | -2 -110 | 120½ -110 | -140 | |
| Virginia | +2 -110 | 120½ -110 | +120 | |
| ||||
March 20, 2024
Montana State vs Grambling State, 6:40 p.m. ET
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grambling State | +4 -110 | 135 -110 | +145 | |
| Montana State | -4 -110 | 135 -110 | -170 | |
| ||||
Colorado vs Boise State, 9:10 p.m. ET
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | -2½ -110 | 139 -110 | -140 | |
| Boise State | +2½ -110 | 139 -110 | +120 | |
| ||||
Key Game: Colorado State vs. Virginia
Head coach Tony Bennett will go down in history as the coach who led the Virginia Cavaliers to their only national championship. However, since taking the crown in 2019, Virginia has become an offshore bookmaker caricature of itself. Bennett has always emphasized defense. However, Virginia has reached an absurd level. UVA has no offense to speak of this year. By contrast, its defense was among the best in the nation. The Cavaliers are hard on the eyes and did not provide consistent value on the board in 2023-24.
Overall, the Colorado State Rams are 22-9 straight up, 15-14 against the spread, and 12-16-1 over/under the March Madness lines total. Colorado State has national metrics of 93rd for scoring offense, 13th for field goal percentage, 152nd for 3-point field goal percentage, 45th for free throw percentage, and 295th for offensive rebounding. While defensively, Colorado State is 73rd for scoring defense, 133rd for field goal percentage permitted, 158th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 127th for defensive rebounding.
Late on, Colorado State has covered one of its previous seven games. Colorado has gone under the NCAA Tournament odds total in seven of its last ten outings. First among Colorado State scorers is G Isaiah Stevens, with 16.5 points and 7.0 assists per game. F Joel Scott brings 12.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest. And then G Nique Clifford averages 12.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
Overall, the Virginia Cavaliers are 22-9 straight up, 16-14-1 against the spread, and 13-18 over/under the total. Virginia has national metrics of 355th for scoring offense, 245th for field goal percentage, 41st for 3-point field goal percentage, 350th for free throw percentage, and 331st for offensive rebounding. While defensively, Virginia is 3rd for scoring defense, 12th for field goal percentage permitted, 28th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 189th for defensive rebounding.
Late on, Virginia has covered three of its previous nine games. Virginia has gone over the total in four of its last five outings. First among Virginia scorers is G Reece Beekman, with 14.3 points and 6.3 assists per game. G Isaac McKneely averages 12.5 points per game.
Following their epic national championship run in the 2018-19 season, the Virginia Cavaliers have had a hard time since then. Virginia has not been nearly as good since that dream season.