March Madness has arrived and with that the best three weeks of the year for college hoops fans. Gamblers will get their start with Vegas Lines NCAA Basketball Tuesday with the First Four. Dayton, Ohio will host two games on both Tuesday and Wednesday nights. And with that the 68-team field will narrow down to 64 for Thursday. Two name brand teams are among the First Four with UCLA and Syracuse. LIU Brooklyn, Radford, NC Central, Texas Southern and Arizona State complete the field. And history shows Final Four dreams can start here.
2018 NCAA First Four
Date and Time: Tuesday, March 13 and Wednesday March 14, 2018, Eastern
Location: University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio
NCAA Betting Online Odds at SBG: Click here!
First Four TV Coverage: Check Listings
History Lesson
For those who write off the First Four as weaker teams a quick history lesson is required. In 2011 Virginia Commonwealth went from the First Four to the Final Four. Such an upset run shows the unpredictability of March Madness with Vegas Lines NCAA Basketball. This year’s first four opens on Tuesday. LIU Brooklyn will face Radford at 6:40 p.m. ET. Nightcap action is St. Bonaventure vs. UCLA at 9:10 p.m. ET. Wednesday opens with NC Central vs. Texas Southern at 6:40 p.m. ET. Arizona State takes on Syracuse at 9:10 p.m. ET to wrap it up.
Radford First Timers
Radford is in March Madness online sportsbook action for the first time since 2009. They are champions of the Big South Conference. On the board just nine times this season they covered the spread in five tries. LIU Brooklyn won the Northeast Conference after an 18-16 regular season. Against the line the Blackbirds were 3-4.
St. Bonaventure
Atlantic Ten champion St. Bonaventure covered the spread in six of their last ten games. Despite losing their conference tournament they still got a bid. College basketball Blue Blood UCLA closed strong with six payouts in their last nine games. Offensively they are one of the best teams in the country. Offsetting that is a terrible defense.
Other Facts
MEAC champion North Carolina Central covered five of six lined games this year. Despite finishing in the middle for the regular season they won their league tournament. SWAC champion Texas Southern was 15-19 in the regular season. Stealing a spot by winning their league tourney they are one of the worst defensive teams in the land. However, they did get the money in six of seven lined games.
Syracuse
Syracuse was the 68th and final team to make the Tournament. Coach Jim Boeheim’s Orange is one of the best defensive teams in the country. Problematic has been their horrific scoring issues. Arizona State limps in with just three payouts in their last ten games. On the positive the Sun Devils were the 14th highest scoring team in the country.
Matchup to Watch
Especially interesting is the UCLA matchup with St. Bonaventure. Considered an underachiever with Vegas Lines NCAA Basketball UCLA may be peaking at the right time. Most noticeable was their taking a strong Arizona team to overtime in the Pac 12 Tournament. Aaron Holiday is one of the top players in the Tourney. He gives the Bruins a key asset.
First Four NCAA games Betting Odds Picks
In conclusion UCLA is the best bet of the First Four.
NCAA Betting Online Pick: UCLA Bruins
NCAA Betting Online Score Prediction: Bruins 88, Bonnies 74