Even though none of would want to deny it, even if we did, it wouldn’t do much considering that the March Madness betting tournament is finally upon us. Tuesday’s round of sportsbook action will officially commence this year’s NCAA Tournament as the first games of 2017’s March Madness season, colloquially referred to as the First Four, will be taking center stage. It took long enough, but when teams take to the court Tuesday evening to determine who gets one of the final seeds in this year’s tournament, fans can rejoice as the March Madness season is here for all to enjoy.
Latest News for Those who Bet on College Basketball
- Norfolk St. vs. Liberty – CIT Preview – March 13, 2017
- Sportsbook Preview of First Four
- 5 March Madness Betting Favorites from 5 conferences
The tournament will officially begin once the first of the First Four games, a matchup between the New Orleans Privateers and the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers, kicks off. That contest will be the first of two games that are scheduled for Tuesday’s round of March Madness betting, with the second being a thrilling contest between Kansas State and Wake Forest.
The second round of the First Four will begin and end on Wednesday when NC Central face off against UC Davis, followed by a contest between Providence and USC. Once these contests have concluded, players will know the complete 68-school bracket. With that in mind, let’s breakdown the first of the scheduled First Four matchups between New Orleans and Mount St. Mary’s.
New Orleans vs. Mount St. Mary’s – Tuesday, March 14th
When: 6:40 pm ET
Where: UD Arena, Dayton Ohio
TV: truTV, NCAA Live Stream
March Madness Betting Line:
New Orleans Privateers -1½ (-110) 131½ (-110) -123
Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers +1½ (-110) 131½ (-110) +103
Mount St. Mary’s
Coming off a 14-19 season, the Mountaineers were hopeful they could turn things around this year and they certainly have. St. Mary’s enters this contest with a 19-15 record, as well as a 1st place finish in the NEC. The Mountaineers had a rough start to the season, posting only one win in 12 games, but were able to turn things around drastically. St. Mary’s enters this contest riding a 4-game win streak.
Despite being pegged as sportsbook underdogs, the Mountaineers are still hopeful they can pull this out. They will turn to leading point-scorer Elijah Long who is currently averaging 15.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. Second in points for the Mountaineers is Junior Robinson who is currently putting up 14.1 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per contest.
New Orleans U
Like the Mountaineers, the Privateers have also had a successful turnaround season, going from 10-20 last year to a stellar 20-11 record this season. The Privateers finished 1st in the Southland Conference and are coming into this game on a 3-game win streak.
The March Madness betting favorites will hope that Erik Thomas is able to lead them to a victory Tuesday night. Thomas is currently averaging 19.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. Second in points for the Privateers is Christavious Gill who is netting 11.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.
