March Madness betting: Kansas and Gonzaga are big favorites in second round
The NCAA tournament is well underway and we can already certainly see why they call it "March Madness."
Sixteen teams punched their tickets to the second round on Thursday, and 16 more will do so on Friday. With the matchups for Saturday already finalized, let's take a look at the betting lines for those contests. All lines are courtesy of BetMGM.
No. 1 Baylor vs. No. 8 North Carolina
Time: 12:10 p.m. EST
Betting Line: Baylor -5.5
Over/Under: 149.5 points
Moneyline: Baylor -225/North Carolina +180
Baylor is the No. 1 seed, so it's no surprise to see it as the favorite here. Both teams easily covered the spread in their first-round games. Baylor won by 36 as a 20.5-point favorite against Norfolk State. North Carolina beat Marquette by 32 as a 3.5-point favorite and almost scored 100 points in the process.
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 9 Creighton
Time: 2:40 p.m. EST
Betting Line: Kansas -11.5
Over/Under: 139.5 points
Moneyline: Kansas -650/Creighton +450
As another No. 1 seed, Kansas enters as a sizable favorite over Creighton. The Jayhawks beat Texas Southern by 27, covering the 21.5-point spread. Creighton trailed all game against San Diego State but forced overtime and won 72-69 as a 2.5-point underdog.
No. 3 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Michigan
Time: 5:15 p.m. EST
Betting Line: Tennessee -5.5
Over/Under: 136.5 points
Moneyline: Tennessee -250/Michigan +200
Tennessee looked dominant in its first-round matchup, and it opened as a favorite in its second-round game. The Vols beat Longwood by 32 as an 18.5-point favorite. Michigan overcame a seven-point halftime deficit to beat Colorado State by 12 and easily cover as a 1.5-point favorite. Both teams' games went over the total in the first round.
No. 4 Providence vs. No. 12 Richmond
Time: 6:10 p.m. EST
Betting Line: Providence -2.5
Over/Under: 134.5 points
Moneyline: Providence -155/Richmond +130
Providence survived as a short favorite against South Dakota State, and it's once again a short favorite against a higher-seeded team. Providence beat the Jackrabbits by nine as a 2.5-point favorite, while Richmond beat Iowa by four as a 10.5-point underdog. Both of these teams' games in the first round went 20 points under the total.
No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 5 Saint Mary's
Time: 7:10 p.m. EST
Betting Line: UCLA -2.5
Over/Under: 126.5 points
Moneyline: UCLA -145/Saint Mary's +120
UCLA survived a scare from No. 13 Akron, but failed to cover the 13.5-point spread in its 57-53 win. On the other side, Saint Mary's beat Indiana by 29 despite being just a 2.5-point favorite. That might explain this spread being a little tighter than some people would expect.
No. 7 Murray State vs. No. 15 Saint Peter's
Time: 7:45 p.m. EST
Betting Line: Murray State -8.5
Over/Under: 129.5 points
Moneyline: Murray State -400/Saint Peter's +310
Despite pulling off one of the biggest upsets of all time, Saint Peter's is once again a sizable underdog in the second round. The Peacocks beat Kentucky in overtime as 18-point underdogs. Murray State blew a late lead, but still covered in overtime against San Francisco. The Racers won by five as a 2.5-point favorite. Both teams' first-round games went over the total. Can the Peacocks pull off another upset?
No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 12 New Mexico State
Time: 8:40 p.m. EST
Betting Line: Arkansas -6.5
Over/Under: 138.5 points
Moneyline: Arkansas -275/New Mexico State +220
Arkansas survived the trendy upset pick in Vermont, but failed to cover as a five-point favorite in their first-round matchup. Contrarily, New Mexico State won outright as a 6.5-point underdog against UConn. Both teams' first-round games went over the total.
No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 9 Memphis
Time: 9:40 p.m. EST
Betting Line: Gonzaga -10.5
Over/Under: 154.5 points
Moneyline: Gonzaga -800/Memphis +550
Gonzaga went on a massive second-half run to beat Georgia State by 21. However, it failed to cover the 23.5-point spread. Memphis beat Boise State by 11 and covered as a 2.5-point favorite in its first-round game.
