NCAA Tournament 2021: How to bet Day 2 of the first round
By Jason McIntyre
FOX Sports Betting Analyst
The 2021 NCAA Tournament is in full swing, and the second round offers sports fans 16 more opportunities to make their viewing experience a little ... richer.
Throughout all of March Madness, from the first round until the championship tilt, we’re betting every single game against the spread (ATS), with odds courtesy of FOX Bet.
You read that right: Every. Single. Game. And with Day 1 in the books, here are your picks against the spread for Day 2, as teams like Gonzaga, Michigan, Kansas and Alabama tip off their tournaments.
Now, come get some winners (with all odds via FOX Bet).
RECORD THROUGH DAY 1: 10-6
WEST REGION
No. 1 Gonzaga (-33.5) vs. No. 16 Norfolk State
Gonzaga has won 23 straight games by double figures, and that continues with an easy win over Norfolk State. But 33.5 is a ton of points. While I don't love this game, give me the dog, not the Bulldogs.
Pick: Norfolk State +33.5
No. 2 Iowa (-14.5) vs. No. 15 Grand Canyon University
Bryce Drew, the first-year coach for the Antelopes, is a March Madness legend dating to his buzzer-beater for Valpo. Iowa’s weakness is defending the 3-pointer, but the Antelopes are 245th in the country on 3s. Don’t overthink it.
Pick: Iowa -14.5
No. 3 Kansas (-10.5) vs. No. 14 Eastern Washington
This is not a typical Bill Self team with a lottery pick. The Jayhawks are an elite defensive team, but because of COVID-19 — which cut their Big 12 tourney short — it’s unclear who will be available for their first-round game vs. the Eagles.
Pick: Eastern Washington +10.5
No. 4 Virginia (-7.5) vs. No. 13 Ohio
Ohio has been terrific ATS this year (14-7), and the Bobcats have lost just once in the past seven weeks. Led by guard Jason Preston, the Bobcats nearly beat Illinois in November. Virginia was once 11-2 but has only one win over a tournament-bound team (Syracuse) in the past month. This opened with the Cavs as double-digit favorites, and it was quickly bet down. Sprinkle some on the money line (+260, so a $10 wager wins you $26 plus your $10 back).
Pick: Ohio +7.5
No. 5 Creighton (-7) vs. No. 12 UC Santa Barbara
A 12-seed has beaten a 5-seed in 35 of the past 40 tournaments. In 13 of those 40 years, at least two No. 12 seeds have defeated No. 5 seeds. The Gauchos put up gaudy numbers in the Big West but haven’t defeated a tourney team. Creighton opened as a double-digit favorite, and it was immediately bet down.
Pick: UCSB +7
No. 6 USC (-6) vs. No. 11 Drake
The Trojans feature potential No. 1 pick candidate Evan Mobley, who will remind some folks of Kevin Garnett or Chris Bosh. The problem? USC doesn't have much else. I’d consider backing Drake vs. the Trojans if Drake’s best post presence, Shanquan Hemphill, returns from injury.
Pick: Drake +6
No. 7 Oregon (-7) vs. No. 10 VCU
As usual, the Rams play outstanding defense — 12th in the country — but they have been destroyed on the defensive glass all season (289th in the nation), which means a potentially big game for Oregon's Eugene Omoruyi and LJ Figueroa inside.
Pick: Oregon -7
No. 8 Oklahoma (EVEN) vs. No. 9 Missouri
The Sooners limp in, having lost five of six, but four of those came against teams seeded fourth or higher in the tournament. Oklahoma's offense flows through senior Austin Reaves, but defensively, the Sooners do a terrible job against 3-pointers (256th in the country). Fortunately, Missouri — which has beaten one NCAA Tournament team in the past five weeks — is a poor 3-point shooting team (254th).
Pick: Oklahoma PK
EAST REGION
No. 1 Michigan (-25.5) vs. No. 16 Texas Southern
The top-seeded Wolverines are susceptible — just not to Texas Southern. Although the injury to second-leading scorer Isaiah Livers is significant, Michigan should cruise. But 25.5 is a lot of points. I'd stay away from this one, just like Gonzaga, but if you're in, ride with the underdog.
Pick: Texas Southern +25.5
No. 2 Alabama (-17) vs. No. 15 Iona
The Tide are 18-0 when they score 80 points. They’ve won six in a row and nine of 10. They have a great coach (Nate Oats), a senior leader (Herbert Jones) and a promising lead point guard in Villanova transfer Jahvon Quinerly. The Gaels have played only 17 games, and they’re not good defensively (161st) or offensively (210th).
Pick: Alabama -17
No. 3 Texas (-9) vs. No. 14 Abilene Christian
Terrific backcourt, two NBA lottery picks and a coach in Shaka Smart who knows something about the Final Four. My only concern: The Longhorns are turnover-prone, and Abilene Christian forces more turnovers than anyone in America.
Pick: Texas -9
No. 4 Florida State (-10.5) vs. No. 13 UNC Greensboro
The Spartans don’t have a win over a tournament team and aren’t in the top 100 offensively. They’re 312th in 3-point shooting and 255th in free throw shooting. Seminoles roll.
Pick: FSU -10.5
No. 5 Colorado (-5.5) vs. No. 12 Georgetown
The Hoyas' run to the Big East title was incredible, but the Buffaloes are better than all of those opponents. Colorado has a guard — McKinley Wright — and an efficient offense that is second in the country in free-throw shooting and has eight wins over tourney teams.
Pick: Colorado -5.5
No. 6 BYU (-3.5) vs. No. 11 UCLA
UCLA has been woefully inconsistent on offense, and we've seen a number of games go under already in the unique bubble environment of this tournament. I'd largely stay away from this game, but with all that said, if you want some skin in the game, why not root for Mick Cronin's crew?
Pick: UCLA +3.5
No. 7 UConn (-3) vs. No. 10 Maryland
Darkhorse alert — the Huskies are 16-5-1 against the spread this year, third in the country. When in doubt, roll with the best player on the floor, and that’s lottery pick James Bouknight, one of the most explosive scorers in the sport.
Pick: Connecticut -3
No. 8 LSU (-1.5) vs. No. 9 St. Bonaventure
Few teams can tout three future pros — Javonte Smart, Cameron Thomas, Trendon Watford — but the Tigers have the offensive potential to make a Final Four run. The problem is, their defense is abysmal. The Bonnies don’t have a senior or much depth, so let’s see how their top-20 defense holds up against LSU.
Pick: LSU -1.5
Jason McIntyre is a FOX Sports gambling analyst, and he also writes about the NFL and NBA Draft. He joined FS1 in 2016 and has appeared on every show on the network. In 2017, McIntyre began producing gambling content on the NFL, college football and NBA for FOX Sports. He had a gambling podcast for FOX, "Coming Up Winners," in 2018 and 2019. Before arriving at FOX, he created the website The Big Lead, which he sold in 2010.
