College Basketball

March Madness 2021: Day 1 first-round gambling recap – who covered, over/unders

Updated Mar. 20, 2021 12:48 a.m. ET

The first big day of the Big Dance brought plenty of betting action.

To help you keep track of all the madness, here are the betting results for every game of Day 1 of the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament (with all odds via FOX Bet), including the point spread, moneyline, and scoring totals, in the order the games were played.

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No. 7 Florida 75, No. 10 Virginia Tech 70 (OT)
Spread: Virginia Tech (-1) covers
Moneylines: Virginia Tech (-118) wins; Florida was +100
Total over/under: OVER 135 total points scored (145)

Behind Colin Castleton's team-leading 19 points, Florida outlasted Virginia Tech.

No. 3 Arkansas 85, No. 14 Colgate 68
Spread: Arkansas (-8.5) covers
Moneylines: Arkansas (-400) wins; Colgate was +280
Total over/under: UNDER 160.5 total points scored (153)

Arkansas stormed back to win and cover after falling behind 14-seed Colgate in the first half. This game also started a trend of totals going "Under" on the day.

No. 1 Illinois 78, No. 16 Drexel 49
Spread: Illinois (-22) covers
Moneylines: Off the board
Total over/under: UNDER 143.5 total points scored (127)

The Fighting Illini began their quest for a national title with an easy win over the Dragons.

No. 6 Texas Tech 65, No. 11 Utah State 53
Spread: Texas Tech (-4) covers
Moneylines: Texas Tech (-188) wins; Utah State was +145
Total over/under: UNDER 131.5 total points scored (118)

The Red Raiders were in a battle with Utah State before surging in the second half.

No. 15 Oral Roberts 75, No. 2 Ohio State 72 (OT)
Spread: Oral Roberts (+16) covers
Moneylines: Oral Roberts (+900) wins; Ohio State was -2500
Total over/under: UNDER 156.5 total points scored (147)

We have the first upset of the tournament! Oral Roberts went toe-to-toe with Ohio State from the opening tip and seized control of the extra frame to knock off the No. 2 seed in the South.

At +900, a $10 wager on Oral Roberts to win outright would have won you $90 (plus your $10 initial wager back).

No. 1 Baylor 79, No. 16 Hartford 55
Spread: Hartford (+26) covers
Moneylines: Off the board
Total over/under: UNDER 140.5 total points scored (134)

Although Baylor cruised in yet another game that went "Under" the scoring total, the Bears weren't quite able to cover the massive, 26-point spread in a 24-point victory.

No. 8 Loyola Chicago 71, No. 9 Georgia Tech 60
Spread: Loyola Chicago (-5.5) covers
Moneylines: Loyola Chicago (-275) wins; Georgia Tech was +205
Total over/under: OVER 124.5 total points scored (131)

We have our second "Over" of the day! Sure, it came in the game with the lowest combined total score over/under on Day 1, but it counts just the same.

No. 12 Oregon State 70, No. 5 Tennessee 56
Spread: Oregon State (+8) covers
Moneylines: Oregon State (+280) wins; Tennessee was -400
Total over/under: UNDER 130 total points scored (126)

Oregon State won its first NCAA Men's Tournament game since 1982 – as an eight-point underdog, to boot! – to advance past Tennessee.

No. 4 Oklahoma State 69, No. 13 Liberty 60
Spread: Oklahoma State (-7.5) covers
Moneylines: Oklahoma State (-350) wins; Liberty was +260
Total over/under: UNDER 139.5 total points scored (129)

The ninth game of the day brought the seventh "Under," as star freshman Cade Cunningham overcame a slow start to lead Oklahoma State into the second round.

No. 9 Wisconsin 85, No. 8 North Carolina 62
Spread: Wisconsin (+1.5) covers
Moneylines: Wisconsin (+100) wins; North Carolina was -125
Total over/under: OVER 137.5 total points scored (147)

Another "Over" for the books! Brad Davison scored 29 points on 10-for-15 shooting to lead Wisconsin to a second-round matchup with No. 1 seed Baylor.

No. 2 Houston 87, No. 15 Cleveland State 56
Spread: Houston (-20) covers
Moneylines: Houston (-10000) wins; Cleveland State was +1300
Total over/under: OVER 134.5 total points scored (143)

Houston began its quest for a national title with an easy win over Cleveland State – and an easy cover, despite a 20-point spread.

No. 13 North Texas 78, No. 4 Purdue 69 (OT)
Spread: North Texas (+7.5) covers
Moneylines: North Texas (+260) wins; Purdue -350
Total over/under: OVER 126 total points scored (147)

North Texas scored the second big upset of the NCAA Tournament, toppling Purdue on the strength of 9-for-21 (41.3%) shooting on 3s.

No. 10 Rutgers 60, No. 7 Clemson 56
Spread: Rutgers (-1.5) covers
Moneylines: Rutgers (-133) wins; Clemson was +105
Total over/under: UNDER 125 total points scored (116)

Don't let the seedings fool you; Rutgers were the favorites here, and they squeaked out a win and a cover against Clemson in a low-scoring affair.

No. 11 Syracuse 78, No. 6 San Diego State 62
Spread: Syracuse (+3) covers
Moneylines: Syracuse (+125) wins; San Diego State was -162
Total over/under: OVER 138.5 total points scored (140)

Although Syracuse had the upset all but locked up down the stretch, bettors were on the edge of their seats until the final whistle. The total over/under came down to an otherwise meanigless 3-pointer by San Diego State with two seconds remaining, with "Over" cashing at the buzzer.

No. 5 Villanova 73, No. 12 Winthrop 63
Spread: Villanova (-6.5) covers
Moneylines: Villanova (-275) wins; Winthrop was +210
Total over/under: UNDER 143 total points scored (136)

Villanova advanced to the second round behind 20 points and 10 rebounds from Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

No. 3 West Virginia 84, No. 14 Morehead State 67
Spread: West Virginia (-13) covers
Moneylines: West Virginia (-1200) wins; Morehead State was +650
Total over/under: OVER 138.5 total points scored (151)

The final matchup of Day 1 saw a double-digit favorite come away with a cover and the total go over.

Play the FOX Super 6 Tourney Challenge all tournament long for your chance to win thousands of dollars every round! Just download the FOX Super 6 app for free and make your picks now.