Published on: March 17, 2026, at 11:07h.

Updated on: March 17, 2026, at 11:08h.

• Men’s First Four play-in games kicking off tonight
• Duke emerges as the favorite for the tournament
• NCAA Women’s First Four starts tomorrow night

March Madness officially begins tonight with the men’s First Four play-in games, featuring Howard vs. UMBC at 6:40 p.m. EST and NC State facing Texas at 9:15 p.m. EST, both held at UD Arena in Dayton, OH. The NC State game’s total over/under of 157.5 has garnered the most bets according to BetMGM.

Betting Lines for Tonight

According to DraftKings, the moneyline is set at -110. The spread for UMBC is -1.5 (+110) and for Howard is +1.5 (-130), with the total at 142.5. For the NC State vs. Texas clash, the moneyline is NC State -120, Texas +100, the spread is NC State -1.5 (+102), Texas +1.5 (-122), and the total is 158.5.

At theScore, Howard is slightly favored at -115, while UMBC is at -105. The spread reads UMBC +1.5 (-120) and Howard -1.5 (Even), with an over/under of 141.5. For the latter game, the spread is NC State -1.5 (-105), Texas +1.5 (-115), and the total is 158.5. The moneyline for this matchup lists Texas at -105 and NC State at -115.

FanDuel places Howard at -115 and UMBC at -104. The spread remains UMBC +1.5 (-120) and Howard -1.5 (-102), with an over/under of 141.5. In the later game, NC State is at -1.5 (-104), Texas +1.5 (-118), with the total being 157.5. The moneyline features Texas at -105 and NC State at -114.

Tomorrow night, the women’s First Four games kick off with Richmond (+142) taking on Nebraska (-170) at 7 p.m. EST and Stephen F. Austin (+124) facing Missouri State (-148) at 9 p.m. EST, held at Cameroon Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC, and Moody Center in Austin, TX, respectively.

Movement in Odds

A representative from theScore Bet indicated some interesting shifts in odds on the men’s side following the release of the NCAA Basketball Tournament brackets on Sunday night.

Duke is currently the favorite at +320, having started as second-best behind Michigan, which originally had odds of +375. Michigan held the +320 spot at the conclusion of the Big Ten Championship game but has since fallen to +375.

Duke Takes the Lead

Iowa State’s odds have improved to +1800, now the sixth-best, up from +2800 (ninth-best) on Sunday. Illinois has shifted from +2500 to +2200, retaining the seventh-best odds. Meanwhile, St. John’s has seen its odds drop to +6000 from +5000 right before the bracket unveiling. Gonzaga’s odds have also adjusted, lowering from +6600 to +6000.

Data from theScore Bet indicates that since the bracket reveal, Arizona has attracted 16.8% of bets and 22.3% of the handle, followed by Michigan with 8.9% of bets and 10.9% of the handle, Purdue with 6.9% of bets and 8.9% of the handle, Iowa State with 5.5% of bets and 8.6% of the handle, and Duke with 11.5% of bets and 7.9% of handle.

Canadian Interest in March Madness

How does Canadian interest in March Madness compare to that in the United States?

“In previous years, I’ve compared percentages with colleagues at U.S.-facing sportsbooks,” noted Phill Gray, ex-head of sports betting operations at Sports Interaction and a sports betting consultant. “Generally, it’s about 25% in terms of handle compared to the overall market size. College football shows similar trends. This is notably significant for us, but it’s not as prominent as it is in the U.S.”