Bettors don't like Virginia's chances of ending a three-game ATS losing streak in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Cavaliers covered the 23.5-point spread against Hampton in the First Round of the 2016 tournament but failed to cover against UNC Wilmington in 2017, UMBC in 2018 (the second-biggest March Madness betting upset ever), and Gardner-Webb in 2019. This year, they opened as 9.5-point favorites over 13-seed Ohio in their first tournament game since winning the national championship two years ago, but have since dropped to 7-point favorites.
As of Saturday morning, 76 percent of all spread tickets and 78 percent of the spread handle are on the Bobcats, the largest shares of any First Round game on Saturday. Only two of the 15 other games have tickets and handle shares above 70 percent.
Andrew Doughty is a writer for BetMGM and host of High Motor by BetMGM, an NFL and college football podcast available on Apple Podcasts and everywhere else. He has written for Sports Illustrated, HERO Sports, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter: @DoughtyBetMGM
Andrew Doughty is a writer for BetMGM with a focus on college football, NFL, college basketball, and NASCAR. A graduate of the University of Kansas, he previously wrote for Sports Illustrated and HERO Sports.
Andrew Doughty is a writer for BetMGM with a focus on college football, NFL, college basketball, and NASCAR. A graduate of the University of Kansas, he previously wrote for Sports Illustrated and HERO Sports.
