Line Movement for First Round of 2021 March Madness Tournament

• The First Round of March Madness tips off Friday, March 19
• The betting lines for First Round games opened almost immediately after the bracket was revealed on Selection Sunday
• See which lines have moved significantly since opening

We have officially tipped off the First Four of the 2021 March Madness Tournament, with the First Round getting underway tomorrow (Friday, March 19) at 12:15pm ET. This year, bettors have had more time to think about their bets, as the tournament usually begins the Thursday after Selection Sunday, with the First Four games taking place on the Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

With the extra time to dive into the odds, we’ve seen some significant movement in the lines for certain games since the odds opened Sunday night. Here’s a look at the biggest line movement we’ve seen thus far:

NCAA Tournament First Round Line Movement

Ramblers Becoming Heavier Favorites

The biggest line move we’ve seen thus far has been Loyola Chicago going from 2.5-point favorites to now 5.5-point favorites, a full three-point swing. This line had started moving by Tuesday, but it was only minor movement.

BREAKING: Georgia Tech will be without star big man Moses Wright for the Yellow Jackets first-round game against Loyola Chicago, sources told me and @Brett_McMurphy.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 18, 2021

We saw the major shift come in the last 24 hours after Georgia Tech’s leading scorer and rebounder, Moses Wright, was ruled out due to COVID-19 issues. Loyola is ranked no. 1 in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency metric, but Wright’s athleticism was going to be a problem for Cameron Krutwig in the paint.

With the news still being somewhat fresh, and many bettors being focused on the First Four games tonight, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this line continue to grow as the news disseminates.

Bettors Fading Cade Cunningham and the Cowboys

If you trust KenPom’s adjusted efficiency metric, then you see Oklahoma State as one of the more over-seeded top teams in the tournament. KenPom ranks them 30th, while the Cowboys received a no. 4 seed in the bracket.

Cade Cunningham is a fantastic talent, and the odds-on favorite to be taken first-overall in the NBA Draft odds. But the Cowboys might be a little too reliant on their star to be laying 9.5 points. Since opening as 9.5-point favorites, the spread has dropped to Oklahoma State -7.5.

The Cowboys are just 5-6-1 against the spread when favored, and 3-4 against the spread when laying more than seven points.

Not Sure What to Expect from Virginia

Due to COVID-19 tracing, the Cavaliers have still yet to arrive in Indianapolis for the NCAA Tournament. The team is scheduled to show up tomorrow (Friday), and their First Round matchup with no. 13 Ohio is Saturday night.

Virginia opened as 9-point favorites, but the spread has come down to UVA -7 with all the uncertainty around their preparedness. Head coach Tony Bennett has said the team has been in quarantine since they had to forfeit their ACC semifinal game against Georgia Tech.

If the Cavaliers are healthy and able to get back in their groove right away, they should take care of Ohio with ease. But that’s a big “if”.