Stetson (16) vs. UConn (1) Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
No. 1 overall seed UConn is a massive 26.5-point favourite to win on the college basketball odds in the largest spread of the first round. The total for this East Region matchup from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center is set at 146.5.
Stetson vs. UConn NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The winner of this game will punch their ticket to the second round where they will face either No. 8 FAU of No. 9 Northwestern for a chance to reach the Sweet 16.
This will be Stetson’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance at the Division I level. They made three NCAA Tournament Division II appearances, going as far as the Elite Eight in 1970. Prior to this year, the Hatter were one of 45 Division I programs to never appear in the NCAA Tournament at the top level. Unsurprisingly, Stetson has the longest tournament odds. They are +200,000 to win the tournament, +40,000 to reach the Final Four, +20,000 to reach the Elite Eight and +8000 to reach the Sweet 16.
UConn has been a model of consistency with a combined 65-32 record over 35 previous tournament appearances. They’ve reached the Final Four six times and they are five-time national champions, including last year. This is the Huskies’ sixth time as a No. 1 seed, although they’ve only won one of those tournaments. UConn is the tournament favourite at +350. They are -110 to reach the Final Four, -175 to reach the Elite Eight and -650 to reach the Sweet 16.
Anyone looking for a major upset only has to look to last year when Fairleigh Dickinson shocked Purdue in the first round to become just the second 16-seed ever to defeat a 1-seed. The only other 16-seed upset in tournament history came in 2018 when UMBC stunned Virginia. If history is to repeat itself, it might be worth sprinkling some action on Purdue this year as Virginia followed up their 2018 first round exit by winning the national championship in 2019.
Stetson Hatters (16)
Stetson finished third in the Atlantic Sun Conference with an 11-5 record and they went 22-12 overall. They earned their first ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament by winning the ASUN Tournament for the first time in school history. Jalen Blackmon has been lethal on offence this season. Blackmon is the 10th highest scorer in the nation, averaging 21.5 points per game and he’s coming off a massive 43-point performance in the ASUN Tournament title game. His partner in the backcourt, Stephan Swenson, is averaging 13.8 ppg and leads the team with 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals. The big concern is the Hatters’ abysmal 213th-ranked defence, which allows an average of 72.8 ppg. Typically when low seeds pull off upsets its because they are strong defensive teams, so Stetson might not be the 16-seed you want to take a flyer on this year.
Connecticut Huskies (1)
UConn dominated the Big East with an 18-2 record this season and rolled that success over to an eighth Big East Tournament title. They’re 31-3 overall and boast the 22nd highest scoring offence in the nation (81.5 ppg) and the 15th-ranked defence (64.4 ppg). Look for Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer and Donovan Clingan to lead the way. Newton averages team-highs in both points per game (15.2) and assists (6.0). Spencer is averaging 14.5 ppg and he shoots a team-best 44.4 per cent from three. The 7-foot-2 Clingan averages 12.5 ppg and leads the team in rebounds (7.2) and blocks (2.3). As fun as it is to see big upsets in the NCAA Tournament, it won’t happen in this game. And for what it’s worth, the Huskies are my bracket winner pick (I know it’s cowardly to pick a 1-seed, but this team is stacked).
STET
CONN