Best NCAA Tournament First-Round Moneyline Bets: Underdog Upsets to Watch

The NCAA Tournament tips off Thursday, and everyone is scrambling to lock in their parlays and fill out their brackets.

While these might not be the smartest upsets to pencil into your bracket, they provide great value as straight bets in the first few days of the tournament. Or, if you really want to get crazy, parlay them all together and treat yourself to a fancy steak dinner.

All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

San Diego State ML vs. North Carolina

Let’s start with the First Four, shall we? As John Fanta said, North Carolina being in the NCAA Tournament is a crime.

The Tar Heels had one win against a major team in the field — when they defeated UCLA all the way back before Christmas.

The Aztecs are +160 on the moneyline against a team that was handed an invitation to play in March Madness largely because of its rich basketball legacy.

McNeese ML vs. Clemson

McNeese has become the trendy No. 12 team expected to upset No. 5 Clemson.

But at +240, they offer more value than betting on Yale (+225) to upset No. 4 Texas A&M.

Student basketball manager Amir “Aura” Khan became the first manager to sign an NIL deal, and McNeese is one of the most fun stories in sports coming into the tournament. Many analysts expect them to make a Cinderella run, and it all has to start with defeating Clemson.

New Mexico ML vs. Marquette

Shaka Smart’s Marquette squad had an impressive season with wins over then-No. 6 Purdue and then-No. 11 Wisconsin. As the No. 7 seed, they’re slight favorites in their first-round matchup with New Mexico on Friday afternoon.

But the Lobos are nothing to scoff at. Both teams have stellar guard play, but New Mexico isn’t the type to light you up from distance. They move the ball and find the best shot — even if that’s an unpopular mid-ranger.

If New Mexico’s defense shows up, they can cash in at +145.

Akron ML vs. Arizona

Let’s save the craziest one for last. The Akron Zips will travel across the country to play a much better Arizona team in Seattle on Friday night.

Akron barely won the Mid-American Conference championship game against Miami (Ohio), clawing back from a double-digit deficit in the final minutes to punch their ticket to March Madness on a flukey game-winning layup.

Arizona is the better team and deserves to be a 15.5-point favorite. But the Zips have been a dominant team these last few seasons under head coach John Groce.

At +680, a consistent, steady program on the rise might just be worth a pizza-money bet.