First Four Odds: Game Lines For 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

The 2025 First Four is taking place in Dayton, Ohio March 17 and 18. It represents the start of the March Madness, and is played on the first Tuesday and Wednesday of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The championship game takes place on Monday, April 6. You will be able to check out First Four odds for each team in the betting market below.

First Four Odds

Find First Four odds for NCAA men's basketball tournament games being played on Tuesday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 18.

No. 16: UMBC (24-8) vs Howard (23-10) | March 17 | 6:40 p.m. ET

Favorite: UMBC (-1.5 via FanDuel)

No. 11: Texas (18-14) vs NC State (20-13) | March 17 | 9:15 p.m. ET

Favorite: Texas (-1.5 via FanDuel)

No. 16: Prairie View A&M (18-17) vs Lehigh (18-16) | March 18 | 6:40 p.m. ET

Favorite: Lehigh (-1.5 via FanDuel)

No. 11: Miami (Ohio) (31-1) vs SMU (20-13) | March 18 |9:15 p.m. ET

Favorite: SMU (-7.5 via FanDuel)

Bracketology

There were several snubs this year, including Indiana, Auburn and Oklahoma. You can price shop March Madness odds, which is especially useful if you're eyeing the best Final Four odds in the betting market. More college basketball odds are available to sift through as well.

First Four Format

How The First Four Came To Be

The Mountain West Conference was added to Division I in the 1999-2000 campaign. The following season, it began receiving an automatic ticket into March Madness. This decision altered the total number of automatic qualifiers in the Big Dance to 31, shifting the total number of teams to 65 in the process.

Initially, the additional program was dealt with on the Tuesday following Selection Sunday. It was considered the first official game of the NCAA tournament, as the two worst-seeded teams squared off.

However, the tournament committee changed things up again in 2011, as the number of participants swelled to 68 programs. The amount of automatic qualifiers remained the same, but three more automatic qualifiers were added into the mix. Hence, the First Four helped the tournament pool go from 68 to 64 teams for the first round. It can consist of No. 11-14 seeds, but there is always a quartet of 16 seeds.

What Teams Typically Play In the First Four?

As you'll see below, top-tier brand names aren't immune to the First Four. For one, UCLA and Michigan State squared off in 2021. That season, both teams were a part of the initial AP Top 25 poll, which goes to show its lack of significance in the betting market.

Nevertheless, the Bruins went on an improbable run to the Final Four, knocking off BYU, Abilene Christian, Alabama, and Michigan along the way. Granted, UCLA benefited from a talented roster that underperformed for much of the season. Johnny Juzang's dominance was a key variable, and he was named to the 2021 All-Tournament Team as a result. The Bruins were also guided by an experience tournament coach in Mic Cronin.

Moreover, UCLA is one of two First Four teams to advance to the tournament's semifinal. The 2011 VCU Rams accomplished the same feat, knocking off USC, Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State, and Kansas. They eventually fell to Butler in the Final Four, which led to the Bulldogs' second consecutive appearance in the title game.

This season, the teams in this play-in format include an SEC competitor in Texas, as well as Miami (OH), a team that was undefeated until just last week when it lost its very first game of the season.

First Four History

Here is a list of the First Four teams since 2011.