UConn March Madness Odds: First Round NCAA Tournament

The first round of the NCAA tournament features the Connecticut Huskies, seeded fourth in the West Region, facing the Iona Gaels, seeded 13th. UConn plays at 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday, March 17 in Albany, N.Y., with coverage on CBS. Current odds for this college basketball showdown have UConn as spread favorites and moneyline favorites, with an over/under of . Here, we’ll take a look at this game as part of a wider snapshot of UConn March Madness odds.

Click on the odds anywhere in this post to bet now. Are you a Huskies fan in Connecticut? Lock in thousands of sportsbook promo codes for the tournament in your home state. Scroll to the bottom to find the best bonus codes available.

UConn vs. Iona Betting Odds

Below, bettors can find the best available UConn March Madness odds across legal U.S. sportsbooks. Use the dropdown in the top left to change from spread betting options to moneyline or wagers on the over/under.

Best 2023 March Madness Bracket Contests! Compete for huge prizes in these free college basketball bracket pools.

Outside Shots Podcast: Betting March Madness

UConn Vs. Iona Player Props

Player prop odds for UConn vs. Iona will populate below once they become available, usually a day or so before tip-off. You will often find a wider spread of prices on small markets like player props, so it’s very important to shop for the best numbers. You can also use our prop finder tool and type in a player’s name.

Note that certain states restrict or disallow altogether college player props. You can bet college basketball player props in CT, DC, IA, IL, IN, LA, MD, NJ, OH, WA, WV and WY. However, CT, IA, IL, and NJ do not allow player props for athletes on in-state teams.

UConn March Madness Futures

Why UConn Can Cover The Spread

The major college basketball metrics would tell you UConn should roll here. Most of them consider the Huskies a top-five team that’s vastly under-seeded as a No. 4. The key will be exploiting their rebounding edge. Led by Adama Sanogo and versatile guard Andre Jackson, the Huskies rank second overall in rebounding rate. They just have a bigger, stronger team, and should be able to push around the Gaels on the boards. Iona is making a huge leap in competition — they haven’t beaten any tournament teams all season.

Why Iona Can Cover The Spread

Despite seemingly being on the wrong side of a mismatch, Iona actually has some things going for it here. For one, the Gaels shoot the ball pretty well, with an above-average eFG% and a very solid 36% mark from deep. That should mitigate some of the Huskies’ advantage on the boards. Second, the Gaels have a huge edge in the turnover department. Despite possessing an accomplished lead guard in Jackson, UConn is quite sloppy with the ball, ranking 231st in turnover rate. Iona turns opponents over frequently, with a 44th-place ranking. If they can win the battle there and mitigate the rebounding deficit, they’ll find themselves in this game.

Join TheLines.com free sports betting Discord channel, with more than 4,300 community members talking college basketball all season long and throughout the NCAA Tournament.

Final Thoughts

The four factors point to this being a competitive game, as Iona rates pretty well across the board, while UConn has some weaknesses in the turnover and free-throw allowance departments. While they have an incredible shooting efficiency, Iona does well there too and a little variance could easily flip them. UConn also had a pretty rough season against tournament teams in the Big East, finishing with more losses than wins. They may be getting too much credit from the metrics for early wins against Alabama and Iowa State. I’m joining colleague Stephen Andress with a wager on the Gaels +9.5.