NCAA predictions: How the public is betting first round March Madness on Friday, March 18

Day 2 of the NCAA Tournament is set to tip off on Friday, March 18th following a day filled with four teams seeded No. 11 or worse moving on. The Day 1 slate was highlighted by the No. 2 seed Kentucky Wildcats getting upset by the Saint Peter’s Peacocks in overtime.

As we get ready for Friday’s action, here’s a look at some of the notable betting splits for the rest of the NCAA Tournament’s first round. All odds and information are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook.

No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 14 Colgate

Bettors are all over the Colgate Raiders to cover as 8-point underdogs to the Wisconsin Badgers on Friday night. Colgate is receiving the highest percentage of the money compared to all the other first round matchups with 78% of the handle going toward the Raiders. While many expect Colgate to cover, there is just 22% of the money going toward the Raiders to win the game outright.

No. 2 Duke vs. No. 15 Cal State Fullerton

Lots of bettors think the Duke Blue Devils will cover as 18.5-point favorites in their last NCAA Tournament under Mike Krzyzewski, but the total is the more notable item. 81% of the money is going toward the over 145.5, which is the second largest percentage on the total, just behind the No. 2 Villanova Wildcats and No. 15 Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens (over 133.5) also at 82% of the handle.

No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Loyola Chicago

The first game of the day does not even have a favorite as DraftKings Sportsbook has this game set as a pick ‘em. The Loyola Chicago Ramblers have done some damage in the NCAA Tournament in two of the last three tournaments, and they’re getting 56% of the bets on them in Friday afternoon’s contest.

Below is a look at the full list of betting splits for Friday’s games.

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