2025 NCAAB March Madness First Four Best Bets & Betting Odds

Selection Sunday is all wrapped up. And you know what that means: it’s time for March Madness to get underway. As has become tradition, there are four spots still available, with those to be decided by the winners of the four “First Four” games to be played at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio on Tuesday and Wednesday.

• The winner of Saint Francis vs. Alabama State will earn the No. 16 seed in the South bracket and a date with No. 1 Auburn.
• The triumphant team in the late game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the San Diego State Aztecs will earn the No. 11 seed in the South and a matchup with No. 6 Ole Miss.
• On Wednesday, American and Mount St. Mary’s will battle for the No. 16 seed in the East and a clash with No. 1 Duke.
• Texas and Xavier will battle for the final spot in the 64-team tournament, the No. 11 seed in the Midwest that will take on No. 6 Illinois.

Note: None of our best bets feature odds shorter than -200.

2025 March Madness NCAAB Men’s Basketball Tournament - First Four - Best Bets & Betting Odds

All odds provided by Betway.

No. 16 Saint Francis vs. No. 16 Alabama State - 6:40PM, March 18 - UD Arena, Dayton, OH

Alabama State has never won a game in the NCAA Tournament, but they have made it to the Big Dance (if you include the First Four), five times since 2001. Saint Francis, meanwhile, has only made one other March Madness appearance, and that was way back in 2021. The Hornets also come into this one having won 10 of their last 11 games overall, so we like them to keep rolling.

Best Bet: Alabama State Moneyline (-170)

No. 11 North Carolina vs. No. 11 San Diego State - 9:10PM, March 18 - UD Arena, Dayton, OH

The North Carolina Tar Heels are one of the most storied programs in NCAA men’s basketball history. It simply doesn’t seem right when they’re not involved in the Madness. Since Roy Williams took over as head coach in 2003 through Hubert Davis’ early tenure, they’ve missed the dance just twice. They are also 21-3 SU this year as favorites, so we’ll happily settle for the solid -170 odds March Madness betting sites are giving them against San Diego State, who are just 4-6 SU this year as dogs.

Best Bet: North Carolina Moneyline (-170)

No. 16 Mount Saint Mary’s vs. No. 16 American - 6:40PM, March 19 - UD Arena, Dayton, OH

These two programs come in with identical 22-12 records, but Mount Saint Mary’s is coming out of the tougher MAAC while American is coming out of the Patriot Conference, which was ranked by 26th out of 31 conferences by RPI. However, American is a better free throw shooting team, they commit fewer turnovers, and they are one of the stingiest three-point defenses in the nation. We’re rolling with another favorite here.

Best Bet: American University Moneyline (-140)

No. 11 Xavier vs. No. 11 Texas - 9:10PM, March 19 - UD Arena, Dayton, OH

Texas plays in the SEC, the strongest conference in the country. They were just 13th in the SEC, but that’s because they really struggled in conference games. When they played a team from any other conference (Xavier is in the Big East), they were a different beast, going 11-2 SU against non-SEC opponents. They also had a better record against ranked opponents (5-8) than Xavier (2-5). We’re taking what sportsbooks are giving us here and going with the underdog.

Best Bet: Texas Moneyline (+125)