Baylor vs. Hartford odds: Baylor huge March Madness Round 1 favorite
The #1 Baylor Bears (22-2) roll into March Madness with #16 Hartford Hawks (15-8) on tap to begin the tournament. The two meet Friday, March 19, at 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, which will be broadcast on truTV.
Below, we look at the early March Madness Round 1 matchup Baylor-Hartford odds and lines. Will one of these teams end up as this year's National Champion? Don't forget to check out all of the teams' March Madness odds.
An 18-consecutive-win start to the season had the Bears cruising, but recent losses to Kansas State at the end of February and Oklahoma State during the Big 12 tournament showed some flaws. Could this be their first Final Four appearance since 1950?
Baylor, whose games have gone Over in their last five matchups, lost to Gonzaga in the second round in 2019 but this veteran group leads the nation from long distance. They enter as huge favorites over Hartford, with an opening spread of a massive 26.5 points. Baylor is 15-9-0 in games ATS.
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Hartford, the America East champion, makes their March Madness debut and this No. 16 seed will hope their defensive philosophy-the Hawks allowed the 36th fewest points/game (63.9)-can work against top-scoring, high-paced offenses.
Hartford's slow-tempo style will try to dictate the game. The Hawks are 14-8-1 in games ATS, but just 5-6 on the road and 0-1 in neutral situations.
Hartford vs. Baylor:Odds, spread andlines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports' betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 10:55 a.m. ET.
- Money line : Hartford +2000 (bet $100 to win $2,000) | Baylor -10000 (bet $10,000 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS : Hartford +26.5 (-110) | Baylor -26.5 (-110)
- Over/Under : 141.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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