Selection Sunday revealed that the Wisconsin Badgers will take on the High Point Panthers on Thursday in the 5-12 matchup in the West Region. Tip-off is slated for 12:50 p.m. CT on TBS at the Moda Center in Portland Oregon.
Wisconsin, cracking the field as the last No. 5 seed and the No. 20 overall seed in the bracket, were sent to the West Region, where the Arizona Wildcats are the No. 1 seed, and will be a part of the Thursday/Saturday slate in the first weekend.
They draw the High Point Panthers,
who went 30-4 this season and won the Big South, earning them a No. 12 seed in the bracket alongside Akron (Midwest Region), McNeese (South Region), and Northern Iowa (East Region).
When betting lines opened for the first round, the Badgers were actually seen as a 12.5-point favorite over High Point, which was the highest of any No. 5 vs. No. 12 matchup, indicating that Wisconsin may have gotten the best draw of the field.
But, those odds have quickly shifted, as Wisconsin is now only a 9.5-point favorite on ESPNBet, with the over/under at 164.5 points. In fact, FanDuel Sportsbook had the line dropped down to as low as 7.5, but now lists the Badgers as a 9.5-point favorite.
Looking at the other No. 5 vs. No. 12 matchups, Vanderbilt is an 11.5-point favorite over McNeese. Texas Tech is a 7.5-point favorite over Akron. And St. John’s is an 11.5-point favorite over Northern Iowa.
We’ll see how the line settles heading into Thursday, but it seems like money has come in on High Point to cover the spread, resulting in the line dropping right after the opening odds were revealed.
