NCAA Basketball Odds: Winthrop vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Play-In Game

The Big Dance begins tonight in Dayton!

Tonight’s NCAA Tournament play-in game between Winthrop and Arkansas-Pine Bluff could be the last of its kind. That’s because tourney organizers seem likely to either expand the field by three more teams to 68 and thus have four play-in games or jump the number to 96 games and add an entire round. Winthrop has opened as a 4-point favorite on Bodog’s college basketball odds for tonight’s game in Dayton, Ohio.

Winthrop (19-13) will make some history tonight as it is the first school ever to appear in two play-in games, having also done so in the first one back in 2001. Getting to the Big Dance is nothing new for Winthrop, as this is the Eagles’ ninth trip to the NCAA Tournament in the past 12 years and fifth in the past six. They opened the season with a 4-9 record but went 12-6 in the Big South (third place) and upset top-seed Coastal Carolina in the championship game. Winthrop has just one player averaging in double-digit points: sophomore guard Reggie Middleton at 10.2 ppg.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (17-15) is in its first NCAA Tournament. The Golden Lions opened the season by losing their first 11 games but played a murderous road schedule that included several NCAA Tournament teams. In fact, the Lions didn’t play a home game until mid-January. But once they got into SWAC play, they turned their season around by going 14-4 during the regular season (second in the SWAC) and beating Texas Southern in the championship game. UAPB should have one big advantage tonight in that it last played on March 13, while Winthrop hasn’t taken the court since March 6.

Both of these teams are excellent on defense and struggle to score, so the under of 112.5 might be the smart play on Bodog’s college basketball odds (the under is 4-0 in Winthrop’s past four NCAA tourney games). These two schools have never met – in fact, it’s Winthrop’s first game ever against a SWAC school. The winner faces South Region No. 1 seed Duke in Jacksonville on Friday night.

March Madness is here, and Bodog has all your odds and prop needs covered!