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There are a couple more games to be played in the First Four before we get to see what the final bracket will actually look like. That said, we have a ton of games that are already set for the beginning of March Madness, but who will come out on top when all is said and done. Will one of the top seeds take the National Championship, or will we see a team come out of the middle of the pack to make a great run? Things will start sorting themselves out soon enough, but we are going to look ahead and preview as many games as possible all the way through the tournament. Today, we are looking at the matchup that pits #12 Richmond against #5 Iowa. This is going to be a tricky one for the higher seeded Hawkeyes, but they are coming in as a 10 ½ point favorite. The point total for this game has been set at 150 ½. That being said, let’s take a look at both teams and how they arrive in this Richmond vs Iowa matchup so you can bet against their March Madness Odds.

March Madness First Round Betting Preview for Richmond Spiders vs Iowa Hawkeyes

#12 Richmond versus #5 Iowa Match Info

When: Thursday, March 17 at 3:10 PM EST
Where: KeyBank Center, Buffalo
TV: TRUTV

Why bet on the Richmond Spiders

When heading into the postseason in any sport, the goal is always to go in on a bit of a high, which is certainly what Richmond are doing. They managed to go 10-8 in conference play this season, which left them down in the middle of the pack at the end of the regular season. They went on a tear in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament, though, and ended up walking away as the champions. That is sure to have them coming into this game feeling pretty good about their chances. While they are on a good run, it is worth noting that the Spiders are just 1-5 SU in their last 6 games versus an opponent from the Big Ten. As far as the point spread goes, they are 2-4 ATS in Thursday games played away from home, while seeing the UNDER hit in 9 of their last 11 games played in the month of March.

Why bet on the Iowa Hawkeyes

If you want to talk about teams on a great run of form, you need to talk about the Iowa Hawkeyes. They have won 12 of their last 14 games, which includes a run that took them all the way to the Big Ten Conference title. Given their current form, this is not a team that anyone will be looking forward to facing in the tournament. Besides being a great SU pick of late, they have also been very good against the spread, going 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall, as well as covering in 5 of their last 6 games played in the month of March. The OVER has been trending for the Hawkeyes, with 4 of their last 5 games as a favorite going that route, as well as 6 of their last 7 Thursday games.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

While I certainly think that Iowa will come away with the win in the opening round, I think that Richmond might do enough to cover. I also like the point total to go UNDER.

NCAA Basketball Betting Pick: Richmond Spiders 68 Iowa Hawkeyes 76