March Madness College Basketball Betting Odds - No. 10 Florida vs. No. 7 BYU

March Madness college basketball betting enthusiasts ill be treated to a competitive affair when the seventh-seeded BYU Cougars try to keep the Florida Gators and their superior athleticism in check and advance to the second round in the West Bracket when the two teams take to the court at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City for their first round NCAA Basketball Championship Tournament showdown today at 12 PM ET.

Thursday, March 18, 12:15 PM ET
NCAAB Betting Odds: BYU -5
TV: CBS

Florida (21-12 SU, 15-13 ATS, 11-13 O/U)
Brigham Young (29-5 SU, 18-13 ATS, 15-14 O/U)

Florida 411
Gators are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 NCAA Tournament games.
Gators are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 NCAA Tournament games as an underdog.
Gators are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog.
Gators are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games.

Florida has dropped three of its last four games and was handed a 75-69 loss by Mississippi State on Friday in the Southeastern Conference tournament.

The Gators got 23 points from Kenny Boynton and 19 points from Erving Walker in the loss, but it wasn’t enough to help Florida cover the March Madness college basketball betting odds as 1.5-point underdogs. That game's 144 points sailed OVER the posted total of 132. The Gators fell to 2-3 ATS over the last five games with the loss.

Florida averages 71.6 points per game while allowing 65.4 points per contest defensively. The Gators have gone 3-3 SU in neutral site games this season.

Brigham Young 411
Cougars are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games as a favorite of 0.5-6.5.
Cougars are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games.
Cougars are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games as a favorite.
Cougars are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 neutral site games.
Cougars are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 NCAA Tournament games.

BYU had its three-game winning streak snapped in its 70-66 loss to UNLV in the Mountain West Conference tournament on Friday. Underrated guard Jimmer Fredette scored a team-high 30 points in the loss for BYU as the Cougars failed to cover the NCAA basketball betting odds as 1-point underdogs to fall to 2-2 ATS over the last four games.

The Scoop: The Gators have a well-balanced attack with five players averaging double figures in scoring, but Florida also doesn’t shoot the ball particularly well from the perimeter, making just 30.7 percent from downtown this season while allowing their opponents to drain a blistering 36.3 percent of their threes during the regular season.

BYU has one of the best guards in the nation in junior Jimmer Fredette, the team’s sweet-shooting leader who averages 21.7 points per game and scored at least 30 points seven times this season while topping 45 points twice. Unfortunately, the Cougars also have a lack of size and depth along the frontcourt.

Analysis: Athletic teams like Florida generally give BYU a lot trouble and I think this contest will be much of the same as the Florida Gators narrowly cover the spread in this matchup against the Cougars and likely get the outright win.