2018 March Madness - No.1 vs No.16 Seed Betting Picks

Home › NCAA Basketball Lines › NCAA Basketball Articles › No.1 vs No.16 Seed Odds

#1 vs #16 Seed March Madness Betting OddsNCAA men's basketball tournament Betting Online: To earn a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament is really the highest honor that a team can get. It means you're looked upon as one of the best four teams in America and will likely make you the favorite to advance out of your bracket and reach the Final Four. But more important? It means you should – at least in theory – have a de facto bye into the second round of March Madness. The day will come when a #16 seed will rise up and beat a #1, but in the 32-year history of the NCAA Tournament in a field of at least 64 teams, it's still never happened.

The first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament will be played at eight different venues across the country. The 64 teams in the field will play on Thursday, March 15, 2018 and Friday, March 16, 2018. Games will tip off starting at just after noon and will run through the entire day. All of the action will be shown on CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV.

History of #1 Seeds vs. #16 Seeds in NCAA Tournament

Winning team in bold; ATS records date back to 1996; Total records date back to 1998

Year #1 Seed Score #16 Seed Score Spread Cover Total O/U
2017 Villanova 76 Mount St. Mary’s 56 -25 16 131.5 O
2017 Gonzaga 66 S. Dakota State 46 -23 16 157 U
2017 Kansas 100 UC Davis 62 -22.5 1 144 O
2017 North Carolina 103 Texas Southern 64 -26.5 1 157 O
2016 Kansas 105 Austin Peay 79 -24.5 1 151 O
2016 North Carolina 83 Florida Gulf Coast 67 -22.5 16 149 O
2016 Oregon 91 Holy Cross 52 -22.5 1 134.5 O
2016 Virginia 81 Hampton 45 -23 1 130 U
2015 Duke 85 Robert Morris 56 -22.5 1 143.5 U
2015 Kentucky 79 Hampton 56 -35 16 134.5 O
2015 Villanova 93 Lafayette 52 -22 1 145 P
2015 Wisconsin 86 Coastal Carolina 72 -20 16 132 O
2014 Arizona 68 Weber State 59 -20 16 127.5 U
2014 Florida 67 Albany 55 -21.5 16 120 O
2014 Virginia 70 Coastal Carolina 59 -20 16 120 O
2014 Wichita State 64 Cal Poly 37 -17 1 125.5 U
2013 Gonzaga 64 Southern 58 -22.5 16 126.5 U
2013 Indiana 83 James Madison 62 -21.5 16 137 O
2013 Kansas 64 Western Kentucky 57 -20.5 16 132.5 U
2013 Louisville 79 North Carolina A&T 48 -26.5 1 123.5 O
2012 Kentucky 81 Western Kentucky 66 -26.5 16 136.5 O
2012 Michigan State 89 Long Island 67 -19 1 153 O
2012 North Carolina 77 Vermont 58 -15.5 1 144.5 U
2012 Syracuse 72 UNC Asheville 65 -15.5 16 147.5 U
2011 Duke 87 Hampton 45 -24.5 1 135.5 U
2011 Kansas 72 Boston University 53 -23.5 16 137.5 U
2011 Ohio State 75 Texas-San Antonio 46 -25.5 1 140.5 U
2011 Pittsburgh 74 UNC Asheville 51 -18 1 134 U
2010 Duke 73 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 44 -24.5 1 124.5 U
2010 Kansas 90 Lehigh 74 -25 16 146 O
2010 Kentucky 100 East Tennessee State 71 -18.5 1 134.5 O
2010 Syracuse 79 Vermont 56 -15.5 1 145 U
2009 Connecticut 103 Chattanooga 47 -20.5 1 148 O
2009 Louisville 74 Morehead State 54 -21.5 16 131 U
2009 North Carolina 101 Radford 58 -25.5 1 163 U
2009 Pittsburgh 72 East Tennessee State 62 -20.5 16 149.5 U
2008 Kansas 85 Portland State 61 -21 1 146.5 U
2008 Memphis 87 Texas-Arlington 63 -26.5 16 144 O
2008 North Carolina 113 Mount St. Mary's 74 -25.5 1 151.5 O
2008 UCLA 70 Mississippi Valley State 29 -31.5 1 126 U
2007 Florida 112 Jackson State 69 -27.5 1 144.5 O
2007 Kansas 107 Niagara 67 -18.5 1 150 O
2007 North Carolina 86 Eastern Kentucky 65 -27.5 16 141 O
2007 Ohio State 78 Central Connecticut State 57 -20 1 130 O
2006 Connecticut 72 Albany 59 -20 16 142.5 U
2006 Duke 70 Southern 54 -25.5 16 143.5 U
2006 Memphis 94 Oral Roberts 78 -10.5 1 145.5 O
2006 Villanova 58 Monmouth 45 -20 16 130 U
2005 Duke 57 Delaware State 46 -26.5 16 128.5 U
2005 Illinois 67 Fairleigh Dickinson 55 -26 16 142 U
2005 North Carolina 96 Oakland 68 -28 P 154 O
2005 Washington 88 Montana 77 -19.5 16 155 O
2004 Duke 96 Alabama State 61 -33 1 133.5 O
2004 Kentucky 96 Florida A&M 76 -28.5 16 143.5 O
2004 St. Joseph's 82 Liberty 63 -25 16 137 O
2004 Stanford 71 Texas-San Antonio 45 -24 1 137 U
2003 Arizona 80 Vermont 51 -25.5 1 142.5 U
2003 Kentucky 95 IUPUI 64 -25.5 1 137.5 O
2003 Oklahoma 71 South Carolina State 54 -27.5 16 133.5 U
2003 Texas 82 UNC Asheville 61 -28.5 16 154 U
2002 Cincinnati 90 Boston University 52 -25 1 128 O
2002 Duke 84 Winthrop 37 -33.5 1 149.5 U
2002 Kansas 70 Holy Cross 59 -27.5 16 145 U
2002 Maryland 85 Siena 70 -26.5 16 151.5 O
2001 Duke 95 Monmouth 52 -34.5 1 149 U
2001 Illinois 96 Northwestern State 54 -27 1 140.5 O
2001 Michigan State 69 Alabama State 35 -29.5 1 130 U
2001 Stanford 89 UNC Greensboro 60 -28.5 1 145 O
2000 Arizona 71 Jackson State 47 -27.5 16 145 U
2000 Duke 82 Lamar 55 -34 16 144 U
2000 Michigan State 65 Valparaiso 38 -25.5 1 127 U
2000 Stanford 84 South Carolina State 65 -31.5 16 139 O
1999 Auburn 80 Winthrop 41 -28.5 1 142 U
1999 Connecticut 91 Texas-San Antonio 66 -27.5 16 146 O
1999 Duke 99 Florida A&M 58 -46.5 16 161 U
1999 Michigan State 76 Mount St. Mary's 53 -25 16 134 U
1998 Arizona 99 Nicholls State 60 -26.5 1 164 U
1998 Duke 99 Radford 63 -32 1 151 O
1998 Kansas 110 Prairie View A&M 52 -37 1 146 O
1998 North Carolina 88 Navy 52 -28 1 142 U
1997 Kansas 78 Jackson State 64 -36 16 --- ---
1997 Kentucky 92 Montana 54 -30 1 --- ---
1997 Minnesota 78 Texas State 46 -22 1 --- ---
1997 North Carolina 82 Fairfield 74 -27 16 --- ---
1996 Connecticut 68 Colgate 59 -28.5 16 --- ---
1996 Kentucky 110 San Jose State 72 -33.5 1 --- ---
1996 Massachusetts 92 UCF 70 -30 16 --- ---
1996 Purdue 73 Western Carolina 71 -20 16 --- ---
1995 Wake Forest 79 North Carolina A&T 47 --- --- --- ---
1995 UCLA 92 Florida International 56 --- --- --- ---
1995 Kentucky 113 Mount St. Mary's 67 --- --- --- ---
1995 Kansas 82 Colgate 68 --- --- --- ---
1994 North Carolina 71 Liberty 51 --- --- --- ---
1994 Purdue 98 UCF 67 --- --- --- ---
1994 Arkansas 94 North Carolina A&T 79 --- --- --- ---
1994 Missouri 76 Navy 53 --- --- --- ---
1993 North Carolina 85 East Carolina 65 --- --- --- ---
1993 Indiana 97 Wright State 54 --- --- --- ---
1993 Kentucky 96 Rider 52 --- --- --- ---
1993 Michigan 84 Coastal Carolina 53 --- --- --- ---
1992 Duke 82 Campbell 56 --- --- --- ---
1992 UCLA 73 Robert Morris 53 --- --- --- ---
1992 Ohio State 83 Mississippi Valley State 56 --- --- --- ---
1992 Kansas 100 Howard 67 --- --- --- ---
1991 North Carolina 101 Northeastern 66 --- --- --- ---
1991 Arkansas 117 Georgia State 76 --- --- --- ---
1991 Ohio State 97 Towson 86 --- --- --- ---
1991 UNLV 99 Montana 65 --- --- --- ---
1990 Connecticut 76 Boston University 52 --- --- --- ---
1990 Oklahoma 77 Towson 68 --- --- --- ---
1990 Michigan State 75 Murray State 71 --- --- --- ---
1990 UNLV 102 Arkansas Little Rock 72 --- --- --- ---
1989 Georgetown 50 Princeton 49 --- --- --- ---
1989 Arizona 94 Robert Morris 60 --- --- --- ---
1989 Oklahoma 72 East Tennessee State 71 --- --- --- ---
1989 Illinois 77 McNeese State 71 --- --- --- ---
1988 Temple 87 Lehigh 73 --- --- --- ---
1988 Purdue 94 Fairleigh Dickinson 79 --- --- --- ---
1988 Oklahoma 94 Chattanooga 66 --- --- --- ---
1988 Arizona 90 Cornell 50 --- --- --- ---
1987 North Carolina 113 Pennsylvania 82 --- --- --- ---
1987 Georgetown 75 Bucknell 53 --- --- --- ---
1987 Indiana 92 Fairfield 58 --- --- --- ---
1987 UNLV 95 Idaho State 70 --- --- --- ---
1986 Duke 85 Mississippi Valley State 78 --- --- --- ---
1986 Kansas 71 North Carolina A&T 46 --- --- --- ---
1986 Kentucky 75 Davidson 55 --- --- --- ---
1986 St. John's 83 Montana State 74 --- --- --- ---
1985 Georgetown 68 Lehigh 43 --- --- --- ---
1985 St. John's 83 Southern 59 --- --- --- ---
1985 Michigan 59 Fairleigh Dickinson 55 --- --- --- ---
1985 Oklahoma 96 North Carolina A&T 83 --- --- --- ---

The divide between #1 and #16 seeds is obviously incredible. The highest spread ever in NCAA Tournament history came back in 1999 when Duke trounced Florida A&M 99-58, not quite enough to cover the whopping 46.5-point spread. Every #1 seed has been favored by double-digits over #16 seeds. The lowest spread ever in a #1 vs. #16 matchup was in 2006 when Memphis was only set at -10.5 against Oral Roberts. The Tigers excelled by 16. The average spread in the #1 vs. #16 matchups is 25.3-points per game.

#1 seeds do have the slight edge for bettors at 43-40-1 ATS all-time, but that pales in comparison to the perfect 128-0 SU mark. Some close calls? Georgetown only beat Princeton by a point in 1989, the same year Oklahoma only downed East Tennessee State by a single point. In total, just 15 of the 128 #16 seeds have stuck within single-digits of the #1 seeds, the most recent of which were Southern and Western Kentucky who finished within six and seven of Gonzaga and Kansas respectively in 2013.

The biggest margin of victory ever in a 1/16 game was in 1998 when Kansas blew out Prairie View A&M by 58 points, the widest MOV in the history of the NCAA Tournament since the field expanded to 64 teams. The only other team in the history of the dance to win a first round game by 50+ points was Connecticut in 2009 over Chattanooga, a 103-47 whitewash.

#1 seeds went 3-1 ATS last year in the NCAA Tournament, while the over cashed in three of the four games. #16 seeds have never had a perfect 4-0 ATS year against the #1s, though back in 2005, the underdogs did turn in a near-perfect 3-0-1 ATS showing. #1s have swept the board from an ATS standpoint twice, though the last time was in 2001.

In respect to the total, the under has the slight all-time advantage at 40-35-1, though the over cashed in three of the four #1 vs. #16 games in 2016.

Duke holds the record for the most seasons set as a #1 seed since the field expanded to 64 teams, doing so in 13 tourneys. Next in line would be Kansas and North Carolina with 12 #1 seeds apiece. Not surprisingly, Duke and Kansas also have the most opening round wins of any team in the dance since the last big expansion with 27 and 29 respectively, and they're also the only two teams in America to play in all 31 NCAA Tournaments since 1985.

Need to fund your account before the big game but don’t have your computer? No problem, BookMaker sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone for the #1 vs #16 Seed of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet, click here and deposit at BookMaker now!

Bet on March Madness at Bookmaker, the nation's leading online sportsbook! Sign up now to gain access to all the latest spreads, money lines, prop bets and Basketball Articles to bet on March Madness odds. Bookmaker is the most trusted online sportsbook in the country and guarantees quick and easy payouts.

Join Now!

Back to Top