Jameel McKay and No. 3 seed Iowa State are favored over No. 14 UAB Thursday. (Getty)
Iowa State and UAB are one of the first games Thursday afternoon, tipping off at the KFC Yum Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
The third-seeded Cyclones are undoubtedly the favorite over the No. 14 Blazers, but there’s a reason they call this time of the year “March Madness.”
Well the oddsmakers aren’t buying that as ISU opened as a 12.5-point favorite. It has since moved to 13.5.
Possible good news for the Blazers: a 14 seed has beaten a No. 3 in each of the past 2 seasons (Mercer over Duke in 2014 and Harvard over New Mexico in 2013) and 5 times since 2005. There have been 18 14 over 3 upsets since 1986.
To read OddsShark’s game preview, click here.
The below odds are from sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com (odds are subject to change):
Iowa State-UAB Point Spread
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UAB … +13.5
Iowa State … -13.5
UAB is 17-13-1 against the spread and Iowa State is 17-12-1.
Over the past 10 games, the Blazers are 4-5-1 ATS and the Cyclones are 7-2-1.
UAB is 3-2 straight in the past 5 and ISU is 5-0.
For OddsShark’s stats and odds preview for the game, click here.
Iowa State-UAB Over-Under
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Over-Under … 146.5
The UNDER has won in 3 of UAB’s last 5 games.
The UNDER has won in 4 of Iowa State’s last 5 games.
Iowa State-UAB Odds to Win the NCAA Tournament
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Iowa State … 33/1
UAB … 500/1
Iowa State’s 33/1 odds are the best among Big 12 teams, including Kansas, who was given a No. 2 seed in the Midwest.
UAB’s 500/1 odds are pretty typical for a 14 seed. The Blazers made a run to the Sweet 16 back in 2004 as a No. 9 seed, but haven’t won a Madness game in 10 years.
The Basics
Who:
No. 3 Iowa State (25-8) vs. No. 14 UAB (19-15)
What:
NCAA Tournament Round of 64 – South Regional
When:
Thursday
Where:
KFC Yum Center – Louisville, Kentucky
Time:
12:40 p.m. Eastern
Channel:
truTV
