The University of Colorado avoided the always dicey No. 5-seed vs No. 12-seed upset trap.
Now, the Buffaloes (23-8) are one win away from their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1969.
For that to happen, CU will have to get by No. 4-seed Florida State (17-6) in the second round of the East Region of the Men’s NCAA Tournament.
The game is scheduled to tip off at 5:45 p.m. MST on Monday.
For now, the Buffs 96-73 win over Georgetown (13-13) on Saturday puts them in this position for the first time since 2012.
The fact Colorado is here just makes the first March Madness betting in the market that much more exciting.
Sportsbooks get the result they need
Aside from the fans and people who bet on the Buffs to win on Saturday, the sportsbooks loved this result the most.
According to betting insight from PointsBet, 73% of the handle was on the Hoyas prior to the tip off.
On top of that, a Georgetown win (+185) was a liability for the sportsbook.
It’s safe to say the other books were in the exact same boat.
But it’s not just those betting on a Hoyas’ upset that lost, this is also a bracket buster.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, 43% of NCAA Tournament brackets picked Georgetown to beat the Buffs in ESPN’s Tournament Challenge.
Saturday’s game was also the most popular 12-5 upset pick, and the most popular among any team seeded 11 or higher.
Colorado vs Florida State odds
| Colorado vs Florida State second-round odds | BetMGM | DraftKings | FanDuel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Colorado +100 Florida State -120 | Colorado +104 Florida State -124 | Colorado +100 Florida State -118 |
| Point spread | Colorado +1.5 (-110) Florida State -1.5 (-110) | Colorado +1.5 (-109) Florida State -1.5 (-110) | Colorado +1.5 (-116) Florida State -1.5 (-106) |
| Over/under | Over 140.5 (-110) Under 140.5 (-110) | Over 141 (-110) Under 141 (-109) | Over 141.5 (-110) Under 141.5 (-110) |
If the Buffaloes are able to play and shoot as they did against Georgetown, it won’t matter what the odds are on Monday.
As of Monday afternoon prior to the start of the game, Colorado is the (very) slight underdog to the Seminoles.
Florida State advances in the East Region after a tough 64-54 win over No. 13-seed UNC Greensboro (21-9) on Saturday.
The fact the Buffs are the “underdog” is a bit of a surprise since they just flogged Georgetown.
Given that CU and the Seminoles are the 5 and 4 seed, respectively, who the sportsbooks pegged as the favorite was compelling.
Perhaps the higher seed was enough to sway the books.
Either way, the expectation was the college basketball betting odds would be very close for this second-round game and they are.
As betting action comes in on the game, keep here for the latest odds from the sportsbooks.
Buffs were a sneaky pick
Heading into the tournament, sportsbooks thought the Buffaloes could make this happen.
As Lenny Estrin, the head trader at SportsBetting.com, told PlayColorado:
“I think Colorado could be a sneaky pick to win a couple of games and advance to the Sweet 16. This is a deep squad with a lot of experience. And what I love the most about the Buffs is that they are the tourney’s best free throw shooting team. When the pressure of the Madness is on the line, you’ve got to be able to knock down important free throws, and, as a team, they do it better than anyone in the field.”
Welcome to March Madness, Colorado.
This is shaping up to be a fun ride.
