Men's March Madness 2024 - Opening betting odds, lines, spread - ESPN

The 2024 men's NCAA tournament is set to tip off with 68 of the country's best college basketball teams looking to cut down the nets and etch their names in history. The UConn Huskies seek to defend their championship as they hold the top seed in the East Region.

In the Midwest Region, the Purdue Boilermakers and player of the year Zach Edey look to put last year's embarrassment behind them and follow in the footsteps of 2019 Virginia, who won the national championship a year after falling to a 16 seed the year earlier.

Historic programs like Gonzaga, North Carolina and Duke will look to make another Final Four run, while underdogs like Saint Peter's, UAB and Long Beach State look to shock the country.

Keep reading to see the pregame lines, spreads and totals from each of the opening round matchups.

Odds by ESPNBET as of publication time.

(9) Michigan State Spartans -1.5
(8) Mississippi State Bulldogs
Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C., 12:15 p.m. ET

Money line: Michigan State (-120) Mississippi State (+100) Total:130.5
Michigan State: 19-14, 10-10 in Big Ten play
Mississippi State: 21-13, 8-10 in SEC play

BPI Projection: Michigan State by 2.7 points, straight up 60.8% of the time

Betting trends:

Mississippi State is 9-0 ATS and 8-1 outright on neutral courts this season.

Over the last 10 tournaments, Michigan State is 5-0 ATS in the Round of 64 when it doesn't have a top-three seed.

Michigan State is 8-0 against the SEC in the NCAA tournament under Tom Izzo (7-1 ATS with seven straight covers).

(11) Duquesne Dukes
(6) BYU Cougars -9.5
CHI Health Center Omaha, Omaha, Neb., 12:40 p.m. ET

Money line: Duquesne (+340) BYU (-450) Total:142.5
Duquesne: 23-11, 10-8 in A-10 play
BYU: 23-10, 10-8 in Big 12 play

BPI Projection: BYU by