First Four Betting Odds: 2011 NCAA Basketball Tournament

The First Four betting odds were released at Bookmaker.com Sunday evening for the 2011 NCAA Basketball Tournament.

This is the first ever First Four.  Play will commence on Tuesday and the winners of the four games will advance to what will now be called the "second round" on either Thursday or Friday. The newly named third round -- with 16 games -- will be Saturday and Sunday.

North Carolina Asheville became the first team to earn the first bid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament.   Chris Stephenson scored 14 points for the third-seeded Bulldogs against North Carolina.  It is their first and only berth in the NCAA tournament since 2003.

UAB is considered somewhat of an upset to make it into the tournament.  They will play Clemson.

“We were playing a top 10 team today on a neutral court, and we had a seven-point lead with three minutes to go,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “If that doesn’t make you good enough to play in the NCAA Tournament, then I’d be shocked. If I need to make an argument, then people aren’t watching. I know we have to look at the whole season, and the body of work … but you need to look at how teams are playing at the end. The tournament is now, it’s not back in November.”

Gambling911.com expected opening odds for the First Four

Ashville NC -3.5 Arkansas Little Rock

Clemson -1.5 UAB

First Four betting odds for the 2011 NCAA Basketball Tournament courtesy of Bookmaker.com:

Asheville   Arkansas Little Rock

UAB Clemson

- Tyrone Black, Gambling911.com