college basketball tournament fans looking for early chaos came up empty on Friday, when every betting favorite in the first-round slate won. The clean sweep covered 16 games and stretched from No. 1 seeds Florida and Arizona down to teams seeded No. 9. The undefeated day for favorites was last seen on March 19, 1992, based on a record cited by David Payne Purdum.
Friday’s first round delivered a perfect favorites card
Friday’s first-round action produced a rare, across-the-board result: all 16 betting favorites won their games, measured by point spreads at BetMGM. That includes matchups where the seed numbers might typically trigger “upset” chatter—such as a No. 9 beating a No. 8—because the focus here is the betting line, not the seed label.
David Payne Purdum noted the significance of the moment: it was the first time first-round betting favorites went undefeated for a day since March 19, 1992. The outcome muted the usual first-weekend unpredictability and left bracket watchers and bettors staring at a board that held firm instead of cracking.
College Basketball Tournament results: every favorite that advanced
The list of winners was long and blunt: favorites won, again and again, across the slate. Arizona, listed as a heavy favorite at -30. 5, handled Long Island 92-58. Virginia, favored at -17. 5, beat Wright State 82-73. Iowa State, favored at -24. 5, defeated Tennessee State 108-74. Alabama, favored at -11. 5, beat Hofstra 90-70. Tennessee, favored at -11. 5, won 78-56 over Miami (OH). Purdue, favored at -25. 5, defeated Queens (NC) 104-71. Kansas, favored at -13. 5, beat Cal Baptist 68-60.
Several closer lines also held: Kentucky (-2. 5) beat Santa Clara 89-84; UCLA (-5. 5) edged UCF 75-71; St. John’s (-9. 5) beat Northern Iowa 79-53; and Texas Tech (-7. 5) beat Akron 91-71. Utah State (-1. 5) defeated Villanova 86-76, while Iowa (-1. 5) beat Clemson 67-61.
Immediate reactions: the milestone and what it signals
The headline number is the history marker tied to Friday’s slate. David Payne Purdum, cited for the statistic, highlighted that the last time first-round betting favorites went perfect for a day was March 19, 1992. In a tournament known for swings and surprises, that kind of clean card stands out as a sharp outlier.
There was another notable thread inside the chalk-heavy day: Utah State and Iowa were part of a first-round sweep for No. 9 seeds. The context matters here because even if a 9-over-8 result can look like an “upset” on a bracket, both were favored and took care of business.
Quick context: No. 9 seeds also made a statement
Friday produced a 4-0 sweep for No. 9 seeds in the first round, and it marked only the sixth time that has happened since the tournament expanded in 1985. The other years listed for that 9-seed sweep were 1989, 1994, 1999, 2001, and 2019.
What’s next after a no-drama Friday
After a first-round day where every favorite advanced, attention now shifts to whether the next wave of games restores volatility or keeps rewarding the expected outcomes. If the pattern holds, the pressure rises on underdogs to create separation—and on favorites to keep proving that Friday was not a one-off. In this college basketball tournament, the bracket may still turn chaotic, but Friday’s 16-0 favorites sweep has already set a hard-to-ignore baseline.
