March Madness live and score updates: NCAA Men’s Tournament channel, stream, where to watch, predictions, bracket

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March Madness live and score updates: NCAA Men’s Tournament channel, stream, where to watch, predictions, bracket

Every March, Sean Green and Ryan Kramer, CEOs of the

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, travel from their company headquarters in Los Angeles to Las Vegas to take in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. And it’s in Vegas where a serendipitous choice of window line led them to a tradition — ******** the “first half under” in all 36 first-round games (including the First Four). That has led to, in total, 396 first-round bets since this started 13 years ago.

“We were in line at the sportsbook and we just overheard a guy talking about it,” said Kramer recalling a 2011 trip to Vegas during the tournament.

“He started listing off these reasons it was a great idea,” Green added. “I don’t think he realized what he stumbled on.”

The rest was history. Green and Kramer began their March Madness tradition of ******** every single “first half under” in the first round right there.

“Thou shalt bet every first half under,” Green proclaimed on the duo’s show, the “Sports Gambling Podcast.” “You have to bet every one (of them).”

There is, however, a wrinkle. The books are catching up.

Since 2011, the “first half unders” have gone 225-157-14 — in a tally Green and Kramer keep on their bets — for 58.9 percent. In nine of the 12 seasons they’ve hit at 53 percent or better. In five of those nine seasons, the “first half unders” hit at 60 percent or better.

In 2021, fresh off of the pandemic and thrust into the bubble, the “first half unders” finished 26-7-3, according to the duo — a 78.8 percent hit rate. That was the best mark since 2013, when they hit at 70.6 percent.

But since then, things have been on a bit of a slide.

The 2022 NCAA Tournament followed up with another winning performance — but it was significantly less successful. The “first half unders” were 20-14-2, with a 58.9 percent hit rate.

Last year, the trend was only slightly profitable after finishing 18-16-2 at 53 percent. Through the First Four this season, we have a 2-2 record (but we’re screaming “small sample!” from the rooftops).

So … is it still worth it to follow the Green and Kramer and bet all the unders? Former NC State guard Sam Hunt thinks so. Playing in the NCAA Tournament is far different from playing in a typical home game, he says.

“When you land, it’s like a parade,” Hunt explains. “A red carpet event. You have media. Open practice before your real practice. Then you’re playing in a gym you never played in before. The jitters are definitely flowing early in the game.”

Teams have to adjust to the new schedule. Some of the games are earlier than usual. And, for a lot of players, it takes a while to settle into the game.

So the question now becomes — how low can they go? Each tournament field has its own quirks and nuances. This year, low-seeded bubble teams got hot in their tournaments, made runs, and won automatic bids, bumping off significantly better teams. Plus, the transfer portal has brought players onto teams from all over, meaning a lot of these arenas might not be as unfamiliar as they once were. With a lower quality of team in this year’s tournament — and some teams coming in fatigued or battling minor injuries after playing several days in a row — the first half under may still be viable this year, but the fun could be coming to an end. In fact, as this declining trend gains steam, could “first half overs” now be the way to go?

My advice? If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. “First half unders” have proven in the past 13 years to hit more often than not — books have been given plenty of time to catch up. The players. The atmosphere. The moment. It’s enough to rattle anyone off their game.

And the books may not be as interested in lowering lines to combat the ******** success as one would think, according to former Vegas oddsmaker Dave Sharapan.

“There isn’t enough volume to impact a huge line swing,” he explains. “(‘First half unders’) is a thing until it’s not. The books are good with standing firm in their numbers.”

So is the possible downswing from 2021 to now just natural regression? Or has the landscape changed? The beauty of this time of year is that we’ll know the answer in two days, as the dust settles on the first round.

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