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The No.8 UConn Huskies will face the No.9 Oklahoma Sooners in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. UConn is the 5.5 betting favorites with the best college basketball betting sites. We tell you if UConn can keep their title defense alive in our latest NCAAB betting picks.
- What: 2025 NCAA Tournament First Round
- Who: UConn vs. Oklahoma Sooners
- Where: Lenovo Center, Raleigh, North Carolina
- When: Friday, March 21st, 2025
- Tip-Off: 8.25 pm. ET
The UConn Huskies are going for the three-peat of National Championship wins in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
UConn didn’t start the season as the No.1 ranked team (they were No.3), but after back-to-back tournament wins in 2023 and 2024, the Huskies did start as the joint-betting favorites to win again in 2025.
Sadly for the Huskies, Dan Hurley’s team hasn’t lived up to expectations this term. A troubled regular season culminated with a third place finish in the Big East, losing six matches in conference play.
That was good enough to get them into the NCAA Tournament for a fifth-straight season, but the Huskies look a shadow of the team that has rocked up for March Madness the previous two years.
Oklahoma finished the regular season 13th in the Southeastern with a 6-12 record in conference play.
The SEC is represented by a record 14 teams in this year’s tournament, highlighting just how strong the conference has now become.
Porter Moser is the head coach of the Sooners. The 56-year-old is probably most famous for leading Loyola-Chicago to the Final Four in 2018.
What the Sooners wouldn’t give for a repeat performance of that in 2025!
UConn vs. Oklahoma Sooners Betting
Dan Hurley’s team is looking for a third straight national title. Their quest begins on Friday against the Oklahoma Sooners.
In some respects, just making it to the NCAA Tournament is a relief for Dan Hurley. They’ve had a poor season, and as you’re about to see, the bookies aren’t giving them much chance of defending their title.
The best March Madness betting sites have UConn at +10000 to win the championship for a third successive season. UConn is outside the top 20 betting favorites.
There is some good news for UConn fans. The bookies make Dan Hurley’s team the favorite to win their first-round match against Oklahoma. Uconn is -230 to win on the money line, with the Sooners at +190.
Moving onto the spread, the Huskies are giving the Sooners a 5.5-point start. Oklahoma is -110 to win with the spread, the Huskies are -110 to win by six or more and cover.
The total line is set at 147.5. Both over and under is -110.
Matches involving the Huskies have had more than 147.5 points 13 times this season, while the Sooners have covered that amount 21 times.
You can check out more UConn vs. Oklahoma Sooners NCAAB betting lines on our college basketball betting table. Our NCAAB odds are from the best college basketball betting sites.
| UConn vs. Oklahoma |  |  |  |
| UConn | -230 | -230 | -230 |
| Oklahoma | +190 | +190 | +190 |
| UConn (-5.5) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Oklahoma (+5.5) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Over 147.5 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 147.5 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
UConn Huskies
The UConn Huskies are 23-10 this season and 15-7 in conference play. However, the Huskies underperformed in the Big East, finishing third.
To put that into perspective, UConn finished first in 2024 with an 18-2 record in conference play.
But just before we write the Huskies off, they finished T4 in 2023 with a 13-7 record and went on to win the National Championship match. There is a precedent there, no matter what the bookies are saying.
However, the UConn team of 2023 had more about it than the current roster. They were a team on the up, the current team looks like one in need of a rebuild.
The Huskies are 7-3 in their last ten matches. They have averaged 73.5 points per game and conceded 66.8.
UConn is on a losing streak of one after losing 71-62 to Crieghton in the Big East Tournament semifinals. The defeat snapped a five-match winning streak.
Oklahoma Sooners
The Oklahoma Sooners have an overall record of 20-13 and are 7-13 in the SEC. After finishing T13 in the SEC, the Sooners had to rely on an at-large bid to take their place in the postseason tournament.
The Sooners are 4-6 in their ten matches, averaging 79.6 points per game and allowing their opponents 82.2 points per match.
They are on a losing streak of one after losing 85-84 to Kentucky in the second round of the SEC Tournament.
After fighting back from ten behind with 1:20 left on the clock, the Sooners had their hearts broken when Otega Oweh secured the win for the Wildcats with 0.5 seconds left.
UConn vs. Oklahoma Sooners Betting Picks
We don’t see the Huskies making it three championship wins in a row, but we see them getting past the first round.
The Sooners put up a good fight against the Wildcats in their last outing, but we don’t see them having enough to beat UConn.
The Huskies are in better form, having won five of their last six. Oklahoma had a good ten minutes against Kentucky. A similar showing won’t be enough to beat the defending champions.
We are backing UConn to win on the handicap spread and over 147.5 in the total points.
See below our list of the best offshore sportsbooks for US bettors in 2025 and choose the one that suits you best:
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