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After an incredibly impressive triple-double from Ja Morant in a round-one win over 5-seed Marquette, 12-seed Murray State became an instant Tourney darling. The Racers now move on to face 4-seed Florida State, and the Seminoles once again find themselves as a popular target of upset picks.
The ’Noles are obviously the favorite. But across 11 gambling services surveyed, nine of those sports books have seen the spread by which they’re favored drop since opening yesterday. One book has seen the line rise, while it’s remained the same in another. The modal opening line for FSU-Murray State was 5.5 points, with the modal current line at 4.5.
Just as was explained ahead of Florida State’s win over Vermont, oddsmakers adjust lines to solicit even action, so the point-spread decreasing means that a lot of action was being placed on the Racers, with bettors taking the points. Dropping the line is an attempt to get more action going on the ’Noles, a more attractive proposition since FSU now has a smaller spread to cover.