The Pirates of Hampton University, champions of the MEAC Tournament, get a chance to do what no other 16-seed has ever done at the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. That is to defeat a No. 1 seed, that happens to be one of basketball's royalty, the Duke Blue Devils. It's not sensational to say this is Davey versus Goliath. Of course if you're up on Biblical verse, Davey won that game didn't he? CBS television will carry this game from Time Warner Arena in Charlotte N.C. at approximately 3:10 PM Eastern.
Listed as 23 1/2-chalk favorites, NCAA Basketball Odds makers do not see it likely the Pirates pull off a win. If you're a fan of totals betting, the posted OVER/UNDER number is 134 while money-line odds will be left off the online board for this one.
The Blue Devils (34-4) are defending their 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship and are making a strong case to repeat in 2011. The Blue Devils, led by coaching legend, Mike Krzyzewski, have won three national titles and been to 10 Final Fours. Coach-K is 77-22 in NCAA Tournament play, the most of any coach in NCAA history. The Blue Devils won the ACC Tournament title on Sunday, defeating rival North Carolina 75-58 in Greensboro as a -3 chalk favorite. The Blue Devils are led by Senior guard Nolan Smith, the ACC Player of the Year, who averages 21.3 points per game. There is no doubt why the Blue Devils are on top of the NCAA Basketball Picks food chain among hoops fanatics.
The Pirates finished the season with a 24-8 record this season and are making their first NCAA appearance in five years (2006). They defeated Morgan State 60-55 on Saturday in the MEAC Tournament title game for their fifth straight win.
There is no sense in dishing out a bunch of useless trends for this game because it's such a mis-match. That doesn't mean Hampton can't make a case for itself, but there is no comparison between these programs in talent. Duke will win and win handily, but; giving any team 23 1/2 points is dangerous for point-spreads bettors. I'm going to take a stab here and make my College Basketball Picks call for Hampton covering +23 1/2. My real advice is to leave it alone.
