The 13th-seeded Vermont Catamounts (28-6) battle the No. 4 seed Duke Blue Devils (24-8) Friday in the 1st Round of the South Region. Tip from Barclays Center in Brooklyn is set for 7:10 p.m. ET (CBS). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Vermont vs. Duke'odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Vermont is on a 10-game win streak after taking down UMass Lowell 66-61 Saturday in the America East Tournament title game. However, the Catamounts failed to cover as 8.5-point home favorites, marking the 4th consecutive game they didn’t cover the spread. G Shamir Bogues scored a team-high 15 points, leading 4 Vermont players in double figures, but the Catamounts only shot 35.6% from the field in the win.
Duke enters on a 2-game skid, recently getting upset as an 11-point favorite by NC State 74-69 in an ACC quarterfinal March 14. The Blue Devils lost despite C Kyle Filipowski'scoring a game-high 28 points with a team-best 14 rebounds.
Duke is ranked No. 14 in the'