Hampton vs. Manhattan Betting Line – Jaspers a -9 Favorite

The Hampton vs. Manhattan betting line for the Pirates-Jaspers NCAA Tournament First Round game can be found at Sportsook. HAMPTON PIRATES (16-17) vs. MANHATTAN JASPERS (19-13) NCAA Tournament – First Round Sportsbook.ag Line: Manhattan -9, Total: 140.5 Manhattan and Hampton face-off Tuesday and the winner would earn a second round matchup with No. 1 Kentucky. The Hampton Pirates earned a spot in the tournament after winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference on Saturday. The Pirates faced Delaware State in the championship and won 82-61 as 1.5-point underdogs. The team was not favored in any of its tournament games, but it enters the NCAA tournament after having won-and-covered in five straight contests. Meanwhile, Manhattan caught fire at the end of the season. The Jaspers beat a very talented Iona team 79-69 as 3.5-point underdogs in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship on Mar. 9. The team won-and-covered in its past three games and enters this tournament having won seven of its past eight games SU. This meeting between the teams will be the first ever. Hampton is 7-0 ATS in all lined games this season. Manhattan is 11-4 ATS off a win against a conference rival this season and 8-1 ATS in all tournament games over the past two seasons. G Dwight Meikle (Ankle) is listed as questionable for the Pirates in this game and the Jaspers are not currently dealing with any injuries heading into the tournament. Hampton was one of the most unexpected teams to be in the tournament field, as the team went under .500 in the regular season but earned an automatic berth with a win in its conference tournament. The team is mediocre on both ends of the floor, averaging 67.2 PPG (183rd in NCAA) on 40.8% shooting (294th in NCAA) and allowing 68.0 PPG (224th in NCAA). The best player for this team all season was G Dwight Meikle (13.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.5 BPG), but he did not play in any of the team’s conference tournament victories. He is dealing with an ankle injury and is questionable for this game. If he were unable to go then G Reggie Johnson (11.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.3 SPG) would need to step his game up. Johnson did just that against Delaware State, pouring in 20 points in the game. He has a solid shot from the outside (35% 3PT), but he’ll need to avoid jacking up low percentage shots Tuesday. G Brian Darden (9.7 PPG) also came up big in the victory Saturday, scoring 20 points in 36 minutes. He is yet another good outside shooter (36% 3PT) and must come ready to contribute if Meikle is unable to play. G Deron Powers (10.5 PPG, 3.7 APG, 3.2 RPG, 1.2 SPG) is one of the most consistent performers for this team. He had 16 points in the conference championship and has now scored 16+ in three of the past four games. He is a good scorer and knows when to get his teammates involved. F Quinton Chievous (10.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG) is the team’s best rebounder even though he is just 6-foot-6. Chievous struggled against the Hornets on Saturday, finishing with just five points and four rebounds in 24 minutes. He’ll need to really be a force on the glass against the Jaspers Tuesday. F Charles Wilson-Fisher (3.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG) has had three games with 7+ rebounds in the past four games. He could be in for some increased minutes in this game, as he is one of the only players with size on this entire roster. Manhattan is a solid team offensively, averaging 69.9 PPG (103rd in NCAA) on 43.5% shooting (181st in NCAA). The team does allow a lousy 67.5 PPG (199th in NCAA) despite averaging 8.1 SPG (21st in NCAA). The Jaspers will need to tighten things up defensively in the tournament, but one thing they’ll be glad to have in this game is size. F Ashton Pankey (13.5 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.4 BPG) could really dominate Hampton on Tuesday. Pankey is big and knows how to throw his body around in the post. He had 21 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks against Iona in the conference championship and should really be able to have his way against a small Hampton frontcourt. F Emmy Andujar (16.5 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 3.5 APG, 2.1 SPG), however, is the Jaspers’ most important player. Andujar does it all for Manhattan and will make whatever the play is that his teammates need in order to win. He had 18 points, 11 boards, four assists and two steals against Iona and will need to hit the glass hard against Hampton. Although Andujar is more of a perimeter player, he has the size to really disrupt the Pirates inside with Pankey. G RaShawn Stores (6.3 PPG, 3.0 APG, 1.2 SPG) is a solid playmaker for this team in the backcourt. Stores can knock down outside shots (42% 3PT) and rarely ever forces the issue. He’s averaging 9.0 PPG over the past two games and if he can score like that then Manhattan should advance to a matchup with Kentucky. G Shane Richards (13.1 PPG, 3.6 RPG) could be the x-factor for this game. Richards is an incredible shooter from behind the arc (39% shooter) and if he gets hot then Hampton may not have the firepower to keep up with Manhattan Tuesday. - Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com