March Madness is maddening and fun as the Vermont Catamounts face the Duke Blue Devils in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. We're here to share our college basketball odds series, make a Vermont-Duke prediction, and pick while showing you how to watch.

Vermont defeated the Mass-Lowell Rivers Hawks 66-61 to win the America East Tournament. Now, they will have one of the toughest challenges yet as they face one of the most historic teams in the college basketball scene. Some players to watch in this game include TJ Long, Aaron Deloney, and Shamir Bogues. As they head into this game, they hope to try and find ways to take down a much better opponent.

Duke lost 74-69 to N.C. State in the AAC Tournament. Now, they hope to bounce back from that loss and make some strides in a tournament they have plenty of experience in. Some players to watch include Kyle Filipowski, Jeremy Roach, Jared McCain, and Mark Mitchell. Ultimately, they all need to step up.

It will be the 10th appearance for the Catamounts in the NCAA Tournament. Yet, they are only 2-9 overall in their history. But it will be their third appearance in a row. However, they have made it out of the first rounce once.

Duke is one of the most prolific teams in college basketball history. Therefore, this team has five NCAA championships, six second-place finishes, and 17 Final Fours. Additionally, they have 118 NCAA Tournament wins. Looking at the last few years, they lost last season in the Round of 32 after making it to the Final Four in 2022. Remember, this is a much different team from the squad, with Mike Krzyzewski as their coach. It's also prudent to remember that Duke has not won a title since 2015.

Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

March Madness Odds: Vermont-Duke Odds

Vermont: +12.5 (-115)

Moneyline: +580

Duke: -12.5 (-105)

Moneyline: -880

Over: 132.5 (-110)

Under: 132.5 (-110)

How to Watch March Madness 

Time: 7:10 PM ET/4:10 PM PT

TV: CBS

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why Vermont Will Cover The Spread/Win

To have any chance against Duke, Vermont needs to have one of its best games ever. Moreover, they need their best players to execute. Long averaged 12.3 points per game during the season. Yet, he only shot 43.5 percent from the floor. Deloney also has some shooting woes to fix. Significantly, he went just 2 for 11 in his last game, with almost all of his points coming from the charity stripe. Bogues averaged 10.9 points per game during the season and also shot 52.8 percent from the floor. Additionally, he had 15 points against Mass-Lowell. Expect the Catamounts to try and get him more involved.

In addition to shooting, Vermont needs to win the board battle. Unfortunately, they were pitiful in the recent win, losing 38-27 on the boards. While their rebounding abilities were not on par, their defense was, as they forced 13 turnovers.

Vermont will cover the spread if their best players can find themselves some open shots. Then, they need to box out and win the board battle.

Why Duke Will Cover The Spread/Win

Duke lost their last game. However, it was not because of Filipkowski. During the season, he averaged 16.7 points and eight rebounds per game while shooting 50.4 percent from the floor. Filipkowski scored 28 points with 14 rebounds against N.C. State while shooting 13 for 20. Therefore, he did his job and will continue to produce. Roach averaged 14.3 points per game while shooting 48.4 percent during the season. However, he managed just five points against N.C. State.

McCain averaged 13.6 points per game while shooting 45.8 percent during the season. Unfortunately, he had just eight points against N.C. State and will need to do more. Mitchell averaged 12.1 points per game while shooting 54.4 percent from the floor during the regular season. Then, he went off for 18 points while shooting 8 for 13 against N.C. State.

Duke lost its last game because most of the team shot poorly. Additionally, they could not hit much from beyond the arc or even the charity stripe. While they did win the board battle, converting shooting opportunities means a lot more.

Duke will cover the spread if Filipkowski and Roach can explode and have a productive game. Then, the Blue Devils must find a way to control the momentum early and often.

Final Vermont-Duke Prediction & Pick

Vermont is 14-18 against the spread as they head into this. Conversely, Duke is 18-13-1 against the spread. Vermont is certainly capable of keeping this game close. Yet, they also shoot poorly and it can derail their game completely. The key factor is Filipkowski. He can change the game on a dime and help power Duke to a blowout win. The loss to N.C. State will also motivate them to come out strong for this one. Duke wins and covers the spread.

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Final Vermont-Duke Prediction & Pick: Duke: -12.5 (-105)