The largest spread dating back to at least ‘96 was Duke laying 46.5 points vs. Florida A&M in ‘99 (the Blue Devils failed to cover in a 99-58 win).  Kentucky, in ‘97 and ‘96, covered as 30- and 33.5-point favorites vs. Montana and San Jose State, respectively.

Line: Kentucky -32, Total: 134 (current NCAA Tournament point spreads and totals)

Hampton Record 17-17 ATS 8-0 O/U 3-3-1 Overview: Hampton beat Manhattan outright, 74-64, as a 9-point underdog in the Tournament’s first round in Dayton on Tuesday, and the Pirates have covered the spread in every lined game they’ve played this season.  In fact, the win over the Jaspers was their fourth by double-digits when catching points this season. They covered as 22.5-point dogs in a 65-47 loss at Syracuse in November, and as 22.5-point dogs in a 73-55 loss at Illinois in December.  As you know, Kentucky presents a far different challenge.

Team page: Hampton Pirates

Kentucky Record 34-0 ATS 19-13-2 O/U 14-20 Overview: While they’re obviously still unbeaten, there was a stretch this season where the Wildcats were having trouble keeping up with their rating, dropping five straight games against the spread starting in late January.  Since then, it hasn’t much mattered how big a spread Kentucky is asked to lay, as it’s 8-1-2 ATS in its last 11 games.  Laying 30-plus points isn’t even foreign territory for John Calipari’s guys – they are 3-2 ATS in the spot this season.  Also, after a mid-season run of 9-2 to the OVER, Kentucky’s UNDER form has re-emerged, as UNDER has cashed in three of its last four games. 

Team page: Kentucky Wildcats

Handicapping tools: Matchup analysis | Power ratings | ATS standings

The Linemakers’ lean: While it’s fun to talk about spreads this large, it’s usually not that much betting them, either laying the points or taking them.  So instead of the side, we’ll offer a lean on the total.  We like the UNDER, as it will be surprising to see Hampton score 45 in this one.

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