Robert Morris Colonials vs. North Florida Ospreys Betting, March Madness Pick

The North Florida Ospreys will make their first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament Wednesday in the First Four when they take on the Robert Morris Colonials in a matchup of No. 16 seeds for a shot at the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils Friday.

North Florida topped the South Carolina Upstate Spartans 63-57 for the Atlantic Sun tournament title as a 5.5-point favorite while Robert Morris upset the St. Francis Terriers 66-63 as a 5.5-point underdog to win the Northeast championship.

Opening spread

The Ospreys opened as two-point favorites. (Compare lines and consensus on the Odds Shark matchup report)

Why pick Robert Morris to cover the spread

The Colonials bring a six-game winning streak with them into the First Four and covered the spread in all three games they played in the Northeast tourney. In the first two games of the conference tournament, Robert Morris routed the Wagner Seahawks 91-68 as nine-point favorites and followed that up by topping the Bryant Bulldogs 66-53 as seven-point chalk.

The Colonials have covered five of their last six lined games overall as well and lost 80-66 to the Georgetown Hoyas in their season opener as part of a 1-4 start to the year. They last appeared in the Big Dance back in 2010, nearly upsetting the Villanova Wildcats as a No. 15 seed in a 73-70 overtime loss but still covering the spread easily as 17-point underdogs.

Why pick North Florida to cover the spread

The Ospreys come out of the same conference that produced the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, who became the first No. 15 seed to ever make it to the Sweet 16 two years ago with upsets over the Georgetown Hoyas and San Diego State Aztecs. The Eagles were playing in their first NCAA tournament then, just like North Florida this time around.

The team is riding an eight-game winning streak and had no problems in the Atlantic Sun tourney, taking all three games by a combined 34 points. Those were the only games on the betting board this season for the Ospreys, who went 2-1 against the spread after covering the last two, with the lone non-cover a 14-point win over the Stetson Hatters.

Smart betting pick

North Florida is the slightly hotter of the two teams, winning eight straight compared to six in a row for Robert Morris. And while the school that advances here may not have a chance against No. 1 seed Duke in the next round, both will have fun with the experience and should play loose with nothing much to lose.

The Ospreys are a comparable offensive team to Florida Gulf Coast two years ago, averaging 75.7 points per game to rank 25th in the country. The Colonials also have the capability to score, averaging 76.7 points over the past seven. Look for a high-scoring game between these two teams as they let it all hang out on the court offensively in hopes of moving on and facing the Blue Devils.

Power rankings

Robert Morris Colonials: No. 166

North Florida Ospreys: No. 235 (per Odds Shark power ranks)

March Madness betting trends

North Florida ended year on 16-2 straight-up run

Robert Morris ended year on 6-0 straight-up run

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