Charleston vs. Hampton Prediction, Odds for College Basketball on Thursday, Feb. 26

Thursday’s college basketball action kicks off at 11 a.m. EST, as a Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) matchup takes place between the Charleston Cougars (19-10) and Hampton Pirates (12-16).

Charleston is the No. 2 team in the CAA this season, going 12-4 in conference play, which has it in the mix to represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament in March. Meanwhile, the Pirates are just 6-9 in conference play and have a four-point road loss to the Cougars under their belt this season.

However, Hampton has been very solid at home (9-1) this season, and it’s set as a 5.5-point underdog in this matchup. The Pirates have lost three games in a row, including their first home loss of the campaign against North Carolina A&T by one point.

The Cougars enter this game on a three-game winning streak, and they’re 7-3 against the spread in their 10 road games in the 2025-26 campaign.

Can they complete a season sweep of the Pirates on Thursday?

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, a player to watch and my prediction for this opening matchup in college hoops on Feb. 26.

Charleston vs. Hampton Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Charleston -5.5 (-110)
Hampton +5.5 (-110)

Moneyline

Charleston: -238
Hampton: +195

Total

140.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

Charleston vs. Hampton How to Watch

Date: Thursday, Feb. 26
Time: 11:00 a.m. EST
Venue: Convocation Center
How to Watch (TV): FloSports, MNMT
Charleston record: 19-10
Hampton record: 12-16

Charleston vs. Hampton Key Player to Watch

Jlynn Counter, Guard, Charleston

Senior guard Jlynn Counter had a big game against Hampton earlier this season, scoring 19 points on 5-of-10 shooting (9-for-11 from the free-throw line) while dishing out seven dimes.

Counter is averaging 15.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game for the Cougars while shooting 46.3 percent from the field. The senior does it all for the Charleston, and he’s put together back-to-back impressive games to extend the Cougars’ winning streak to three:

vs. Monmouth: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists
@ North Carolina A&T: 16 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists

Hampton is just 199th in the country in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency, so Counter is a solid bet to have a big game offensively on Thursday morning.

Charleston vs. Hampton Prediction and Pick

Even though Charleston has a much better record this season, it still is just the 163rd team in KenPom’s latest rankings, sitting outside the top-200 in adjusted offensive efficiency and outside the top-100 in adjusted defensive efficiency.

The Pirates played the Cougars tight in their last matchup, losing by just four on the road, and Hampton has been elite against the spread at home, covering in all but one game this season.

That has led to an impressive 9-1 mark straight up, yet oddsmakers have set the Pirates as two-possession underdogs on Thursday.

Charleston has a pretty good defense when it comes to opponent shooting (66th in opponent effective field goal percentage), but it ranks outside the top-300 in opponent turnover rate. The Pirates have struggled taking care of the ball this season (outside the top-200 in turnover rate), but they only had eight giveaways in their first meeting with the Cougars.

I don’t mind taking the points with a Hampton team that has dominated at home in the 2025-26 season.

Pick: Hampton +5.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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