Morehead State vs. UT Martin Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Ohio Valley Semifinal

Morehead State and UT-Martin will look to punch its tickets to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Final on Friday night.
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Morehead State and UT-Martin will look to punch its tickets to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Final on Friday night.

The Eagles, despite being the No. 3 seed have been the conference tournament favorite, paced by an explosive offense that leads the conference in three-point percentage and has the size to shut down the interior. Morehead State is a considerable favorite against the Skyhawks, the No. 2 seed, will the team make good on its price?

Here's our full betting preview for the OVC semis.

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Morehead State vs. UT-Martin Odds, Spread and Total

UT-Martin vs. Morehead State Betting Trends

  • UT-Martin has covered in nine of the last 10 games
  • Morehead State is 14-7 against the spread (ATS) as a favorite this season
  • UT-Martin has gone UNDER in 16 of 27 games against Division 1 teams this season

Morehead State vs. UT-Martin How to Watch

  • Date: Friday, March 8
  • Game Time: 10:30 PM EST
  • Venue: Ford Center
  • How to Watch (TV): ESPNU
  • Morehead State Record: 24-8
  • UT-Martin Record: 21-10

Morehead State vs. UT-Martin Key Players to Watch

Morehead State

Jordan Lathon: Lathon missed the loss to Tennessee Martin back on February 17th, but will look to play a role like he did in the first meeting, scoring 22 points with nine rebounds in the 18-point win.

UT-Martin

Jordan Sears: A near-43% three-point shooter, Sears will look to continue the Skyhawks season against Morehead State. UT-Martin plays at a top 15 tempo behind the ball handling of Sears, can the team out-duel the Eagles, who have the best offense and defense in the league?

Morehead State vs. UT-Martin Prediction and Pick

Despite being the heavy favorite, it was Morehead State who played in the quarterfinals, defeating SIU-Edwardsville by double digits. However, the Eagles play one of the shortest rotations in the entire country, 345th in bench minutes, per KenPom.

With that in mind, fatigue can play a role against UT-Martin's frenetic tempo. Sears loves to play in the open court, and Morehead State will oblige on defense while opting to play in the halfcourt on defense.

UT-Martin's disciplined defenses does a great job on the glass, which can offset Morehead State's OVC leading offensive rebounding rate and will make Morehead State play in the half court. UT-Martin ranks as a top 50 defense in terms of half court points allowed per possession, per ShotQuality.

This game is set up to be a grind, I'll take the points on a neutral court.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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