Illinois vs Morehead State: Odds and Pick

From the CHI Health Center in Omaha Nebraska, the NCAA Tournament will take place on Thursday afternoon. The Fighting Illini of Illinois will take on the Eagles of Morehead State. This game features the third seed in the East Region, taking on the 14 seed. The winner of this game will move on to take on the winner of Brigham Young and Duquesne on Saturday.

The Illinois Fighting Illini come into this game as the favorite. Illinois is listed at -11.5 over Morehead State. The total for this game is set at 147.5. MyBookie offers the Illinois vs. Morehead State odds plus the winning pick for the game in this March Madness betting analysis

Illinois vs. Morehead State Odds and Pick for the Game: 2024 March Madness Betting Analysis | MyBookie Preview of the First Round of the Tournament

2024 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament | 85th annual edition of the tournament

3 Illinois Fighting Illini vs 14 Morehead State Eagles | South Region: 1st Round
ATS Odds: Illinois -11.5

Eagles Looking to Soar

The Morehead State Eagles have not lost a game since a home game back on February 20th. That was to Southern Indiana. Since then, the Eagles have won six straight, which started with a road win at Western Illinois. In the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, the Eagles beat Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, UT Martin and Little Rock. The three wins were by an average of more than 11 points per game.

The non conference season for Morehead State saw them start the season 2-3. The first game of the season was a blowout loss to Alabama. Two games later, the Eagles played Purdue and lost by 30. Another November game was against Penn State. Morehead State later lost by a point on the road at Indiana just before Christmas.

The Eagles are scoring 75.5 points per game. The Eagles are making more than nine three point shots per game. Morehead State is making 36% from downtown. The Eagles are also one of the top rebounding teams in the country. They are ripping down more than 36 rebounds per game.

The Eagles have four guys scoring double digits per game. The other three include Jordan Lathon, Kalil Thomas and Drew Thelwell.

This is the first time since 2021 that the Eagles of Morehead State are playing in the NCAA Tournament. That season, they were a 14 seed, and lost to the Mountaineers of West Virginia. Back in 2011, the Eagles won as a 13 seed over Louisville. The Eagles also won a game back in 2009 as an opening round winner.

Illinois – Big Ten Tournament Champions

The Fighting Illni went on the road to start March and beat Wisconsin. It was the first of two wins over the Badgers this month. The lone loss for the Illini in March was at home to Purdue. In the Big Ten Tournament, the Orange and Blue beat Ohio State, Nebraska and Wisconsin. In each of those games, the Illini trailed. Illinois scored 98 in the win over Nebraska and 93 against Wisconsin.

Illinois has been battle tested. Outside of the Big Ten slate, they saw Marquette early in the season, and also battled against Florida Atlantic and Tennessee. The Illini started the New Year with a 30 point win over Northwestern, who also made the NCAA Tournament.

On the season, the Fighting Illini are scoring 84.4 points per game. Illinois makes over 40% of their shots on the season. They are also deadly from downtown, as they are making 8.3 per game. Illinois is another really solid rebounding team. The Fighting Illini rip down 38 per game.

Terrence Shannon has been absolutely on fire for the Illini. Shannon scored 28 in the win over Ohio State, and then backed it up with 40 over Nebraska and 34 in the win over Wisconsin. On the season, the guard scored 23 points per game. Marcus Domask, who transferred over from Southern Illini, scored 16 points per game for the Illini.

Illinois is back in the tournament for the fourth straight season. The Fighting Illini are 2-3 in their last 5 tournament games. The Illini won one game in each 2021 and 2022, but were downed in the first round by Arkansas a season ago. Illinois has not been out of the second round of the tournament since they lost in the National Title game to North Carolina back in 2005.

Illini Win a Tight One

When push comes to shove, the Orange and Blue from Champaign Illinois should win this game. But, the Illini do not play great defense, so Morehead State is going to stay in this game. The talent of the Illini shines through late, and Brad Underwood and his team moves along to the second round. The final bet for this game is the Morehead State Eagles +11.5 over the Fighting Illini of Illinois. Our final score prediction is 80-72 Illinois over Morehead State.

Rest of the Region

The rest of the East Region sees the UConn Huskies at the top of the region. They will take on Stetson in the 1/16 game. The second seed in the East Region is the Iowa State Cyclones. Iowa State came into the tournament red hot after they won the Big 12 title game in blowout fashion over the Houston Cougars. Iowa State plays South Dakota State in the first round. Another conference tournament winner – the Auburn Tigers come into the tournament as the fourth seed in the East region. They will take on the winner of the Ivy League. Next, the five seeded San Diego State Aztecs are one of six Mountain West Conference teams in the tournament. They will battle the 12 seed UAB Blazers.

Illinois vs. Morehead State
NCAAB Pick: Morehead State Eagles | Odds for College Basketball MyBookie Betting Lines for March Madness

Good luck with all your College Basketball betting and enjoy the NCAA Tournament. We are excited for this game and all the big dance games!

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