Morehead State Eagles vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 3/21/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Morehead State Eagles vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Thursday, March 21, 2024

Location: CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, NE

TV: truTV

Odds/Point Spread: Morehead State (+14)

The Morehead State Eagles (26-8) are headed to CHI Health Center Omaha on Thursday where they will try to beat the Illinois Fighting Illini (26-8) in the NCAA Tournament. Illinois opens this contest as 14-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The total is 147.5.

The Morehead State Eagles took the court against Little Rock and took home the win by a score of 69-55 in their last game. In relation to personal fouls, the Eagles walked away with 7 and Little Rock finished the game with 9 personal fouls. They converted 7 of their 16 attempts from 3-point range. Little Rock walked away from this one shooting 40.0% from the free throw line by making 2 of their 5 shots. On top of that, Little Rock collected 23 rebounds (6 offensive, 17 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Little Rock dished out 8 dimes and had 3 steals for this game. Concerning defending, Morehead State allowed the other team to shoot 41.1% from the floor on 23 out of 56 shooting. They also dished out 12 dimes for the contest while forcing 11 turnovers and having 8 steals. Regarding rebounding, they earned 29 with 4 of them being of the offensive sort. At the charity stripe, the Eagles knocked down 10 of 13 tries for a percentage of 76.9%. Morehead State finished the contest having earned a 50.0% field goal percentage (25 out of 50) and converted 9 out of their 24 shots from distance.

Riley Minix is someone who came through in the game. He finished the game shooting 62.5% from the floor but didn't record an assist. He played 40 minutes and collected 7 rebounds. He accounted for 26 points on 10 out of 16 shooting.

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Morehead State comes into this one with a record of 26-8 this year. They have an average of 75.5 pts per contest (120th in the nation) on 46.9% from the field. The Eagles are connecting on 36.1% on three-point attempts (318 of 882) and 70.5% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Morehead State is pulling in 39.4 rebounds per game and has totaled 512 dimes for the campaign, which has them ranked 46th in the nation in terms of passing. They turn it over 12.0 times per contest and as a unit are committing 15.9 fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Eagles are able to force 10.5 turnovers per contest and they draw 15.8 fouls. They surrender 29.6% on three-point shots and they are ranked 8th in college hoops in PPG allowed (62.8). The Eagles defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 38.9% (757 of 1,947) and they relinquish 30.5 boards per contest as a squad. They rank 3rd in D-1 in giving up assists with 307 relinquished this year.

The last time they took the court, the Illinois Fighting Illini walked away with a victory by a final of 93-87 when they faced Wisconsin. In reference to how they cleaned up the glass, Illinois permitted Wisconsin to grab 25 overall (10 on the offensive side). They shot 35.0% from distance by going 7 out of 20 and finished the contest at 20 out of 23 from the free throw line (87.0%). The Fighting Illini permitted Wisconsin to bury 30 of their 64 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 46.9% for the game. When the final whistle blew, the Fighting Illini finished shooting 30 out of 57 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 52.6%. In the matter of shots from beyond the arc, Illinois made 7 out of their 20 attempts (35.0%). They were able to make 26 of those for a rate of 86.7%. Wisconsin committed 20 personal fouls for this game which got the Fighting Illini to the charity stripe for 30 attempts. They coughed up the ball 9 times, while recording 2 steals for the contest. The Fighting Illini earned 24 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards totaling 35 in the game.

Terrence Shannon was important for the Fighting Illini in this matchup. He knocked down 8 out of 15 for the game for a rate of 53.3%, and added 4 rebounds. He earned 34 points in his 36 mins on the court and accounted for 2 assists in this game.

Illinois has a win-loss record of 26-8 for the year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Fighting Illini are connecting on 47.1% from the field, which has them ranked 49th in Division 1. Illinois has scored 2,870 pts for the campaign (84.4 per contest) and they collect 41.3 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 13.0 times per game (189th in the country) and they are giving up possession 10.8 times per contest. The Fighting Illini commit 15.4 personal fouls per game and they connect on 74.5% from the charity stripe.

The Illinois defense gives up 34.3% on shots from behind the 3-point line (208 of 607) and their opponents are converting on 71.7% of their free throw attempts. They surrender 11.8 assists and 32.9 boards every game, which is ranked 92nd and 74th in D-1. The Fighting Illini on the defensive side of the court are 240th in college basketball in points given up per game with 73.8. They are forcing their opponents into 8.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 43.2% from the field (148th in the nation).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Morehead State (+14)

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