Illinois vs. Morehead State: 2024 NCAA Tournament Odds & Picks
Now that the 2024 NCAA Tournament brackets have been announced, it’s time to make your sports betting picks to increase the excitement of March Madness. Let's take a look at the early odds and picks for the 2024 NCAA Tournament game: Illinois vs. Morehead State. And make sure to check out our 2024 NCAA Tournament Bracket Optimizer to take down your pools!
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2024 NCAA Tournament Odds & Picks: Illinois vs. Morehead State
Illinois 2024 NCAA Tournament Preview
On the backs of a Big Ten championship, Illinois has all the momentum heading into the Big Dance. Terrence Shannon showed what he is capable of the entire tournament and his ability to score at any level as a straight baller. Coleman Hawkins and Marcus Hawkins are both elevated Robin’s to Shannon’s batman and when those three are all on the court, it’s hard to stop the Illini. Brad Underwood’s offense is a juggernaut, ranking in the top five in adjusted efficiency, capitalizing on second-chance opportunities, taking care of the ball, and getting to the foul line.
If there is a limiting factor for Wisconsin, it would be their defense. With a defensive efficiency ranked outside the top 75 and the fact that they force turnovers at the lowest rate of any team in the tournament, the opportunity will be there for opponents to stay in games. Their mid-range defense is especially concerning, as opponents shoot the best from that part of the court with the fourth-highest attempt rate from mid-range. But if there is a spot to have weakness, that would be it. Historically speaking, a team with such a low-rated defense has struggled to win it all. But we saw Miami make a run last year, and other teams before depending on their offense. Illinois can keep up with anyone and it feels like its ceiling is sky-high
Morehead State 2024 NCAA Tournament Preview
Before dropping three games in February, Morehead State looked like the clear-cut favorite to take down the Ohio Valley. Jordan Lathon - the Robin to Riley Minix’s Batman - missed a few games and was a big reason why the Eagles fell. At full strength, Morehead steamrolled, winning six straight with five of those wins by double-digits. The Eagles slow down the place and take a ton of threes, averaging almost nine more attempts than their opponent a game.
Their defense allows nothing from the perimeter, with only 25% of opponents’ points coming from beyond the arc, ranked 337th-lowest in the nation. On the interior, their mid-range defense is top-50 in the nation while their near-proximity is up to par. Preston Spradlin’s squad is solid on paper, but they haven’t lived up to superior opponents. Going 0-4 in the first two quadrants, Morehead State ranked 224th on Bart Torvik against top-150 opponents. They only have two wins over top-200 KenPom teams all year. They take a lot of perimeter looks so if they are hot, an upset is capable. It just seems that Morehead doesn’t step up to their competition. It will be a question of if they can when it matters.
2024 NCAA Tournament Predictions: Illinois vs. Morehead State
The Illini got hot this weekend and blazed the nets on their way to the Big Ten Tournament Championship. Their prize is a matchup with the Ohio Valley champions, Morehead State. The Eagles of Morehead are a team that lives and dies by the three. Their 3PA rate is top 25 in the country and they hit them at an above-average clip as well, 35.3%.
However, Illinois is a team that runs their opponents off of the three-point line. They’ll force Morehead State to try and score closer to the basket, which the Eagles haven’t done much of this season. On the other side of the ball, Illinois might be finding a worthy adversary. Morehead State is a top-10 team in defensive eFG%, and they rebound well, but that’s weighed heavily against OVC competition. Against power conference foes like Alabama, Purdue, Penn State and Indiana, they allowed 83.8 PPG and scored only 62.3 PPG themselves.
The Illinois defense will make Morehead State uncomfortable. Meanwhile, the Illini should have success against a team that relied on some poor shooting against lesser opponents to prop up their numbers. Illinois rolls on to face their Round of 32 demons.
2024 NCAA Tournament Picks: Illinois vs. Morehead State
Bet: Illinois -12.5 (-115 via Caesars Sportsbook)
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2024 NCAA Tournament Sports Betting Picks
Now that the 2024 NCAA Tournament brackets have been announced, it’s time to make your sports betting picks to increase the excitement of March Madness. Let's take a look at the early odds and picks for the 2024 NCAA Tournament
EAST REGION
- UCONN v Stetson (1v16)
- Iowa St. v South Dakota St. (2v15)
- Illinois v Morehead St. (3v14)
- Auburn v Yale (4v13)
- San Diego St. v UAB (5v12)
- BYU v Duquesne (6v11)
- Washington St. v Drake (7v10)
- Florida Atlantic v Northwestern (8v9)
MIDWEST REGION
- Montana St/Grambling St PLAY IN
- Virginia/Colorado St. PLAY IN
- Tennessee vs. Saint Peter’s (2v15)
- Creighton vs. Akron (3v14)
- Kansas vs. Samford (4v13)
- Gonzaga vs. McNeese (5v12)
- South Carolina vs. Oregon (6v11)
- Utah St. vs. TCU (8v9)
SOUTH REGION
- Boise St./Colorado PLAY IN
- Houston vs. Longwood (1v16)
- Marquette vs. Western Kentucky (2v15)
- Kentucky vs. Oakland (3v14)
- Duke vs. Vermont (4v13)
- Wisconsin vs. James Madison (5v12)
- Texas Tech vs. NC State (6v11)
- Nebraska vs. Texas A&M (8v9)
WEST REGION
- Howard/Wagner PLAY IN
- Arizona vs. Long Beach St. (2v15)
- Baylor vs. Colgate (3v14)
- Alabama vs. Charleston (4v13)
- Saint Mary’s vs. Grand Canyon (5v12)
- Clemson vs. New Mexico (6v11)
- Dayton vs. Nevada (7v10)
- Mississippi St. vs. Michigan St. (8v9)
2024 NCAA Tournament Bracket Pool Strategy & Picks
Below we provide strategy, advice, and picks to create the optimal NCAA Tournament bracket. And be sure to use our FREE bracket optimizer to build a winning men’s NCAA tournament bracket and take down your contest!