The Jacksonville State Gamecocks (7-15) visit Morehead State to play the Eagles (10-8) in a game that has the potential to be low-scoring. The game gets underway at 12:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 23.
The Eagles were victorious over Tennessee Tech 81-74 on Thursday. Xavier Moon was the game’s high scorer with 24 points on 8-for-14 shooting. The Gamecocks are coming off a bitter 91-88 loss to Eastern Kentucky on Thursday. Jeremy Watson had a solid game, accumulating his second double-double of the season with 26 points and 14 rebounds.
Half-court execution will be at a premium as Morehead State ranks 318th in the nation in possessions per game (66.0 possessions per game), while Jacksonville State is 298th (66.7).
Morehead State is a considerable 13-point favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is 131 points. The Eagles enter the game with records of 10-8 Straight Up (SU) and 8-9 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 3-7 ATS over their last 10 games. Teams have a tough time keeping Morehead State off of the offensive glass. They rank 10th in Division I in offensive rebounds. Turning to the defensive side, the Morehead State defense is very good at home, only giving up 61.1 points per game.
Across the court, the Gamecocks head into the game with records of 9-7 ATS and 7-15 SU.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time Morehead State and Jacksonville State played, Morehead State won, moving its SU record against Jacksonville State to 8-2 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. However, with a 6-4 record, Jacksonville State has the advantage ATS. Morehead State held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last five games, while Jacksonville State wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mor, ATS Winner – Mor, O/U – Over
Notes
Morehead State is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games.
Morehead State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Morehead State’s last 5 games.
Morehead State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
Morehead State is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games at home.
Morehead State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Jacksonville State.
Morehead State is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Jacksonville State.
Morehead State sits at 4-2 SU against its conference rivals, while Jacksonville State is 3-4 SU.
Jacksonville State scores just 65.8 points per away game (ranked 257th). Morehead State ranks 43rd in points allowed at home, giving up 61.1 points.
The Jacksonville State Gamecocks average 66.7 possessions per game and 1.045 points per possession. The Morehead State Eagles earn fewer possessions with 66.0, but they score more points with 1.073.
The Morehead State Eagles average an effective field goal percentage of 48.8% this season. The Jacksonville State Gamecocks have a poor record of 4-9 when opponents have an eFG% of 48.8% or greater.
On average, Morehead State attempts 16.0 three pointers and Jacksonville State attempts 22.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Morehead State Eagles are even at 2-2 while the Jacksonville State Gamecocks have a losing 5-10 record.
Morehead State makes an average of 8.4 steals per game, ranked 24th in the country. Jacksonville State has not won a game this season when it has given up 8 or more steals (0-3).
