The Belmont Bruins (18-8) travel to Morehead State to play the Eagles (13-11) in a matchup that pits the Ohio Valley’s top-ranked offense against the fifth-ranked defense. The game starts at 12:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 13 and will air on CCS.
The Eagles beat Eastern Kentucky 61-50 on Thursday. Anthony Elechi led all scorers on the team with 16 points on 7-for-15 shooting. The Bruins are coming off an 81-73 win over Jacksonville State on Wednesday. Amanze Egekeze played well for Belmont, posting 15 points, five rebounds, and three steals.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Bruins won the first game 73-67. Evan Bradds played a big role with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Eagles enter the game with records of 13-11 Straight Up (SU) and 12-11 Against The Spread (ATS). Morehead State has averaged 81.0 points per game over the last 10 games, higher than its season average of 70.8. Teams have a tough time keeping Morehead State off of the offensive glass. They rank fifth in Division I in offensive rebounds. The Morehead State defense has done poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 73.7 points per game, well above their season average of 66.7. The Eagles are the 19th-best team in the country at taking the ball away from their opponents, averaging 8.2 steals per game.
Across the court, the Bruins head into the game with records of 10-14-1 ATS and 18-8 SU. The Bruins will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent offensive struggles. In their most recent 10 games, their scoring has dropped to 72.0 PPG, compared to 70.8 for the duration of the season. Belmont is one of the top shooting teams in the country, converting .492 of its shots from the floor. The last 10 games have really brought out the best of the Bruins on the defensive end. They’ve allowed 69.3 points per game during that span, which is lower than their season average of 76.6. The Bruins are in for a physical game against Morehead State. The Eagles are not afraid to send opponents to the free throw line, averaging 22.8 fouls per game.
Belmont beat Morehead State in their most recent meeting this season, moving its SU record against Morehead State to 7-1 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. Additionally, Belmont leads the matchup ATS with a record of 4-3-1. Morehead State had the advantage in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) twice over the last five matchups. Belmont has never had the edge in all three categories.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mor, ATS Winner – Mor
Notes
“Morehead State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Morehead State’s last 5 games “.
“Morehead State is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“Morehead State is 14-2 SU in its last 16 games at home”.
“Morehead State is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Belmont”.
“Morehead State is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing Belmont”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Morehead State’s last 5 games when playing Belmont”.
Belmont sits at 10-2 SU against its conference rivals, while Morehead State is 7-5 SU.
Morehead State has allowed an average of 62.0 points per home game this season. Belmont averages 79.4 points per away game, ranking 18th in scoring.
Belmont beats Morehead State in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Bruins average 72.3 possessions and 1.133 points per possession, while the Eagles average 66.0 possessions with 1.071 points per possession.
Belmont has an average effective field goal percentage of 58.2% (ranked fifth in the nation). Morehead State is an abysmal 1-5 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Morehead State attempts 15.0 three pointers and Belmont attempts 28.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Morehead State Eagles are 2-3 while the Belmont Bruins have a winning 16-8 record.
Belmont ranks 72nd in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.24. Morehead State is ranked lower at 159th with an A/TO of 1.08.
The Morehead State Eagles average 8.2 steals per game, ranked 19th in the nation. The Belmont Bruins have a 6-5 record when they allow at least 8 steals.
