The Jacksonville State Gamecocks (8-22) will finish out the regular season on their home court when they square off against the Morehead State Eagles (17-11) at Pete Mathews Coliseum. The game starts at 5:30 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 27.
The Gamecocks got blown out by Eastern Kentucky 76-54 on Thursday. Christian Cunningham had a good game for Jacksonville State, contributing seven points, six rebounds, and five blocks. The Eagles, meanwhile, are coming off a 69-59 win over Tennessee Tech on Thursday. Lyonell Gaines shot 7 for 8 and led in scoring with 15 points.
Half-court execution will be at a premium as Jacksonville State ranks 307th in the nation in possessions per game (66.3 possessions per game), while Morehead State is 309th (66.3). The Eagles could also control the offensive glass in this matchup, as they rank fourth in the nation in OR% at 40.2%. The Gamecocks, meanwhile, place near the bottom of the nation (310th) on the defensive backboards with a DR% of 66.8%.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Gamecocks won the first game 78-74. Despite the loss, Xavier Moon was a top performer in the game with 22 points, four rebounds, one assist, two steals, and three three-pointers.
The Gamecocks are looking to improve on their records of 8-22 Straight Up (SU) and 13-11 Against The Spread (ATS). Jacksonville State has averaged 74.1 points per game over the last 10 games, higher than its season average of 67.6. Morehead State has a habit of getting in foul trouble (22.8 fouls per game), so expect the Gamecocks to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
On the other side, the Eagles head into the game with records of 14-12 ATS and 17-11 SU. Morehead State is one of the better offensive rebounding teams in Division I. The Eagles average 15.0 offensive rebounds per game, making them the third-best team in the country for that category. The Morehead State defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking 45th in Division I with only 66.6 points allowed per game.
Following the Gamecocks’ latest win over Morehead State, Jacksonville State is still behind in the head-to-head record over their most recent meetings, 3-7 SU. The Gamecocks hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Morehead State held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last five meetings. Jacksonville State never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mor, ATS Winner – Mor
Notes
“Jacksonville State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“Jacksonville State is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Jacksonville State’s last 7 games “.
“Jacksonville State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“Jacksonville State is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Jacksonville State’s last 5 games at home”.
“Jacksonville State is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Morehead State”.
“Jacksonville State is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Morehead State”.
“The total has gone OVER in 12 of Jacksonville State’s last 15 games when playing Morehead State”.
“Jacksonville State is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Morehead State”.
Morehead State sits at 10-5 SU against the conference, while Jacksonville State is 4-11 SU.
Jacksonville State scores just 69.0 points per home game (ranked 231st). Morehead State ranks 55th in points allowed on the road, giving up 69.9 points.
The Jacksonville State Gamecocks average 66.3 possessions per game and 1.020 points per possession, while the Morehead State Eagles earn fewer possessions (66.3) but more points per possession (1.086).
The Jacksonville State Gamecocks average an effective field goal percentage of 47.2% this season. The Morehead State Eagles have an underachieving record of 4-10 when opponents have an eFG% of 47.2% or greater.
On average, Jacksonville State attempts 22.0 three pointers and Morehead State attempts 15.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Jacksonville State Gamecocks have a poor 6-17 record while the Morehead State Eagles are even at 3-3.
Morehead State ranks third in offensive rebounding, placing it among the best in the nation. Jacksonville State ranks a poor 343rd in defensive rebounds.
Morehead State is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TO% of 23.2% (ranked ninth). Jacksonville State is winless this season (0-4 SU) when its TO% reaches 23.2% or greater.
