The Morehead State Eagles get together with the Duquesne Dukes in the second round of the CBI tournament at Ellis T Johnson Arena. The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Monday, Mar. 21.
The Eagles played well in their last game, topping Siena 84-80 in the 1. Lyonell Gaines fueled the Eagles, recording 20 points and 11 rebounds to notch his second double-double this season. The Dukes, meanwhile, are coming off a 120-112 win against Omaha in the 1. Derrick Colter led the team in scoring by posting 28 points on 6-for-13 shooting.
Colter has been on a tear over the last five games for the Dukes, averaging 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.0 steal, and 3.2 three-pointers.
Points could be at a premium in this matchup between two of the nation’s best defenses. Morehead State ranks 22nd in the nation in defensive efficiency (101.7), while Duquesne is 33rd (106.6). It will also be a tale of two tempos, as the up-and-down Dukes are ranked 17th in possessions per game with the methodical Eagles at 295th.
The Eagles come into this game 20-12 Straight Up (SU) and 17-13 Against The Spread (ATS).
Over on the other bench, Duquesne has a SU record of 17-16 and an ATS record of 15-15. The Dukes have controlled the glass with an average of 39.2 rebounds per game, 44th in the country. Switching gears to the Duquesne defense, teams seem to consistently miss shots against the Dukes, who are the 13th-best team in the nation in terms of opponent field goal percentage allowed at .416.
This game will be the first meeting for Morehead State and Duquesne in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mor, ATS Winner – Mor
Notes
“Morehead State is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“Morehead State is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Morehead State’s last 5 games “.
“Morehead State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
The Morehead State Eagles rank 95th for their offensive rating of 109.3. The Duquesne Dukes have a defensive rating of 106.6 (ranked 33rd).
The Duquesne Dukes average 73.5 possessions per game and 1.085 points per possession. The Morehead State Eagles earn fewer possessions with 66.6, but they score more points with 1.093.
Morehead State has an average effective field goal percentage of 49.1%. Duquesne is a poor 6-11 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Morehead State Eagles attempt 15.0 three point field goals per game and the Duquesne Dukes attempt 25.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, Morehead State has a 3-4 record and Duquesne has a 16-15 record.
Duquesne, the 44th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 39.2 rebounds per game. Morehead State does worse, ranked 116th with 37.1.
The Morehead State Eagles average 8.2 steals per game (ranked 17th). The Duquesne Dukes have an underachieving record of 4-7 when they allow at least 8 steals.
