Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Preview & Betting Guide: Morehead State Seeks Return To NCAA's

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Preview & Betting Guide:

The cream of the crop in Belmont and Murray State may have left the OVC, but plenty of talent and drama remains among the league’s eight participants. Morehead State is the expected winner, but plenty of capable contenders lurk further back in the bracket. To prepare, we will discuss the favorite, a dark horse, and the best bet that we think could go dancing on the league’s behalf.

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Dates & Sites

Dates: March 1st-4th

Location: Ford Center – Evansville, IN

Championship Game Details: Saturday, March 4th, 6:00 p.m. ET – ESPN

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Winner Odds

The story for Morehead State that completely turned their season around has been the emergence of Mark Freeman as a center-piece offensive weapon. The senior averaged just 11.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game on 34.1 percent from the floor in the team’s first ten games of the season. Since then, Freeman has lit up the conference. In their previous 17 outings, he has averaged 16.9 points, 3.3 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game, along with a 44.6 field-goal percentage. NAIA grad transfer Alex Gross mans the paint and could be an X-factor here. The Eagles are 18-5 in games where he scores double-figures.

Dark Horse: Tennessee State +800

With their tournament starting a round earlier than Morehead State in the quarterfinals, it explains the hefty price here on Tennessee State. But if they can get to the semifinals against the Eagles, they have proven they can hang with the league favorite. The Tigers were in it until the bitter end in an eight-point home loss back in December, while they put up a valiant effort in a ten-point road defeat last month. Senior guard Jr. Clay is the team’s heart and soul, and his capability keeps Tennessee State in every game. He has flirted with triple-doubles on numerous occasions this season. If he catches fire in Evansville, watch out.

Best Bet: Morehead State +130

Because the OVC puts the top two seeds in the semifinals, it gives the Eagles one of the most significant advantages in a conference tournament. You are essentially betting on a two-leg parlay for them to win in both the semifinal and final games, where they are virtually guaranteed to be the favorite on the neutral court. Their dominant run of 11 wins in their previous 12 games feels too much for anyone in this conference to overcome. Back Morehead State to receive the OVC auto-bid.

All NCAA predictions and picks are courtesy of SportsGrid.