Morehead State vs WVU Odds and Picks
- No. 3 seed West Virginia has lost of its last four games entering a Midwest Region game against Morehead State at 9:50 pm ET on Friday
- Ohio Valley champion Morehead State has won seven games in a row and 19 of its last 20
- Check out the odds, analysis, and betting predictions, below
West Virginia (18-9) has struggled down the stretch, losing three of its last four games as it prepares for its first-round game against Morehead State at 9:50 pm ET on Friday. The Mountaineers have appeared in four of the last five NCAA tournaments.
Morehead State (23-7) enters on a roll, having won seven games in a row and a program-record 19 of 20. The Eagles clinched their eighth NCAA appearance and first since 2011 by beating Belmont 86-71 in Ohio Valley tournament title game. The Eagles beat Louisville as a No. 13 seed in the 2011 tourney.
Morehead State vs WVU odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morehead State Eagles | +640 | +13 (-110) | 137.5 (Ov-110) |
| WVU Mountaineers | -950 | -13 (-110) | 137.5 (Un-110) |
Odds from FanDuel on March 18.
West Virginia enters after back-to-back losses to Oklahoma State, by five points in the regular-season finale and by three points in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals. The Mountaineers were seeded fourth in the Big 12 tournament. Oklahoma State was seeded fifth.
Morehead State has lost only once after falling to Clemson 66-51 on Dec. 21. The Eagles lost the first game of the season series against Belmont on Feb. 13 before running the table the rest of the way. They never trailed in the OVC title game and led by 23 points with 3.5 minutes remaining. They are the lone representative from the state of Kentucky in the tournament.
Big-Time Bigs
Both West Virginia and Morehead State have built their offenses around attention-demanding post presences and complement that with perimeter shooting.
West Virginia 6’10 junior center Derek Culver is averaging 14.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, and he is averaging almost three offensive rebounds per game. Culver, a physical 255 pounds, has 11 double-doubles.
Morehead State 6’10 freshman Johni Broome was the OVC Freshman of the Year after leading the Eagles in scoring (13.9), rebounding (9.0), and blocked shots (53). He has 13 double-doubles and enters with a streak of four straight.
Broome, 235 pounds, has become more effective as his first season progressed. He is averaging 17.7 points and 11.6 rebounds in the last 12 games while shooting 58.6% from the field. He had a career-high 27 points and 12 rebounds in the Ohio Valley championship game.
Neither Broome nor Culver has attempted a three-pointer all season.
The Perimeter Threats
West Virginia gets much of its scoring from guards Miles McBride (15.4 points per game), Taz Sherman (13.6) and Sean McNeill (11.8), and all three finished the regular season on a bit of a slide.
McBride had 19 points in the Big 12 Tournament loss to Oklahoma State but had only 27 points in the three previous games and shot 36.3% percent when the Mountaineers split their last eight games. He has made five of his last 28 three-point attempts.
McNeil, who leads the team with 61 three-pointers, was 7-of-24 shooting in the two recent losses to Oklahoma State. Sixth-man Sherman has scored at least 19 points in four of his last six games and had eight and four in the others. Sherman had 39 points and eight three-pointers in the two losses to Oklahoma State.
Morehead State relies on guards DeVon Cooper and Skyelar Potter, who likewise benefit when defenses collapse on Broome. Cooper is averaging 12.2 points per game and Potter is averaging 11.8.
Potter, who has a team-high 57 three-pointers, had four double-doubles in the final 10 games of the regular season and scored in double figures in 10 of his last 13. Cooper has 47 threes, and he enters the tournament having made 26 straight free throws.
WVU Tournament-Tested
West Virginia has made a habit of playing well in the NCAAs.
The Mountaineers have won their first tournament game in 10 of their last 12 appearances and have reached at least the Sweet Sixteen in eight of their last 12, including its last two in 2018 and 2017. They beat OVC champ Murray State 85-68 in the first game in 2018.
West Virginia has won all three meetings with Morehead State, the most recent in 2011.
By the Numbers
West Virginia has been tested. Despite playing the 19th most difficult schedule in NCAA Division I, the Mountaineers are 27th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin and 11th in adjusted offensive efficiency. The Mountaineers are 24th in the NCAA net rankings and are 7-7 in Quad I games.
Morehead State is 13th in Division I with 5.0 blocked shots per game, 26th in rebound margin at plus-6.6 and 30th in opponents’ field goal percentage at 40.4%.
Morehead State averages 60.7 possessions per game, among the slowest paces in Division I, and is ranked 72nd in adjusted defensive efficiency. It has given up 64.0 points per game and led the OVC in 10 defensive categories.
The game presents a step up in class for the Eagles, although they prepped for the tournament competition with non-conference scheduled that included games against Kentucky, Ohio State and Clemson. They lost all three.
The pick: Morehead State +13 (-110)
Jack has covered college and professional sports for various Arizona media outlets since the 1980s and has written for the Associated Press, USA Today and Baseball America, among others. He staffed the 2015-17 World Series and has staffed four Super Bowls.
