No. 5 Tennessee State took care of Morehead State 88-75 on Thursday night to set the stage for a semifinal matchup against the Ohio Valley Conference’s top seed, Belmont. No. 1 Belmont is 15-2 SU and 10-7 ATS over its last 17 games.
No. 3 Eastern Kentucky also earned a double-digit win on Thursday, dispatching of Southeast Missouri 84-69. With the win, Eastern Kentucky moved into a semifinals matchup against No. 2 Murray State. Murray State is 7-1 SU in its last eight games against Eastern Kentucky.
The winner of Friday’s semifinal games will meet in the Ohio Valley Tournament Championship Game on Saturday.
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No. 5 Morehead State kicked off Ohio Valley Conference Tournament play with a win over Tennessee-Martin on Wednesday to set up a meeting with No. 4 Tennessee State in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Morehead State is 6-3 SU and 5-4 ATS in its last nine games against Tennessee State
No. 6 Southeast Missouri also advanced to the quarterfinals with a win over Eastern Illinois on Wednesday. Southeast Missouri is set to take on No. 3 Eastern Kentucky in the late game on Thursday night. Eastern Kentucky is 9-2 SU and 6-5 ATS in its last 11 games against SE Missouri.
No. 1 Belmont awaits the winner of the Morehead State vs. Tennessee State game Friday while No. 2 Murray State will play the winner of the Southeast Missouri vs. Eastern Kentucky game.
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Finishing up the regular season with the best record both overall (24-6 SU) and in conference play (14-2 SU), the Belmont Bruins enter the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament this week as the favorite.
After winning the Atlantic Sun Basketball Tournament each of the last two years, No. 1 Belmont has continued its dominance in its transition over to the Ohio Valley Conference this year and looks poised to earn another auto-bid into the tournament with another conference title.
The Bruins will wait until Friday's semifinals for their first game.
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As the winner of the Western Division of the Ohio Valley Conference, Murray State earned the conference’s No. 2 seed and will also await its first game in the semifinals. No. 2 Murray State is the defending Ohio Valley Conference champion and has won the tournament twice in the last three years.
No. 5 Morehead State is expected to make quick work of No. 8 Tennessee-Martin in the tournament’s opening game on Wednesday night. Morehead State is 7-0 SU and 5-2 ATS in its last 10 games against Tennessee-Martin, and has won two of the last four Ohio Valley Conference tournaments.
The winner of this game will go on to play No. 4 Tennessee State on Thursday.
No. 6 Southeast Missouri finished second in the Western Division and will be favored to advance against No. 7 Eastern Illinois. SE Missouri is 5-1 SU and ATS in its last six games against Eastern Illinois.
The winner of this first-round matchup will face No. 3 Eastern Kentucky in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
The third team in the conference to eclipse 20 wins this season with a 23-8 SU record, No. 3 Eastern Kentucky could pose a threat to the top two seeds.
Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Odds - courtesy of 5Dimes:
Belmont -300
Murray State +475
Eastern Kentucky +675
Tennessee State +1200
Morehead State +4000
Southeast Missouri +6000
Eastern Illinois +30000
Tennessee Martin +60000
Wednesday, March 6 – First Round
7:00 PM ET – No. 5 Morehead State vs. No. 8 Tennessee-Martin (Game 1)
9:00 PM ET – No. 6 Southeast Missouri State vs. No. 7 Eastern Illinois (Game 2)
Thursday, March 7 – Quarterfinals
7:00 PM ET - Game 1 Winner vs. No. 4 Tennessee State (Game 3)
9:00 PM ET - Game 2 Winner vs. No. 3 Eastern Kentucky (Game 4)
Friday, March 8 - Semifinals
7:00 PM ET - Game 3 Winner vs. No. 1 Belmont
9:00 PM ET - Game 4 Winner vs. No. 2 Murray State
Saturday, March 9 - Championship Game
7:00 PM ET - Semifinal Winners
