After rolling to a 26-4 SU record during the regular season, including a 24-game winning streak to end the year, the Murray State Racers are the top seed and the betting favorite at the sportsbooks for the 2015 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
The Racers are the -135 favorites at Sportsbook to win the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament and claim the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Murray State, which went 13-12-1 ATS during the season, gets a bye into the semifinal round of the tournament on Friday.
Also getting a bye to the semifinals are Eastern Kentucky, who are the +250 second-favorites on the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament odds at Sportsbook. Awaiting opponents in the quarterfinals are No. 3 Belmont and No. 4 Tennessee Martin, who sit at +600 and +1200 on the tournament betting lines at the sportsbook.
First-round matchups on Wednesday are then No. 5 Morehead State vs. No. 8 Southeast Missouri State, and No. 6 Eastern Illinois vs. No. 7 SIU Edwardsville. Morehead State is at +1400 at Sportsbook to win the tournament, with Eastern Illinois at +5000, and both SIU Edwardsville and Southeast Missouri State at +6000.
Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Odds at Sportsbook
Murray State -135
Eastern Kentucky +250
Belmont +600
Tennessee Martin +1200
Morehead State +1400
Eastern Illinois +5000
SIU Edwardsville +6000
Southeast Missouri State +6000
Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Schedule
Sportsbook Round - March 4
Quarterfinals - March 5
Semifinals - March 6
Championship Game - March 7
---ARCHIVED ARTICLES---------------------------------------------------------
Two days are in the books at the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, setting up a semifinal round on Friday that sees the top two seeds at the event - Belmont and Murray State - finally hit the hardwood.
No. 1 Belmont will take on Morehead State on Friday, after Morehead State got past Tennessee Tech 76-61 in quarterfinal action of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament on Thursday. No. 2 Murray State faces Eastern Kentucky in Friday's other semifinal matchup, with Eastern Kentucky topping Southeast Missouri 84-76 on Thursday in the event's quarterfinals.
-------------------------------
Ohio Valley Conference Tournament odds action tips off on Wednesday with first-round matchups between No. 5 Tennessee Tech and No. 8 SIUE, and No. 6 Southeast Missouri and No. 7 Eastern Illinois.
The Sportsbooks of those two games will then move to to Thursday's quarterfinals, where they'll meet No. 4 Morehead State and No. 3 Eastern Kentucky in OVC Tournament betting action. No. 1 Belmont and No. 2 Murray State both have byes into Friday's semifinal round.
Belmont had the best record in the conference at 23-8 SU on the season, but at 13-15 ATS they head into Ohio Valley Conference Tournament odds action looking to make up for a shortfall on the college basketball betting lines for their supporters. Murray State led the Ohio Valley Conference at 15-9-1 ATS on the season.
Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Odds at Sportsbook
Belmont +110
Eastern Kentucky +280
Murray State +400
Morehead State +500
Southeast Missouri +1700
Tennessee Tech +3700
SIU-Edwardsville +20000
Eastern Illinois +30000
Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Schedule
Sportsbook Rounds - March 5-6
Semifinals - March 7
Championship Game - March 8
-------------------------------
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 Sportsbook of Friday’s semifinal games will meet in the Ohio Valley Tournament Championship Game on Saturday.
-------------------------------
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 Sportsbook of the Morehead State vs. Tennessee State game Friday while No. 2 Murray State will play the Sportsbook of the Southeast Missouri vs. Eastern Kentucky game.
-------------------------------
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.
ADVERTISEMENT: Enjoy tons of March basketball specials and bonuses including contests - check out Sportsbook
As the Sportsbook 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 Sportsbook 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 Sportsbook 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 Sportsbook 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 Sportsbook:
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 Sportsbook vs. No. 4 Tennessee State (Game 3)
9:00 PM ET - Game 2 Sportsbook vs. No. 3 Eastern Kentucky (Game 4)
Friday, March 8 - Semifinals
7:00 PM ET - Game 3 Sportsbook vs. No. 1 Belmont
9:00 PM ET - Game 4 Sportsbook vs. No. 2 Murray State
Saturday, March 9 - Championship Game
7:00 PM ET - Semifinal Sportsbooks
