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Morehead State vs Illinois Prediction, Picks, Odds | NCAA Tournament First Round Bets

Kevin Rogers
Kevin Rogers Sports Betting Expert
2 minute read

The First Round of NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament kicks off on Thursday, March 21 -- and the sixth matchup on the slate set to tip off is Morehead State vs Illinois, which is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. ET on truTV.

The Illini are huge 10.5-point favorites on the spread in Thursday's contest; with the game total stationed around over/under 148 at most sportsbooks.

Here's everything you need to know about Morehead State vs Illinois — our expert prediction and betting picks for this First Round NCAA Tournament matchup.

Morehead State vs Illinois Odds

MHST @ ILL Odds

  • Full Game
  • 1H
  • Spread
  • Total
  • Moneyline
Final
Morehead State Eagles 743 Morehead State
+13.5 -120 +6 -110 N/A +6.5 -110 +6.5 -125 +6 -115 +6.5 -120 +6.5 -114 +10.5 -105  
Illinois Fighting Illini 744 Illinois
-13.5 -102 -6 -110 N/A -6.5 -120 -6.5 -105 -6 -115 -6.5 -110 -6.5 -112 -10.5 -115  
Final
Morehead State Eagles 743 Morehead State
o149.5 -115 o68.5 -110 o68.5 -102 N/A o68.5 -110 o68.5 -115 o69.5 -105 o69 -113 o145.5 -110  
Illinois Fighting Illini 744 Illinois
u149.5 -105 u68.5 -110 u68.5 -122 N/A u68.5 -120 u68.5 -115 u69.5 -125 u69 -113 u145.5 -110  
Final
Morehead State Eagles 743 Morehead State
+610 N/A N/A +260 +270 +260 N/A +275 +450  
Illinois Fighting Illini 744 Illinois
-950 N/A N/A -375 -400 -360 N/A -375 -630  
Final
Morehead State Eagles 743 Morehead State
+13.5 -120 +6.5 -105 +5.5 -118 N/A N/A N/A N/A +5.5 -112 +10.5 -105  
Illinois Fighting Illini 744 Illinois
-13.5 -102 -6.5 -115 -5.5 -104 N/A N/A N/A N/A -5.5 -114 -10.5 -115  
Final
Morehead State Eagles 743 Morehead State
o149.5 -115 o78.5 -110 o77.5 -110 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A o145.5 -110  
Illinois Fighting Illini 744 Illinois
u149.5 -105 u78.5 -110 u77.5 -114 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A u145.5 -110  
Final
Morehead State Eagles 743 Morehead State
+610 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A +450  
Illinois Fighting Illini 744 Illinois
-950 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A -630  

Morehead State vs Illinois Prediction

Morehead State has been a consistent power in the Ohio Valley Conference by winning at least 22 games in the last four seasons.

The Eagles face Big 10 tournament champion Illinois in the 3/14 matchup as the Fighting Illini closed the season on a 9-2 run.

In the two losses, Illinois blew a 10-point lead at home to Purdue and squandered a 14-point second half advantage in a one-point setback at Penn State.

Morehead State did face some of the big boys in non-conference play and were blasted by the likes of Alabama, Purdue, and Penn State, while covering in a one-point loss at Indiana.

The Eagles owned the best offensive efficiency numbers in OVC play, but the Fighting Illini were the second-most efficient offensive squad in the Big Ten.

This line has slightly dropped in Morehead State's favor, but Illinois has too much power offensively here and should grab the cover.

Pick: Illinois -12 (-110)

Morehead State vs Illinois Game Time & TV Channel

Date: Thursday, March 21
Matchup: OVC vs Big Ten
Venue: CHI Health Center Omaha
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Time-TV: truTV, 3:10 p.m. ET

Morehead State vs Illinois Betting Stats

3) Illinois Fighting Illini
(Big Ten, Automatic)

  • Futures: +2700
  • Region: +600
  • SU: 26-8
  • ATS: 19-13-1
  • O/U: 24-10
  • PPG: 83.9
  • OPPG: 72.9

14) Morehead State
(OVC, Automatic)

  • Futures: +40000
  • Region: +15000
  • SU: 26-8
  • ATS: 18-11-1
  • O/U: 15-15
  • PPG: 75.3
  • OPPG: 62.5

March Madness Betting Resources

March Madness First Round Odds

The NCAA Men's Tournament First Round will take place on Thursday March 21, 2024 and Friday March 22, 2024.

Check out the Teams, Odds, Betting Stats and much more on each of the four regions below:

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Kevin Rogers

Kevin Rogers

Kevin has been handicapping professionally since 2007 at VegasInsider before shifting to ScoresAndOdds. He focuses on MLB, NFL, college football, NBA, college basketball, and NHL and mainly uses trends, systems, and situations as his top handicapping angles. More from Kevin Rogers
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