Who’s Playing
Western Illinois Leathernecks @ Morehead State Eagles
Current Records: Western Illinois 8-9, Morehead State 10-7
How To Watch
What to Know
We’ve got another exciting Ohio Valley matchup on schedule as the Western Illinois Leathernecks and the Morehead State Eagles are set to tip at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday at Johnson Arena. Coming off a loss in a game the Leathernecks were expected to win, they now face the more daunting task of proving themselves against unfavorable odds.
Western Illinois will head into Saturday’s matchup ready to turn things around: they lost a close one when they played on Thursday but unfortunately for them the loss they were handed on Saturday was a bit more commanding. They suffered a bruising 72-52 defeat at the hands of Tennessee State. The match marked the Leathernecks’ lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Western Illinois struggled to work together and finished the game with only eight assists. They were destroyed by their opponents in that department as Tennessee State posted 18.
SE Missouri State typically has all the answers at home, but on Saturday Morehead State proved too difficult a challenge. They came out on top against the Redhawks by a score of 67-56.
Western Illinois has not been sharp recently as the team has lost four of their last five contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-9 record this season. As for Morehead State, they are on a roll lately: they’ve won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 10-7 record this season.
Keep an eye on the arc in Thursday’s game: Western Illinois has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 36.7% of their threes per game. It’s a different story for Morehead State, though, as they’ve only made 31% of their threes this season. Given Western Illinois’ sizable advantage in that area, Morehead State will need to find a way to close that gap.
Western Illinois suffered a grim 78-57 defeat to Morehead State in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. Can Western Illinois avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Morehead State is a solid 7-point favorite against Western Illinois, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Eagles as a 6-point favorite.
The over/under is 132 points.
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Series History
Morehead State has won both of the games they’ve played against Western Illinois in the last year.
- Feb 22, 2024 – Morehead State 78 vs. Western Illinois 57
- Jan 27, 2024 – Morehead State 64 vs. Western Illinois 50
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