HomeIllinois Sports Betting NewsSIU Edwardsville Odds to Win Ohio Valley Conference Tournament & Betting Previews 2023

SIU Edwardsville Odds to Win Ohio Valley Conference Tournament & Betting Previews 2023

Betting analyst Phil Naessens previews the 2023 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament and shares his best bet to win the tournament.

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Phil Naessens By: Phil Naessens

The Ohio Valley Conference opens its 2023 postseason tournament beginning Wednesday, March 1 and is wrapping up Saturday, March 4, at Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.

The top eight teams on the OVC table are vying for the tournament title, and the winner of the single elimination event receives an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Morehead State has already qualified as the OVC regular season champion and is a +140 betting favorite at DraftKings. Can they continue winning, or might someone else sneak through and qualify for NCAA postseason play?

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Please note that online wagers on games involving SIU Edwardsville are prohibited but are allowed to physically wager on instate Illinois college teams at one of the twelve retail sportsbooks located throughout the Prairie State.

2023 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Preview

The Ohio Valley Conference announced the OVC tournament draw via its social media account. The conference provides a Downloadable Bracket.

SIU Edwardsville Cougars (18-13, 9-9) +900 at DraftKings

The Cougars must win the OVC tourney; otherwise, their postseason hopes will likely be finished. SIU Edwardsville is +900 to win the event but has lost four of its last five, is 14-14 ATS, 2-0 on neutral courts, and begins its week with a Wednesday matchup with Southern Indiana.

Brian Barone is in his fourth year at the helm and has amassed a 46-73 record without an NCAA postseason appearance. Ray’Sean Taylor leads the Cougars in scoring and assists, with DeeJuan Pruit averaging 8.5 caroms.

SIU Edwardsville gets to the charity stripe often and is an above-average free-throw shooting team but has the 2nd ranked defense and worst effective field goal shooting percentage allowed.

Morehead State Eagles (21-10, 14-4) +140 at DraftKings

The Eagles won the OVC regular season championship and earned an automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Morehead State enters the OVC tournament riding a five-game winning streak and a +140 favorite to win the event. The Eagles were 17-10 ATS this season and 8-7 ATS as the away team and won’t play until the Friday semis.

Head Coach Preston Spradlin has a 111-98 record over seven seasons as the coach of the Eagles and guided Morehead State to the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Mark Freeman leads the Eagles in scoring and assists – Alex Gross is 2nd in scoring and leads the team with 7.5 caroms. The Eagles are one of the slowest playing teams in the country with exceptional shooters from downtown but don’t take care of the ball and below-average shooters inside the arc.

Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (15-16, 11-7) +380 at DraftKings

Tennessee Tech has to win the tournament to qualify for the NCAA tournament–the Golden Eagles are +380 favorites to win the OVC Tournament and finished the season three games behind Morehead State in the standings. The Golden Eagles are 3-2 over their last five games with a 15-12-1 ATS record and have a bye into Friday’s second-semifinal.

Fifth-year head coach John Pelphrey has a 38-80 record without any trips to the spring dance. Jaylin Seabree leads the squad in scoring and rebounds, while Brett Thompson leads Tennessee Tech in assists and steals.

The Golden Eagles boast one of the top three-point shooting percentages in the nation and above-average shooters inside the arc but is a poor defending and rebounding side.

UT Martin Skyhawks (18-13, 10-8) +650 at DraftKings

UT Martin must win the OVC Tournament to reach the National Tournament and is the +650 favorite.

The Skyhawks hope to end a two-game losing skid when they meet the winner of the SIUE-Southern Indiana matchup. UT Martin is 11-16 ATS and playing their first neutral court game this season.

Ryan Ridder has a 26-35 record over two seasons as head coach of the Skyhawks, Parker Stewart leads the team in scoring, Chris Nix is the top rebounder, and Jordan Sears leads the Skyhawks in assists.

UT Martin plays extremely fast with an above-average turnover percentage but are terrible shooters from downtown and below-average rebounders.

Tennessee State Tigers (18-13, 10-8) +750 at DraftKings

Tennessee State needs to win the tournament for an NCAA tournament at-large bid and is a +750 favorite when they await the victor of the Southeast Missouri-Lindenwood contest. The Tigers have won three of their last five and are 13-14 ATS with a 1-1 mark on neutral courts this season.

Fifth-year Head Coach Penny Collins is 54-77, guiding the Tigers with and qualified for the 2020 CIT that was canceled. Jr. Clay leads Tennessee State in scoring, steals, and assists–Adong Makoui is the Tigers’ top glass cleaner and blocked shot man.

The Tigers are a solid shooting team from inside and outside the arc but are lousy from the charity stripe and last in the conference in steals.

Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (15-16, 10-8) +1100 at DraftKings

Southeast Missouri State won’t likely advance to the NCAA postseason unless it wins the OVC Tournament, and its odds of doing so are +1100. The Redhawks are hoping to end a two-game losing streak when they open the tournament against Linwood and are 15-13-1 ATS and 1-1 on neutral courts.

Brad Korn is in his 3rd-season as head coach, and he’s 25-34 without an NCAA postseason appearance.

Phillip Russell leads the Redhawks in scoring and assists, with Josh Early leading the team in boards. Southwest Missouri State tops the conference in FG% with the second-best turnover rate but is terrible from downtown and has poor perimeter defenders.

Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles (16-15, 9-9) +1300 at DraftKings

The Screaming Eagles have to win the OVC Tournament for a postseason NCAA bid and are +1300 favorites to win. Southern Indiana has won three of its last five, is 10-17-1 ATS, and 1-0 on a neutral court. The Screaming Eagles’ opening-round opponent is SIU Edwardsville.

First-year head coach Stan Gouard had a winning season his first year at the helm, and Isiaih Swope is the Screaming Eagles’ scoring and assists leader.

Jacob Polakovich averages a double-double for a Southern Indiana side leading the conference in offensive efficiency and offensive rebounds. Still, the Screaming Eagles are below average in turnover percentage and from the charity stripe.

Lindenwood Lions (11-20, 6-12) +10000 at DraftKings

The Lions need to win the OVC Tournament to advance to NCAA postseason play and are +10000 to do so. Lindenwood is riding a two-game winning streak, is 15-12-1 ATS and 0-2 on a neutral court, and meets Southern Missouri Wednesday night.

Kyle Gerdeman is in his 1st season as head coach and heads one of the nation’s least experienced squads after re-classifying to D1. Keenan Cole leads the Lions in scoring, Cam Burrel is tops in rebounds, and Kevin Caldwell Jr. leads the team with 3.4 dimes per game. Lindenwood is the best free-throw and 2nd-best three-point shooting side in the conference but 9th in defensive efficiency and last in shooting percentage inside the arc.

Phil’s Best Bet for the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament

This should be a great tournament, and there are a couple of future bets to consider for the OVC Conference tournament.

Morehead State is the favorite and should be–they’ve won five straight and mowed up the table this season. The Eagles’ slow style of play, paired with forward Alex Gross killing teams in the paint and guard Mark Freeman raining down threes, is hard to stop. They’ll be rested and should likely win the OVC tournament, and +140 is a decent price for a future bet.

Another bet I like to win the OVC is SIU Edwardsville +900. The Cougars play exceptional defense and make free throws. Edwardsville gets to the charity stripe regularly and has nine games this season with 30+ FT attempts. The Cougars lead the conference in FT% and are 2nd in offensive rebounding percentage.

Taylor and Demarco Minor are a tough backcourt to stop, and if those two get hot, they can punch a team’s lights out. Edwardsville was 2-0 on neutral courts, and while winning four game on four successive nights is a daunting task, the Cougars have the game to take this tourney down.

Author Details

Phil Naessens

Phil Naessens

Phil Naessens serves as an editor and sports betting expert at IL Betting. He spent more than 30 years as a professional tennis coach and has published four books about sports betting. Phil also hosts podcasts like This Week in Tennis and The Phil Naessens Show. His betting predictions has been featured at websites like Covers and Winners & Whiners.

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