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The Ohio Valley Conference does have a top team in Belmont, and they’ll get a bit of help due to the format of the event. The OVC goes with a double-bye format, meaning the top two seeds in the No. 1 Belmont Bruins and No. 2 Murray State Racers will go directly to the semifinals of the event at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
It’s a huge edge having to only win two games instead of three (or four!) to cut down the nets, but it also could mean some rest might make things more difficult in a one-off situation against a team that might be in rhythm following a win the night before. The double-bye is relatively new to conference tournaments so the sample sizes aren’t huge, but it would seem Belmont and Murray certainly have an edge they earned based on the regular season.
Center Nick Muszynski is a huge factor for the Bruins, where he doesn’t play a ton of minutes, but shoots 63% from the floor for a team that hasn’t lost since January 25th.
If there was a challenger below the byes, look for Austin Peay and the backcourt of Terry Taylor and Jordyn Adams. They combine for a usage rate that’s over half of what the Governors have as a team, and Taylor is one of the best players in the league.
The following are the odds to win the Ohio Valley Conference tournament from DraftKings Sportsbook.
OVC Odds
Team | Odds 3/3 |
---|---|
Team | Odds 3/3 |
Belmont | -155 |
Murray State | +145 |
Austin Peay | +700 |
Tennessee State | +5000 |
Eastern Illinois | +8000 |
Eastern Kentucky | +10000 |
Jacksonville State | +10000 |
Morehead State | +10000 |
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