NCAAB · 1 year ago

Ohio Valley Tournament Betting Guide: Little Rock’s Big Chance?

David Connelly

Host · Writer

OVC Tournament Best Bet: Little Rock (+190)
Little Rock has been a fireball since the start of February. The Trojans rank inside the top 100 in the nation on Bart Torvik's T-Rank since the beginning of last month, the highest ranking of any team in the OVC during that span. They also enter the tournament as winners of 12 of their previous 13 games, and it's always important to back teams entering their conference tournament in full stride. It's not the biggest payout, but we only care about providing winners here. Add in Mitchell's dominance to the paint through his recent form, and the Trojans feel like the right bet to make it to the Big Dance here.
OVC League Overview
It's a crowd atop the Ohio Valley in 2023-24, leading to some serious drama to close out the regular season. The key quirk of the OVC bracket is its format. Eight of 11 teams in the conference make it into the field, while the top two seeds get a double-bye into the semis, and the third and fourth seeds get a single bye to the quarterfinals. It puts further importance on where you finished in the regular season, and it means No. 1 Little Rock and No. 2 UT Martin only need to win two games to be crowned champions. It's also the first automatic bid determined for the NCAA Tournament every year, with the championship game on Saturday night.
OVC Tournament Favorite: Morehead State (+115)
Despite being the favorite in the betting odds due to the favorable KenPom ranking, Morehead State's journey actually begins in the quarterfinals as they only achieved a single bye after falling to third via tiebreakers with Little Rock and UT Martin. OVC Player of the Year Riley Minix is the straw that stirs the drink for the Eagles, averaging 20.5 points and 9.9 rebounds on 55 percent shooting from the field. The Eagles were just minutes away from a win over Indiana in Assembly Hall in December, a result that would have been a stunning upset at the time but ended up as a narrow one-point defeat.
OVC Tournament Challenger: Little Rock (+190)
It's funny to call the tournament's top seed a challenger, but it makes sense given that Little Rock went just 1-2 against UT Martin and Morehead State in the regular season, their two most likely opponents should they make it to the finals. The key contributor that may go unnoticed by the market is Makhel Mitchell, an Arkansas and Rhode Island transfer with high-major size and skill for the Trojans. He's a big fish in a little pond, and since his return at the turn of the New Year, he has had an immediate impact on their frontcourt. In games where Mitchell reaches double figures, Little Rock is 11-0. He's done so in eight of their past nine games and has taken home KenPom Game MVP in three of their past four.
OVC Tournament Dark Horse: UT Martin (+450)
Winners of 11 of their past 12, UT Martin enters as one of the hottest teams in the country. They are one of few teams atop the Ohio Valley that loves to play with pace, which could ruffle some feathers as we get into the later rounds of the field. They've been able to speed up plenty of opponents, making them look uncomfortable in their matchups. Up-tempo and fast breaks are how they love to score their points, and it's easy to thrive in that setting with a dynamic, speedy point guard in Jordan Sears. The Skyhawks' floor general is a sharpshooter and facilitator with a knack for finishing around the rim, even at 5'11". We could see him taking over this tournament, and we wouldn't be surprised if he willed UT Martin to an automatic bid.
OVC Tournament Best Bet: Little Rock (+190)
Little Rock has been a fireball since the start of February. The Trojans rank inside the top 100 in the nation on Bart Torvik's T-Rank since the beginning of last month, the highest ranking of any team in the OVC during that span. They also enter the tournament as winners of 12 of their previous 13 games, and it's always important to back teams entering their conference tournament in full stride. It's not the biggest payout, but we only care about providing winners here. Add in Mitchell's dominance to the paint through his recent form, and the Trojans feel like the right bet to make it to the Big Dance here.
OVC League Overview
It's a crowd atop the Ohio Valley in 2023-24, leading to some serious drama to close out the regular season. The key quirk of the OVC bracket is its format. Eight of 11 teams in the conference make it into the field, while the top two seeds get a double-bye into the semis, and the third and fourth seeds get a single bye to the quarterfinals. It puts further importance on where you finished in the regular season, and it means No. 1 Little Rock and No. 2 UT Martin only need to win two games to be crowned champions. It's also the first automatic bid determined for the NCAA Tournament every year, with the championship game on Saturday night.

Ohio Valley Tournament Betting Guide: Little Rock’s Big Chance?

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