The Eastern Michigan Eagles (10-20) face the Miami (OH) Redhawks (13-17) for the regular-season finale in the Mid-American Conference on Friday. On Tuesday, Eastern Michigan was defeated 71-60 by the Western Michigan Broncos, dropping their conference record to 5-14. Eastern Michigan’s loss was their second in a row, and the Eagles have now lost four of their previous five games. Miami (OH) also played on Tuesday, and the Hurricanes defeated the Central Michigan Chippewas 75-61 to clinch a spot in the Mid-American Conference tournament. Let’s dive into how these teams will square up on Friday.
Eastern Michigan Eagles Betting Preview: Eagles Look to Finish Season on a High Note
Eastern Michigan was sitting at.500 as recently as January 11 (7-7), but they haven’t been able to remain over it since. The Eagles have seen the wheels completely fall off as they have dropped four of their previous five games, losing to Buffalo, Akron, Ball State, and Western Michigan.
Eastern Michigan’s offense hasn’t been very good this year as they ranked 222nd in the US, averaging only 69.3 points per game. The Eagles are shooting 43.0 percent overall and 31.0 percent from behind the arc, ranking them 244th and 307th in the country, respectively. Eastern Michigan’s leading scorer is Noah Farrakhan, who averages 16.6 points per game and shoots 42.6 percent, while Bryce McBride adds 11.6 points per game.
In addition to their 20 losses on the year, the Eastern Michigan Eagles have struggled on defense all season, allowing an average of 76.0 points per game, ranking them 327th in the country. The Eagles allow opponents to shoot 44.8 percent overall and 35.5 percent from beyond the arc, ranking them 266th and 291st, respectively.
Miami (OH) Redhawks Betting Preview: Redhawks Clinch Mid-American Conference Bid, Look for Higher Seed in Tournament
The Miami Redhawks team started the year off well, going 5-0, but they’ve only been able to win consecutive games twice since. Prior to the loss against Central Michigan, the Redhawks had lost three straight games to Buffalo, Central Michigan, and Toledo. Moreover, the team has not played very well down the stretch, and they will be looking to find a rhythm headed into the Mid-American Conference tournament.
On Tuesday, the Redhawks took a dominating 43-23 lead into halftime against Central Michigan. Miami, OH, went on to win 75-61 despite being outscored 32-38 in the second half. The Miami (OH) defense has struggled in the second half as they allow 73.4 points per game, which ranks them 294th in the US. They’ll need to start playing better defense as opponents are hitting 44.5 percent of their overall shots and 35.3 percent of their shots from behind the line, putting them in the 254th and 282nd places, respectively.
The Miami (OH) offense has been the key to its success this year as the Redhawks averaged 75.2 points per game, which ranks them 70th in the NCAA. The Redhawks have a 43.8 percent overall shooting percentage and a 35.8 percent three-point shooting percentage. Dae Grant leads the Redhawks in scoring, averaging 17.6 points per game while shooting a tremendous 42.5 percent overall and 35.1 percent from outside the arc.
Betting Odds and Lines
MyBookie has the Miami Redhawks listed as the -8 point home favorite, while the total number of points is at 145 in the latest odds.
Free Betting Pick
This should be a fun matchup between Mid-American Conference foes. I’m going to go with Miami, Ohio, in this one. The Redhawks have been putting up some impressive offensive numbers recently as they’ve accumulated 69 points or more in seven straight games, but they will need to improve their defense if they want to cover this spread.
Eastern Michigan did win at home in their previous matchup 85-75; however, this one looks like it’ll be another very high-total affair, and Miami has the better offense. Miami has struggled ATS recently, going 3-15 in their last 18 games. Despite this, Eastern Michigan has absolutely nothing to play for, and the Eagles have lost nine of their last 12, with all of those losses coming by double digits. Miami, Ohio, will be playing for the better seeding in the tournament, and I like them to cover in this one.
BetUSASports Free Pick: Miami (OH) Redhawks-8
