Belmont vs Eastern Illinois Odds and Picks (Jan. 24)

  • The odds for Belmont vs Eastern Illinois heavily favor the visiting Bruins on Monday, Jan. 24
  • The Panthers have dropped nine straight, while the Bruins arrive in town on a steady 9-2 run
  • Read on for all the odds and trends ahead of Monday night’s Ohio Valley Conference matchup at Lantz Arena

The Eastern Illinois Panthers (2-16, 2-5 home) aim to snap a nine-game straight-up losing streak on Monday, when they host the Belmont Bruins (14-5, 5-3 away). Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00pm ET on Monday night at Lantz Arena.

Belmont vs Eastern Illinois Odds

Team Spread Total Moneyline
Belmont Bruins -23.5 (-110) Ov 135.5 (-110) TBD
Eastern Illinois Panthers +23.5 (-110) Un 135.5 (-110) TBD

Odds at DraftKings as of January 23, 2022.

The Bruins look to extend their current win streak over Eastern Illinois when they hit the floor on Monday as  23.5-point favorites, while the Belmont vs EIU total is at just 135.5.

Belmont was a +17500 longshot in the NCAA Tournament odds at the start of the season

Bruins vs Panthers Betting Trends

Monday night’s matchup marks the first of two regular season meetings between these Ohio Valley Conference rivals. The Bruins have held the clear edge in recent action with Eastern Illinois, winning and covering in nine straight clashes since January 2015. Belmont has regularly posted big wins during their recent head-to-head domination.

The Bruins have claimed victory by an average margin of 24.3 points during their 9-0 SU run versus the Panthers, capped by an 89-61 rout when they last visited Eastern Illinois almost a year ago. Overall, Belmont has racked up an average of 84.7 points per game over their past six wins over the Panthers. But with Eastern Illinois topping 60 points on just three occasions, the OVER has gone just 4-2 over that stretch.

Things have not gone much better for Eastern Illinois during its current freefall. The Panthers have failed to cover in each of their four most recent defeats while averaging just 52 points per game over that stretch. They have also covered just once while going 0-5 SU in home dates with Division I opponents. The Bruins have faltered since seeing an impressive 7-0 SU run versus Division I opponents halted. Belmont averaged 85 points per game during that run, but has been to just 71.3 points per game during their current 1-2 SU run.

Belmont Bruins Betting Trends

The Bruins’ recent woes continued with Thursday’s 83-74 road loss to Morehead State as 5.5-point road chalk. In addition to marking their second loss in five days, it also marked the club’s fourth outright defeat of the season while pegged as betting favourites. After limiting opponents to fewer than 70 points on five occasions during their recent 7-0 surge, the Bruins have allowed 82 or more points in two of their past three.

Slow starts have been a major concern for Belmont. The Bruins spotted opponents sizeable double-digit leads at the half in their recent defeats at the hands of Morehead State and Murray State. That marks a worrisome reversal after the team marched to mammoth halftime leads in six of their previous seven contests.

Despite the team’s recent woes, Ben Sheppard has continued to steadily guide the offence. The junior guard led all Bruins shooters with 18 points and four assists in Thursday’s victory over the Eagles, and has averaged 16.5 points per game over his past eight appearances.

Eastern Illinois Panthers Outlook

The Panthers have provided fans and loyal sports bettors with little reason to cheer this season. The squad currently sports a dismal 2-16 overall SU record, and ranks second last at a distant No. 357 in the Kenpom adjusted offensive efficiency ratings.

Things continued to go from bad to worse last time out. The Panthers spotted Southeast Missouri State a massive 51-32 lead at the half on their way to a crushing 87-58 loss to the Redbirds, and have now allowed 99 total points before recess over their past two contests.

Junior guard Kejuan Clements continues to lead a feeble Panthers attack with a team-high 8.9 points and 4.2 assists per game. Clements also contributed 14 points and seven assists in Saturday’s loss to the Red Birds. Freshman Paul Bizimana has provided the panthers faithful with reason to be hopeful after following up a career-best 22-point outing against the Racers by draining 10 points in Saturday’s contest.

Bruins vs Panthers Prediction

Anything other than a Bruins victory on Monday would be a shock. The question is by how much. The spread is indicative of Belmont’s recent dominance in head-to-head action, and while jumping on such huge favorites is not for the faint of heart, an exception can be made in this case.

The Picks: Belmont -23.5 (-110); OVER 135.5 (-110)

The post Belmont vs Eastern Illinois Odds and Picks (Jan. 24) appeared first on Sports Betting Dime.

Source: https://www.sportsbettingdime.com/news/ncaab/belmont-vs-eastern-illinois-odds-picks-jan24/

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