Underdogs Morehead State and Richmond to advance to Round 3 Battle
The Richmond added another upset to an impressive NCAA tournament resume that already had several and will now face off in the Southwest Region in Denver against Morehead State who pulled off their own dream victory over 4th seeded Louisville to earn their stripes and chance to move on.
 |
vs.
|
 |
#13 Morehead State (25-9, 13-5 OVC) vs. #12 Richmond (28-7, 13-3 A-10)
Date/Time: Saturday, March 19 5:15 PM ET
Venue: Pepsi Center in Denver, CO.
Broadcast: CBS
Money Line: Morehead State +145, Richmond -165
Spread: Richmond -3.5
Over/Under: 126
The wins set up a 12 vs. 13 matchup in the Round of 32 for the fourth time in the last four seasons.
Click Here for more FREE EXPERT March Madness Basketball Picks
The Eagles took a page out of the upset archives, executing a play that was more like something out of a feel-good Disney movie, when Demonte Harper watched the clock tick down, then stepped up behind the 3-point line, and drained a three with 4.2 seconds left for a 62-61 victory over the Cardinals on Thursday. As irony would have it, Harper was 0 for 5 from long range before the shot.
Morehead State of Kentucky — enrollment 9,000 at the base of the Appalachian Mountains — won its first main-draw game in the NCAA tournament since 1984 and it happened to be the first big upset of the NCAA tournament as the Eagles advanced to the round of 32 for the first time since the tournament expanded to 64 teams. It was also the fourth straight time a 13-seed defeated a 4-seed in the tournament.
Despite Harpers’ heroics, it was Terrance Hill that led Morehead State with a career-high 23 points. Kenneth Faried finished with 12 points and 17 rebounds for his 28th double double of the season and a game preserving block of Mike Marra’s attempt from the corner in the final seconds.
In 1991, the Spiders became the first team seeded 15th to win a tournament game in history when they knocked off a stunned Syracuse squad and added another on Thursday as they surprised 5th seeded Vanderbilt, 69-66.
Kevin Anderson scored better than his average of 16.5 PPG, putting up 25 points, including a game winner with 18.7 seconds remaining. Justin Harper, who finished fourth in the Atlantic-10 Conference in scoring at 17.9 points per contest, added 13 points and Francis-Cedric Martel contributed 12 as the Spiders won their eighth straight game.
This is tough and determined Eagles team who earned their way into the tournament by winning the Ohio Valley Conference tournament. Overall, they have won 13 of their last 14 games.
The odds makers have the Richmond Spiders as a -3.5 point favorite with an over/under of 126.
Check out the latest March Madness Odds here.
Prediction: However, unless coach Donnie Tyndall can dream up another fantastic finish, their Rocky Mountain high ends against the Richmond on Saturday.
Need more help making your picks winners? Check out our top handicappers.
Bet the Richmond/Morehead State game at an online sportsbook that gives you a 50% sign up bonus from the website “Where the Line Originates” – Bookmaker.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.