Morgan State at Virginia odds, picks and predictions
The Morgan State Bears (4-10) and Virginia Cavaliers (9-2) battle Wednesday in a non-conference game in Charlottesville. The opening tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena will be at 7 p.m. ET (ACC Network). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook's lines around the Morgan State vs. Virginia odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Since coming off a mid-December, 8-day layoff, Morgan State is 0-2 straight up and 2-0 against the spread (ATS). The Bears, which defensively rank 339th out of 362 NCAA-I in scoring defense (79.6 points per game), last played on Dec. 22, covering a +21 in an 89-75 loss to James Madison.
Virginia returns to action after a week off. When last on the hardwood, the Cavaliers had a 5-game win streak snapped in a 77-54 setback at Memphis (as a +3.5) on Dec. 19. UVA's defense tilts the opposite way from that of its holiday visitor: the Wahoos rank 2nd in the nation in defensive scoring average, allowing just 55.5 PPG.
– Rankings courtesy of the Paste BN Sports Coaches Poll.
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Morgan State at Virginia odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access Paste BN Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 8:43 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Off the board
- Against the spread (ATS): Morgan State +26.5 (-110) | Virginia -26.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 131.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Morgan State at Virginia picks and predictions
Prediction
Virginia 80, Morgan State 55
Moneyline
Not available, and you wouldn't want to bet it even if one existed.
Against the spread
UVA plays at the slowest tempo of any power-conference team. Only Towson has fewer average possessions in NCAA-I hoops. The Cavaliers are clear favorites, but calling this shot with any cushion beyond this spread is dicey.
Best to AVOID and find a bit more value elsewhere.
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Over/Under
The Over is 7-4 in MSU's last 11 games as an underdog.
The Over has cashed in 3 straight UVA games and 6 of the Cavaliers' last 7. But Morgan State is at the other end of the pace spectrum, and an outmatched Bears team could well be a dozen-point boon for the Virginia offense.
Look for a slew of Cavaliers dunks and some turnover/transition ball being a bigger part of the UVA offense. Virginia heads into this game off back-to-back lackluster performances at the offensive end ... and then a week off. Look for the work in between to come through against an inferior and quick-tempo opponent.
BACK THE OVER 131.5 (-110).
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