Morgan State Bears vs North Carolina Central Eagles Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our North Carolina Central vs Morgan State NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Baltimore.

North Carolina Central vs Morgan State Prediction

Betting on today's Eagles and Bears game? Catch the action at Hill Field House in Baltimore, MD, as the Bears hosts this showdown at 4:00 ET on ESPN+. North Carolina Central come into this Mid-Eastern conference matchup as the -3.5 favorite. The over/under line currently sits at 154.5 points.

North Carolina Central vs. Morgan State Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: North Carolina Central Eagles at Morgan State Bears
Where: Baltimore at Hill Field House
Date: Tuesday, January 7th
Betting Odds NCC -3.5, NCC -165 | MORGST +133 O/U 154.5

Eagles Preview: Taking a Look at the Eagles Chances in Baltimore

North Carolina Central’s season continued to be a struggle as they fell to 3-11 after a 63-61 loss to Coppin State on Saturday. The Eagles were -8.5 favorites going into the game but couldn’t cover the spread. The total points for the game were 124, which was under the O/U line of 139.5.

NC Central led 30-23 at halftime but allowed Coppin State to score 40 points in the 2nd half while only putting up 31 points of their own. This inability to close out games has been a recurring issue for the Eagles this season.

Eagles Offense Breakdown

North Carolina Central struggled from beyond the arc in their last game, hitting just 1 of 15 attempts for a 6.7% three-point shooting percentage. Despite this, they managed a 43.4% overall field goal percentage, with a 57.9% success rate on two-point shots.

Po'Boigh King led the team with 18 points, though he missed all 5 of his three-point attempts. Camaren Sparrow was the lone bright spot from deep, connecting on 4 of 5 threes and dishing out 5 assists.

Eagles Team Defense

North Carolina Central's defense held their opponent to 63 points, with a field goal percentage of 42% on 20/47 shooting. They limited two-point attempts to 11/29 (37%) but allowed 9/18 (50%) from beyond the arc.

From the free-throw line, their opponent shot 14/21 (66%). The Eagles gave up 7 offensive rebounds in the game.

Bears Preview: Can the Bears Offense Score Enough at Home?

Morgan State Bears Recent Game/Games

Morgan State fell to 2-11 on the season after an 86-72 home loss to South Carolina State on Saturday. The Bears entered the game as +5.5 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game reached 158, surpassing the over/under line of 154.5.

Trailing 46-37 at halftime, Morgan State couldn’t mount a comeback, scoring 35 points in the second half while allowing 40. The Bears will look to regroup as they continue their season.

Bears Offense Breakdown

Morgan State put up 72 points in their last game, shooting 53.1% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 57.1%. They connected on 41.7% of their three-point attempts, going 5-for-12 from beyond the arc, and hit 56.8% of their two-point shots. However, their free-throw shooting was a concern, as they made just 57.7% of their attempts, going 15-for-26 from the line.

Kameron Hobbs led the way with 22 points, shooting 53.3% from the field and 40% from three-point range. Drayton Jones added 20 points, while Davion Everett contributed 18 points on 75% shooting. Daniel Akitoby was also efficient, hitting 85.7% of his shots, finishing with 12 points.

Bears Team Defense

Despite Morgan State's defensive struggles, they managed to put up 86 points in their last game. The Bears shot 53% from the field, connecting on 26 of their 49 attempts. Inside the arc, they were particularly effective, hitting 56% of their two-point shots, going 21/37.

From beyond the arc, Morgan State shot 41%, making 5 of their 12 three-point attempts. They also got to the free-throw line 26 times, converting 15 of those for 57%. On the offensive glass, they grabbed 6 rebounds.

Eagles vs Bears Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Through their last three road games, North Carolina Central has an ATS record of just 1-2. However, their overall record was 1-2 while averaging 70 points per game.
When looking at their past three home matchups, Morgan State has an ATS record of 2-1 while averaging 66 per game. The team went 0-3 overall in these games.
Looking back on the team's last three games as the underdog, the Bears have a straight up record of 0-3. Their record vs the spread in these games was 2-1.
Spanning across their last five games as the betting favorite, the Eagles have gone 0-5 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 1-4.