The 2024 Myrtle Beach Invitational begins on Thursday and the first matchup of the eight-team holiday tournament will pit the Ohio Bobcats against the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. Ohio has won 64 games the past three seasons but is only 1-3 in 2024-25, while MTSU is coming off a 14-win season but has jumped out to a 3-1 start. These two programs went head-to-head last season at the 2023 Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship, with Ohio scoring an 80-68 win as 3.5-point favorites.
This time around, the Bobcats are 1.5-point favorites in the latest MTSU vs. Ohio odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 147.5. Tipoff is scheduled for noon ET at the HTC Center in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Before entering any Ohio vs. MTSU picks, you need to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 3 of the 2024-25 season on a 156-114 betting roll (+1762) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has dialed in on MTSU vs. Ohio and just revealed its coveted picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college basketball betting lines and trends for Ohio vs. MTSU:
- MTSU vs. Ohio spread: MTSU +1.5
- MTSU vs. Ohio over/under: 147.5 points
- MTSU vs. Ohio money line: MTSU +107, Ohio -127
- MTSU vs. Ohio picks: See picks here
- MTSU vs. Ohio streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why MTSU can cover
The Blue Raiders are coming off an 88-67 loss to Murray State on Saturday but they did win their first three games of the season. Stellar defense was a staple in those wins, as MTSU held opponents to 38.8% shooting or worse in all three contests while allowing teams to shoot only 9-for-62 from the 3-point line.
Guard Jestin Porter is now in his third season at Middle Tennessee State and he's leading the team in scoring this year, averaging 14.3 points per game. He's one of five Blue Raiders that are averaging at least 10 points per game. That scoring versatility could come in handy with three games over the next three days. See who to back at SportsLine.
Why Ohio can cover
Jeff Boals has had a winning record in each of his first five seasons in Athens and is coming off a 20-win season in 2023-24. However, the Bobcats are off to a 1-3 start and are 0-4 against the spread in that span. All three of those losses came on the road against quality programs in Memphis, Illinois State and James Madison.
Sophomore guard AJ Brown is averaging 14.0 points per game and shooting 47.4% from the 3-point line early this season and he'll be a top priority for the MTSU defense. Ohio opponents have shot a staggering 53.7% from the 3-point line and at some point, the Bobcats should benefit from some regression to the mean from outside. See who to back at SportsLine.
How to make MTSU vs. Ohio picks
SportsLine's model is leaning under on the total, predicting the teams combine for 147 points. It also says one side of the spread hits in well over 60% of simulations. You can see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Ohio vs. MTSU, and which side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up well over $2,000 on top-rated spread picks since its inception, and find out.