Meet the Opponent: Morehead State Brings Win Streak To Indiana

Indiana hosts Morehead State for a second consecutive season. And like last year's team, the Eagles have high expectations as the preseason pick to win the Ohio Valley Conference. Here's a breakdown of the Eagles.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It's a quick turnaround for Indiana after a tough loss to No. 2 Kansas on Saturday. The Hoosiers led for much of that game, but were outplayed down the stretch of a 75-71 loss. 

They don't have much time to ponder that loss, though, as Morehead State comes to town for a 6:30 p.m. ET tipoff on Tuesday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Under coach Preston Spradlin, the Eagles enter this game with an 8-3 record and six-game win streak. They were picked to repeat as Ohio Valley Conference champions this season and will have to try to do it without last year's leading scorer, Mark Freeman, who's out with a wrist injury. 

Here's a breakdown of the Morehead State Eagles.

Key returners

(2023-24 stats)

• G Mark Freeman: Currently injured, led team with 15.0 ppg last year.
• G Drew Thelwell: 11.8 ppg, 5.0 apg, 38.8 3-pt FG%
• G Kalil Thomas: 11.5 ppg, 4.4 rps, 43.9 3-pt FG%
• G Trent Scott: 4.6 ppg, 1.7 apg

Key departures

(2022-23 stats)

• F Alex Gross: 12.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg
• G Jake Wolf: 9.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.5 apg
• G Branden Maughmer: 7.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg

Key newcomers

(2023-24 stats)

• F Riley Minix (transfer, Southeastern): 17.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 29.5 3-pt FG%
• G Jordan Lathon (transfer, Milwaukee): 12.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 42.2 3-pt FG%
• F Eddie Ricks III (freshman): 8.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 36.7 3-pt FG%
• F Dieonte Miles (transfer, Xavier): 5.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg
• C Zach Iyeyemi (transfer, Houston Christian): 2.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg
• G George Marshall (transfer, Itawamba C.C.): 2.4 ppg 44.4 3-pt FG%
• G Jerone Morton (freshman): 2.6 ppg

Schedule (8-3, 0-0 in Ohio Valley Conference)

• L, 105-73 at Alabama
• W, 96-40 vs. Shawnee State
• L, 87-57 at Purdue
• W, 74-66 vs. Mercer
• L, 74-51 at Penn State
• W, 64-51 at Bellarmine
• W, 94-53 vs. Midway (Ky.)
• W, 61-50 at Austin Peay
• W, 87-80 vs. Chattanooga
• W, 86-77 at North Alabama
• W, 102-33 vs. St. Mary of the Woods (Ind.)

Projected starting lineup

• G Jordan Lathon, 6-foot-4: 12.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 42.2 3-pt FG%
• G Drew Thelwell, 6-foot-3: 11.8 ppg, 5.0 apg, 38.8 3-pt FG%
• G Kalil Thomas, 6-foot-5: 11.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 43.9 3-pt FG%
• F Riley Minix, 6-foot-7: 17.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 29.5 3-pt FG%
• F Dieonte Miles, 6-foot-10: 5.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg

Strengths

Morehead State has scored at least 86 points in four of its last five games, including 102 its last time out. It's a balanced team that can look to a variety of players for offensive production. In the last three games, three different players have led the team in scoring, including Minix, Lathon and Thomas. That's impressive and speaks to Preston Spradlin's offensive coaching ability, given that last year's leading scorer, Mark Freeman, could miss the entire season with a preseason wrist injury. 

Between Lathon, Thelwell, Thomas and Ricks, Morehead State has four players shooting at least 36.7% from 3-point range on at least 2.7 attempts per game. Minix is off to a 29.5% start from beyond the arc, but he was a 40.8% 3-point shooter across four seasons and 554 attempts at Southeastern, so Indiana shouldn't underestimate him from distance. The Eagles have also been efficient inside, ranking 56th in the nation with a 54.7 2-point shooting percentage. 

Weaknesses

Often a determining factor in close games, Morehead State is minus-34 in turnover margin this season. Indiana, on the other hand, is plus-37. Offensively, the Eagles rank 354th in the nation with a 22.6 turnover percentage, while its defense ranks 327th in that category. So Morehead State can be careless with the ball at times, and its defense may not be aggressive enough to force mistakes from its opponents.

Playing a slower tempo is not inherently a weakness, but it speaks to Morehead State's struggles in forcing turnovers and getting easy points in transition. The Eagles rank 301st in the nation in tempo, meaning most of its offensive production comes in the half court. That could make for an even greater challenge against a tall and physical team like Indiana, which was also the case in double-digit losses to Penn State, Purdue and Alabama. 

Season outlook

Morehead State was picked to win the Ohio Valley Conference for the second consecutive season. Last year, the Eagles met that expectation and won the OVC with a 14-4 record, but a second round loss in the OVC Tournament meant they fell short of reaching the NCAA Tournament. Morehead State will have to overcome the loss of preseason OVC Player of the Year Mark Freeman, whose absence lowers the team's ceiling. But so far, the Eagles have taken care of business against fellow mid-major opponents, and its only three losses are against No. 1 Purdue, Alabama and Penn State. Under Spradlin, Morehead State has won at least 22 games each of the last three seasons, and it should be in the mix for another OVC title and NCAA Tournament appearance this year.

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• DICKINSON GETS LAST LAUGH: Hunter Dickinson has antagonized the Assembly Hall crowd since his days playing for Michigan, and that continued Saturday, this time in a 75-71 win as a Kansas Jayhawk. It's likely the last time Dickinson will play at Assembly Hall, and he finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds. CLICK HERE
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