Evansville vs Seattle Prediction & Best Bets: Do the Purple Aces Have Another Upset Up Their Sleeve?

After bouncing #6 seed Quinnipiac in the first round, Evansville will look to pull another upset tonight in Daytona Beach, Florida, as the CBI’s #11 seed will take on third-seeded Seattle in the last of today’s quarterfinal matchups. Tip is scheduled for 6:30 pm ET but will likely be delayed due to the previous games.

Yesterday, Evansville (17-17) sent Quinnipiac packing with a 64-63 win. The Bobcats, who won the MAAC regular season title, were favored by 4.5, but the Purple Aces used a balanced effort on the offensive end and strong play on the defensive end to win for just the second time in nine games.

Offensively, five players scored at least nine points, with no one scoring more than 11. Defensively, the Purple Aces held the Bobcats to 37.5% shooting from the field, and a six-minute scoreless stretch in the second half helped Evansville turn a two-point deficit into a nine-point lead.

The win was all the more impressive because the Purple Aces were without their top two scorers and rebounders, Ben Humrichous (14.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG) and Yacine Toumi (10.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG).

Humrichous is done for the season, but Toumi, who missed his first game of the season yesterday, could be back in action against Seattle. That would be a big boost for the matchup with the Redhawks, who defeated #14 seed Delaware State 79-66 on Saturday. The win secured Seattle’s third straight 20-win season in three seasons under head coach Chris Victor.

Who will move on to face either #15 Chicago State or #7 Fairfield in tomorrow’s semifinals? It isn’t as straightforward as it may appear to be.

Evansville vs Seattle Odds

Odds are via BetOnline, a longtime fixture in the sports betting industry. Check out our BetOnline sportsbook review, then grab yourself a nice sign-up bonus to bet on today’s NCAA basketball action.

Spread

• Evansville +8 (-110)
• Seattle -8 (-110)

Over/Under

• Over 141.5 (-110)
• Under 141.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Evansville +295
• Seattle -365

Looking for more picks for today’s men’s college basketball games? Our NCAA basketball picks page features moneyline, spread, and total (over/under) picks for today’s CBI and CIT matchups.

Evansville vs Seattle Betting Analysis and Prediction

Seattle, who finished fourth in the WAC in the regular season and lost to Grand Canyon in the conference tournament semifinals, is a worthy favorite in this spot.

The Redhawks beat Grand Canyon at home, took the ‘Lopes to overtime on the road, and nearly upset Washington in non-conference play.

Their leading scorer, senior guard, Cameron Tyson, is now tenth all time in Division I in made three-pointers with 445. If he matches the five he made against Delaware State, he will tie Chicago State’s David Holston for ninth.

The Purple Aces will have their hands full with Tyson, Alex Schumacher (13.3 PPG, 5.1 APG, 3.6 RPG) and John Christofilis (13.2 PPG), who account for 194 of Seattle’s 263 made threes this season.

But don’t count out Evansville. Don’t count them out at all, even shorthanded.

Yesterday’s win over Quinnipiac showed that they are made of, and their record in the spot that they are in today also shows what they are made of win or lose.

For the season, the Purple Aces are 12-16 SU and 18-10 ATS as an underdog. That isn’t extraordinary, but it isn’t bad at all, either. But when they have been a single-digit underdog, they have absolutely excelled, going 12-6 SU and 14-4 ATS. And that is even with a blip late in the season during which they went 0-5 SU and 2-3 ATS in that spot.

Evansville is 15-9 SU with Humrichous and 2-8 without him, but that recency of that second win is vital here.

I do think that Tyson and Seattle will pull out the win, but they will be made to work for it, especially if Toumi returns to the court for Evansville.

Evansville vs Seattle Best Bets

Evansville +8 & Evansville/Seattle first half over 66

Because numbers for both teams favor the under—though Seattle’s last three games have gone over—I’m not confident in backing the over for the game total.

However, I do like the over for the first half. This isn’t a big number, and neither of these teams plays a particularly slow brand of basketball on the offensive end. Seattle averages 71.4 possessions per game, while Evansville averages 71 possessions per game. Both rank inside the upper half of Division I in that category.

Interested in Learning More About Betting on March Madness & NCAA Basketball?

If you are interested in learning more about betting on men’s or women’s NCAA basketball, check out our college basketball betting guide. It covers the basics of wagering on March Madness, the Mountain West, the MAAC, McNeese State, and beyond.

• College Basketball Betting Guide: How to Bet on NCAA Basketball in 2024

Also, follow Betting News on X/Twitter, Twitch, and TikTok to get more March Madness and NCAA basketball insight from myself and the rest of our team. We’re cooking up a lot of great NCAA Tournament content for both the men’s and women’s tournaments, so hit those links so you don’t miss out on any of it.

• Betting News on “X”/Twitter
• Betting News on Twitch
• Betting News on TikTok