The Stetson Hatters take on the Eastern Kentucky Colonels in Jacksonville, Florida, in the first round of the ASUN Tournament. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Eastern Kentucky is favored by 4.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -205. The total is set at 156 points.
Here’s my Stetson vs. Eastern Kentucky predictions and college basketball picks for March 4, 2026.
Stetson vs Eastern Kentucky Predictions and Picks
My Pick: Eastern Kentucky -4.5
My Stetson vs Eastern Kentucky best bet is on the Colonels to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Stetson vs. Eastern Kentucky Odds, Spread, Over/Under
| Stetson Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -110 | 156 -110o / -110u | +170 |
| E. Kentucky Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -110 | 156 -110o / -110u | -205 |
- Stetson vs Eastern Kentucky spread: Eastern Kentucky -4.5
- Stetson vs Eastern Kentucky over/under: 156
- Stetson vs Eastern Kentucky moneyline: Stetson +170, Eastern Kentucky -205
Stetson vs Eastern Kentucky NCAAB Picks for 3/4
Stetson Betting Preview
The 2025-26 season has proven to be another bumpy one for the Hatters, who finished the regular season with an 11-20 overall record and a 7-11 mark in ASUN action.
The Hatters' offense is very one-dimensional. Since losing leading scorer Jamie Phillips Jr. almost two months ago, that took away the only option who looked to penetrate and attack the rim.
Now, it’s all about shooting. Stetson attempts 3s on 45% of its field goals and connects at a strong 35% clip. The issues arise when Stetson isn’t taking a deep jumper. It has real turnover issues — giving the ball away 18.5% of the time — and it only grabs offensive rebounds 26% of the time.
Most teams who have a style predicated on shooting and spacing aren’t good at offensive rebounding, so it’s not something unique to Stetson. However, it limits the Hatters' ability to win on cold shooting nights.
The straw that stirs the drink is 5-foot-8, 150-pound point guard Calvin Sirmans III. The diminutive lead guard dishes out 4.8 assists to 1.9 turnovers per game. He loves dishing to sharpshooter Ethan Copeland, the team’s leading scorer who also shoots 42% from downtown.
Also keep an eye on Collin Kuhl. At the four spot, Kuhl is a non-shooter but a very effective scorer either way. He adds 13 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting an efficient 65% from the field.
On the defensive end, the Hatters offer no rim-deterrence, as teams shoot 55% from inside the arc. Nobody on the team blocks more than 0.5 shots per game, and bigger guards can take Sirmans to the paint and force weak side help defense, leading to the opposing big getting more space inside.
Eastern Kentucky Betting Preview
Eastern Kentucky also had a bit of a rough season, finishing at 11-20 overall and 7-11 in conference action. The Colonels went 4-4 in their final eight games, so there’s no real momentum to ride — or struggles to evade — heading into the league tourney.
The Colonels play a similar style to Stetson in terms of shooting. They attempt 3s on 50% of their field goals and have four strong shooters in MJ Williams Juan Cranford Jr., Turner Buttry and Jackson Holt. The latter three each shoot better than 36% from 3, while Williams sits at 32% but shoots over five 3s a game.
The biggest difference for Eastern Kentucky and Stetson is the Colonels' emphasis on protecting the offensive glass.
Montavius Myrick and Jalen Cooper, the two starting bigs for Eastern Kentucky, are non-shooters. Their importance is crashing the boards, leading to Eastern Kentucky grabbing 32.8% of its misses — a top-100 mark in the country.
Even backup big, Yvens Paul records a 12.2% offensive rebound rate.
Defense is a major concern for Eastern Kentucky, as it ranks 347th in defensive efficiency, per KenPom. The Colonels rank 341st in effective field goal percentage, 344th in 2-point percentage and 237th in defensive rebound rate.
There just isn’t much to like about Eastern Kentucky’s defense, so it’ll need to dominate on the offensive end to advance in the ASUN Tournament.
How To Bet My Stetson vs. Eastern Kentucky Pick
Eastern Kentucky and Stetson met just once in the regular season, and Eastern Kentucky took a 100-88 win at home.
The Colonels poured in 1.42 PPP and went 24-for-34 on 2s. Sirmans struggled to contain Williams, and Myrick dominated the less beefy Stetson bigs.
I expect that to happen again in round two.
Give me Eastern Kentucky to advance and cover.
My Pick: Eastern Kentucky -4.5
