Saturday, February 4, 2017

John E. Worthen Arena

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The Buffalo Bulls travel to John E. Worthen Arena to play the Ball State Cardinals on Saturday, February 4, 2017. The opening line for this game has Ball State as 2 point favorites.

The Bulls come into this game with an overall record of 10-12 and a road record of 4-7. They are 10-8 against the spread and their over/under record is 9-8. The Cardinals have an overall record of 15-7 and a home record of 9-3. They have an over/under record of 16-2 and they are 7-10 against the spread.

For expert handicapping advice on this matchup and other NCAA basketball games check out our handicapping tips.

Blake Hamilton comes into this contest averaging 17 points per game while playing 30 minutes per night so far this season for the Bulls. He pulls down 6.5 rebounds per game and dishes out 4.2 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 42% while his free throw percentage is currently at 80%. C.J. Massinburg averages 14 points per game in 31.9 minutes per contest this season. He averages 2.9 assists per contest and 5.1 rebounds per game for Buffalo. His field goal percentage is 40% for the year while his free throw percentage is 71%.

Tayler Persons averages 16.1 points per game while playing 29.1 minutes per contest this year for the Cardinals. He grabs 3.7 rebounds per game and has 5.1 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 49% and his free throw percentage currently is at 74%. Franko House averages 12.9 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 25.4 minutes per contest. He also averages 6.5 rebounds per contest and 2.1 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 54% and his free throw percentage is 81%.

Buffalo averages 75.8 points per contest this season which ranks them 102nd in the nation. Their average scoring margin is -1.1 and their shooting percentage is 43% as a team which has them ranked 213th. Behind the arc they shoot 32% which is good for 296th in the country. They average 40.5 rebounds per game and 14.5 assists per game which ranks them 12th and 101st in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 290th with 14.7 per game. The Bulls allow 76.9 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 263rd in the nation. They also allow a 42% shooting percentage and a 35% average from behind the arc ranking them 84th and 189th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 38 rebounds a game which ranks 281st and they give up 14.1 assists per contest which puts them in 229th place in the country. They force 12.8 turnovers per game which ranks them 225th in Division 1.

Ball State averages 79.4 points per game this year which ranks them 42nd in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is 4.6 and their shooting percentage is 47% as a team which has them sitting in the 60th spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 37% which is good for 80th in the nation. They average 38.4 rebounds per game and 15.7 assists per contest which ranks them 49th and 48th respectively. In the turnover department the Cardinals rank 326th with 15.4 per game. The Cardinals allow 74.8 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 228th in the country. They also allow a 42% shooting percentage and a 35% average from behind the arc ranking them 62nd and 167th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 35 rebounds a game which ranks 153rd and they give up 12.1 assists per contest which puts them in 84th place in the nation. The Cardinals force 13.6 turnovers per game which ranks them 151st in college basketball.

The Bulls average 73.9 points per game on the road this season and they have scored 88.3 ppg in their past 3 contests. They have an average scoring differential of -5.7 on the road and in their past 3 games their difference is 2.7 per contest. The Bulls have an offensive rating of 103.6 and they assist on 55.1% of their shots. In terms of pace they average 73.6 possessions per 40 minutes and their effective field goal percentage is 50%. As a team they have a true shooting percentage of 53% and they shoot 3 pointers on 38% of their shots. Buffalo turns the ball over an average of 17 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 7.4% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage is 52.5% while their offensive rebound percentage is 33.3%. The Bulls give up 79.6 points per game on the road this season and they have surrendered 85.7 points per contest in their last 3 games.

The Cardinals score 78.2 ppg at home and they have averaged 84.3 points per contest in their last 3 games.They have an average scoring differential of 5 in their past 3 contests and at home this season they have a difference of 6.7 points per game. The Cardinals have a rating on offense of 108.4 and 58.1% of their shots are assisted. They possess the ball 72.9 times per 40 minutes and their effective field goal percentage for the year is 54%. As an offensive unit they have a true shooting percentage of 57% and they attempt 3 pointers on 39% of their shots. Ball State turns it over an average of 18 times per 100 possessions and they steal the ball on 8.7% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage is 52.7% while their offensive rebound percentage for the season is 32.1%. The Cardinals give up 71.5 points per contest at home this year and they have given up 79.3 points per game in their past 3 contests.

Buffalo Bulls Betting Trends

The Buffalo Bulls are 10-8 against the spread

The Buffalo Bulls are 9-8 against the over/under

Ball State Cardinals Betting Trends

The Ball State Cardinals are 7-10 against the spread

The Ball State Cardinals are 16-2 against the over/under

Buffalo Bulls Injuries

01/16/17 F Quate McKinzie Hand expected to miss 6-8 weeks

Ball State Cardinals Injuries

No key injuries to report

Josh's Pick: Take Ball State -2

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