Ball State Cardinals vs Xavier Musketeers Prediction, 12/8/2021 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ball State Cardinals vs Xavier Musketeers

Date: Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Location: Cintas Center in Cincinnati, OH

TV: FS1

The Xavier Musketeers (7-1) will take on the Ball State Cardinals (3-4) at Cintas Center on Wednesday.

The Ball State Cardinals played Western Illinois and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 93-80 in their last contest. Ball State finished the game with a 49.1% field goal percentage (27 out of 55) and made 5 out of their 10 shots from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, the Cardinals converted 21 of 29 attempts for a rate of 72.4%. In terms of rebounding, they earned 35 with 11 of them being offensive. They also dished out 6 assists for this game as well as forcing 8 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In the matter of defense, Ball State allowed 46.3% from the floor on 31 of 67 shooting. Western Illinois distributed 13 assists and had 10 steals for the game. Moreover, Western Illinois had 30 rebounds (13 offensive, 17 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Western Illinois ended up going 63.0% at the free throw line by converting 17 of 27 shots. They knocked down 14 of 31 attempts from distance. In reference to fouls, the Cardinals finished with 22 while Western Illinois accounted for 20 fouls.

Luke Bumbalough is a player who was a major contributor in the game. He was able to score 17 points on 5 of 10 shooting. He played for 33 mins played and pulled down 9 boards. He finished shooting 50.0% from the field but had no assists at the end of the game.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks Today

Ball State will enter this game with a mark of 3-4 this season. They cough up possession 13.9 times per game and as a basketball team are committing 19.3 fouls per contest. As a team, Ball State is grabbing 35.7 boards per contest and has tallied 99 dimes for the campaign, which has them ranked 250th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Cardinals are shooting 41.9% on 3-pointers (70 of 167) and 66.7% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 77.7 points per game (92nd in D-1) on 45.7% from the field.

On defense, the Cardinals are forcing their opponents into 11.3 turnovers per game and they draw 20.1 personal fouls. They rank 107th in college hoops in allowing assists with 90 conceded so far this season. The Cardinals defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 45.2% (193 of 427) and they relinquish 36.7 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are relinquishing 36.8% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 338th in college hoops in PPG allowed (80.4).

For their last game, the Xavier Musketeers took home the win by a final score of 77-71 against Oklahoma State. The Musketeers earned 25 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive boards totaling 36 for the contest. They also gave up possession 17 times, while getting 10 steals for the game. Oklahoma State had 24 personal fouls for the contest which got the Musketeers to the charity stripe for a total of 31 attempts. They were able to knock down 23 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 74.2%. Pertaining to 3-point shots, Xavier buried 6 out of 18 attempts (33.3%). At the conclusion of this game, the Musketeers finished 24 out of 57 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 42.1%. The Musketeers permitted Oklahoma State to knock down 27 out of their 64 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 42.2% for the matchup. They finished 26.9% from three-point range by shooting 7 out of 26 and ended up going 10 of 16 at the free throw line (62.5%). When discussing how they cleaned up the glass, Xavier allowed Oklahoma State to snag 30 in all (9 on the offensive glass).

Colby Jones ended up being a major contributor for the Musketeers in the game. He knocked down 6 out of 10 in this contest for a field goal percentage of 60.0%, and had 12 rebounds. He accumulated 17 points in his 32 mins of playing time and totaled 4 assists for the matchup.

Xavier has a mark of 7-1 this year. The Musketeers are responsible for committing 15.8 fouls per contest and they go 67.3% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 14.1 times per game (136th in the country) and they are turning it over 15.0 times per contest. Xavier has 579 points for the year (72.4 per contest) and they collect 40.4 rebounds per game. When it comes to offense, the Musketeers are connecting on 44.3% from the field, which is ranked 191st in the nation.

The Xavier defense gives up 31.6% on shots from distance (54 of 171) and their opponents are knocking down 70.7% of their shots from the free throw line. They concede 10.4 assists and 32.8 rebounds per game, which has them ranked 61st and 101st in college basketball. The Musketeers on the defensive end are ranked 52nd in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 61.0. They have forced 13.9 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 38.2% from the field (37th in college basketball).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Ball State

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here