Kent State Golden Flashes vs Ball State Cardinals Prediction, 1/26/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Kent State Golden Flashes vs Ball State Cardinals

Date: Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Location: Worthen Arena in Muncie, IN

TV: ESPN3

Odds/Point Spread: Kent State (-2)

The Ball State Cardinals (6-7) play the Kent State Golden Flashes (7-4) at Worthen Arena on Tuesday. Ball State opens this game as 2-point underdogs. The total opens at 150.5.

Kent State steps onto the court with a mark of 7-4 this year. They have an average of 81.0 points per contest (33rd in Division 1) while hitting 46.6% from the field. The Golden Flashes are shooting 33.0% on shots from 3-point land (91 of 276) and 74.9% from the free throw line. As a unit, Kent State is grabbing 41.3 boards per game and has 167 assists this season, which has them ranked 192nd in the country in terms of passing. They cough up possession 13.9 times per game and as a group they commit 17.8 personal fouls on a nightly basis. When they are on the defensive end, the Golden Flashes are forcing their opponents into 13.7 turnovers every game and they draw 16.4 personal fouls. The Golden Flashes are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 40.6% (264 of 650) and they surrender 32.5 boards per game as a basketball team. They currently rank 96th in Division 1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 141 conceded this season. They are surrendering 31.8% on shots from distance and they are 188th in college basketball in PPG from their opponents (70.5).

The Kent State Golden Flashes faced the Toledo Rockets and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 76-74 in their last game. Kent State finished with a 41.0% FG percentage (25 of 61) and converted 7 of 23 shots from 3-point land. At the free throw line, the Golden Flashes knocked down 17 of 23 tries for a percentage of 73.9%. In relation to rebounding, they compiled a total of 38 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 13 assists in the game in addition to getting 8 steals and 2 blocks. In reference to defending, Kent State allowed the other team to go 41.0% from the field on 25 of 61 shooting. Toledo distributed 14 dimes and had 7 steals in the matchup. Moreover, the Rockets snagged 26 boards (5 offensive, 21 defensive) and got 2 blocked shots. Toledo ended up shooting 90.9% at the charity stripe by burying 10 of their 11 attempts. They converted 8 out of their 26 attempts from beyond the arc.

Mike Nuga is one guy who was a major factor in this matchup. He ended up with 19 points on 6 of 14 shooting. He played 34 mins and collected 3 rebounds. Nuga finished the game shooting 42.9% from the field and also earned 2 assists. Another guy that was a major factor in the game for the Golden Flashes was Danny Pippen. He snagged 12 rebounds and also had 4 dimes. He finished the game at 35.3% from the field for this game by shooting 6-of-17 (17 points). At the conclusion of this game, Pippen played for 29 minutes.

Ball State has a mark of 6-7 so far this season. The Cardinals are committing 19.2 personal fouls every game and they connect on 71.3% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 12.9 times per contest (201st in college basketball) and they are losing possession via turnover 13.5 times per game. Ball State has totaled 951 points so far this year (73.2 per game) and they collect 35.4 boards per contest. As an offensive team, the Cardinals are shooting 44.0% from the field, which is ranked 199th in college basketball. The Cardinals defensively are ranked 238th in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 72.8. They have allowed 12.8 dimes and 38.0 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 161st and 292nd in Division 1. The Ball State defense surrenders 30.4% on shots from distance (85 of 280) and their opposition knocks down 68.3% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have forced 13.6 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 42.9% from the floor (175th in D-1).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Ball State Cardinals went home defeated by a final of 85-77 when they faced the Ohio Bobcats. The Cardinals were able to pull down 22 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards totaling 31 in this contest. They also rejected 2 tries while recording 5 steals for the game. The Bobcats were called for 20 fouls in this game which took the Cardinals to the charity stripe for 19 attempts. They were able to bury 15 of those for a rate of 78.9%. In terms of shooting from beyond the arc, Ball State made 12 of their 26 attempts (46.2%). When the game finished, the Cardinals walked away from this one shooting 25 for 61 from the field which had them shooting 41.0%. The Cardinals allowed the Bobcats to knock down 27 of 63 attempts from the field which had them sitting at 42.9% in this matchup. They went 22.7% from 3-point land by going 5 out of 22 and ended up shooting 26 of 35 from the free throw line (74.3%). Concerning team rebounding, Ball State permitted Ohio to pull down 44 in total (16 offensive).

Ishmael El-Amin ended up having an impact for the Cardinals in this contest. He converted 6 out of 15 in this game giving him a rate of 40.0%, which earned him 21 points. El-Amin grabbed 4 rebounds in his 33 mins played and accumulated 5 assists for this game. One more player that played a role for Ball State was Luke Bumbalough. He racked up 11 points in his 33 minutes played via 4 out of 8 from the floor for this contest. Bumbalough wrapped this one up going 50.0% from the floor while collecting 2 assists and 2 total rebounds.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Kent State (-2)

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