Western Michigan Broncos vs Ball State Cardinals Prediction, 1/5/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Western Michigan Broncos vs Ball State Cardinals

Date: Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Location: Worthen Arena in Muncie, IN

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Western Michigan (+10)

The Ball State Cardinals (4-4) play the Western Michigan Broncos (2-6) at Worthen Arena on Tuesday. Western Michigan opens this matchup as 10-point dogs. The O/U is set at 137.

Western Michigan steps onto the court with a record of 2-6 so far this year. They currently have an average of 63.5 pts per contest (312th in college basketball) while going 43.5% from the field. The Broncos are shooting 32.5% from downtown (49 of 151) and 64.2% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Western Michigan is collecting 35.1 rebounds per contest and has tallied 89 assists on the season, which ranks 256th in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 14.4 times per game and as a squad are committing 16.4 personal fouls per game. On defense, the Broncos have forced 11.0 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.3 personal fouls. The Broncos defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 41.0% (197 of 480) and they surrender 34.5 rebounds per contest as a basketball team. They rank 95th in college hoops in allowing assists with 83 conceded on the campaign. They are conceding 29.3% on 3-pointers and they rank 102nd in college basketball in points per game allowed (66.5).

The Western Michigan Broncos faced off with the Toledo Rockets and ended up losing by a score of 70-59 in their last game. Western Michigan ended the contest having earned a 39.7% field goal percentage (23 of 58) and buried 5 out of their 27 shots from 3-point land. At the free throw line, the Broncos made 8 of their 11 shots for a percentage of 72.7%. In terms of grabbing rebounds, they compiled 35 with 10 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 10 assists in the game while having 3 steals and 3 blocked shots. When talking about defense, Western Michigan allowed the other team to shoot 39.7% from the floor on 23 out of 58 shooting. Toledo dished out 12 dimes and had 6 steals for this game. In addition, the Rockets grabbed 35 rebounds (10 offensive, 25 defensive) and had 3 blocks. Toledo finished the game at 80.0% when shooting free throws by making 12 of 15 shots. They knocked down 8 of their 31 attempts from distance.

B. Artis White is someone who was a major factor for this contest. He recorded 17 points on 7 of 16 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 35 minutes played and pulled down 4 boards. White finished the game at 43.8% from the field and also distributed 2 dimes. One more player that was a factor in the matchup for the Broncos was Titus Wright. He had 5 boards and also tallied 2 dimes. He ended up shooting 75.0% from the field for the matchup by shooting 6-of-8 (15 points). When the final whistle blew, Wright was on the court for 25 min.

Ball State has a win-loss mark of 4-4 on the year. When it comes to offense, the Cardinals are hitting on 42.9% from the field, which ranks them 244th in Division 1. Ball State has accounted for 568 points so far this season (71.0 per game) and they collect 34.4 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 11.8 times per game (276th in the nation) and they turn the ball over 12.3 times per contest. The Cardinals are responsible for committing 18.3 fouls every game while shooting 66.5% from the charity stripe. The Cardinals on the defensive end are ranked 212th in college basketball in points allowed per contest with 71.6. The Ball State defense gives up 30.0% on three-point shots (48 of 160) and their opponents are converting on 68.2% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 11.4 dimes and 37.5 total rebounds per game, which ranks 92nd and 262nd in Division 1. They are able to force 14.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 45.3% from the floor (267th in Division 1).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Ball State Cardinals went home defeated by a final of 78-68 against the Ohio Bobcats. The Cardinals were able to collect 17 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 23 for the game. They also turned away 2 shots while recording 5 steals for the matchup. The Bobcats had 13 personal fouls for this contest which got the Cardinals to the charity stripe for 9 attempts. They were able to bury 7 of the free throws for a clip of 77.8%. Regarding shots from beyond the arc, Ball State knocked down 9 of their 25 tries (36.0%). When the game finished, the Cardinals finished shooting 26 for 56 from the field which had them shooting 46.4%. The Cardinals allowed the Bobcats to convert 31 of 56 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 55.4% for the game. They wrapped up this game 38.9% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 7 out of 18 and ended up going 9 out of 13 from the charity stripe (69.2%). In relation to attacking the glass, Ball State allowed Ohio to snag 27 in total (7 on the offensive glass).

Ishmael El-Amin ended up having an impact for the Cardinals in the game. He made 5 out of 11 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 45.5%, which earned him 18 points. El-Amin collected 4 rebounds in his 36 minutes played and had 4 assists in this game. Another guy that played a role for Ball State was Miryne Thomas. He walked away with 17 points in 32 minutes played via 7 of 9 shooting for the game. Thomas wrapped this one up going 77.8% from the floor as well as totaling 4 assists and 8 total rebounds.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Western Michigan (+10)

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