Ball State Cardinals vs Western Michigan Broncos Prediction, 3/4/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ball State Cardinals vs Western Michigan Broncos

Date: Friday, March 4, 2022

Location: University Arena (MI) in Kalamazoo, MI

TV: ESPN+

The Western Michigan Broncos (8-22) will try to defeat the Ball State Cardinals (13-16) at University Arena (MI) on Friday.

The Ball State Cardinals played Akron and went home with a loss by a final score of 79-60 in their last contest. Ball State walked away from the game having earned a 34.6% FG percentage (18 of 52) and knocked down 7 of their 19 3-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Cardinals buried 17 of their 20 attempts for a rate of 85.0%. When it comes to pulling down boards, they earned 31 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 9 assists in the matchup while forcing the opposition into 6 turnovers and earning 1 steal. Concerning defense, Ball State let their opponent shoot 43.6% from the field on 24 out of 55 shooting. Akron earned 11 dimes and had 8 steals in this contest. Additionally, Akron totaled 29 rebounds (7 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Akron ended up shooting 80.0% from the charity stripe by burying 20 of their 25 tries. They also made 11 of their 26 attempts from 3-point range. Concerning personal fouls, the Cardinals left the arena with 18 while Akron totaled 16 personal fouls.

Tyler Cochran is a player who was a contributor for the matchup. He was able to score 18 points on 7 of 11 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 34 minutes and totaled 10 rebounds. He ended up shooting 63.6% from the field and also earned 1 assist.

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Ball State will play this contest with a win-loss mark of 13-16 on the season. They have an average of 74.9 pts per game (81st in college basketball) while going 44.6% from the floor. The Cardinals are shooting 36.5% on shots from distance (249 of 683) and 69.7% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Ball State is snagging 35.6 boards per game and has accumulated 388 assists on the campaign, which has them ranked 166th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They turn it over 14.2 times per contest and as a group they commit 18.0 fouls every game.

On defense, the Cardinals are forcing 12.4 turnovers per contest and they draw 19.9 personal fouls. They give up 36.1% on shots from downtown and they are 338th in college hoops in PPG allowed (77.2). The Cardinals defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 44.6% (780 of 1,747) and they surrender 35.8 boards per game as a basketball team. They are 237th in college basketball in giving up assists with 389 surrendered for the campaign.

In their last game, the Western Michigan Broncos got the victory with a final of 71-60 against Eastern Michigan. In regard to team rebounding, Western Michigan permitted Eastern Michigan to grab 33 overall (7 offensive). They shot 26.1% from three-point range by shooting 6 out of 23 and ended up going 8 out of 18 at the charity stripe (44.4%). The Broncos permitted Eastern Michigan to convert 23 of 55 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 41.8% for this game. When the game finished, the Broncos finished the game shooting 26 for 57 from the field which gave them a percentage of 45.6%. In the matter of three-point shots, Western Michigan made 11 of 26 attempts (42.3%). They were able to make 8 of them for a clip of 72.7%. Eastern Michigan earned 17 fouls in this contest which got the Broncos to the charity stripe for a total of 11 shots. They gave up possession of the ball 5 times, while getting 6 steals for this contest. The Broncos collected 26 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive boards for a total of 31 in this game.

Lamar Norman ended up being important for the Broncos in this game. He tallied 35 points in his 36 mins of playing time and earned 1 assist in this contest. He converted 13 of 20 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 65.0%, and accounted for 3 rebounds.

Western Michigan has a win-loss record of 8-22 on the year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Broncos are connecting on 42.1% from the floor, which ranks 281st in D-1. Western Michigan has accounted for 1,964 points this year (65.5 per contest) and they pull in 33.1 rebounds per contest. They are getting an assist 10.2 times per game (342nd in the nation) and they are turning it over 13.7 times per contest. The Broncos commit 16.9 fouls per game and they shoot 70.2% from the charity stripe.

The Western Michigan defense gives up 33.2% on shots from 3-point land (237 of 714) and their opponents are knocking down 70.5% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 13.4 dimes and 36.0 boards every game, ranking them 247th and 260th in those defensive categories. The Broncos are ranked 322nd in college basketball in PPG allowed with 75.5. They have forced 10.1 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 46.0% from the field (318th in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Ball State

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