Buffalo Bulls vs Ball State Cardinals Prediction, 1/14/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Buffalo Bulls vs Ball State Cardinals

Date: Friday, January 14, 2022

Location: Worthen Arena in Muncie, IN

TV: CBSSN

Worthen Arena is the site where the Ball State Cardinals (7-8) will take on the Buffalo Bulls (8-6) on Friday.

The Buffalo Bulls faced off with Western Michigan and earned the victory with a final of 78-64 in their last contest. In regard to fouls, the Bulls ended up with 12 and Western Michigan recorded 16 fouls. They also converted 6 of their 16 attempts from beyond the arc. Western Michigan finished the contest at 75.0% when shooting free throws by making 6 of 8 shots. On top of that, Western Michigan snagged 22 rebounds (5 offensive, 17 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Western Michigan distributed 12 assists and had 5 steals for this contest. In reference to the defense, Buffalo let their opponent shoot 51.0% from the floor on 26 out of 51 shooting. They also doled out 13 assists in the game in addition to creating 17 turnovers and getting 12 steals. In the matter of rebounding, they collected 32 with 12 of them being offensive. At the free throw line, the Bulls buried 15 of their 22 tries for a rate of 68.2%. Buffalo walked away from the game with a 46.7% FG percentage (28 out of 60) and converted 7 of 20 three-point attempts.

Ronaldo Segu is one guy who was a major contributor for this contest. He accumulated 17 points on 6 out of 8 shooting. He played for 34 minutes played and also collected 3 rebounds. He finished the contest at 75.0% from the field and totaled 2 dimes.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks Today

Buffalo steps onto the hardwood with a mark of 8-6 so far this year. They cough up possession 13.1 times per contest and as a team are committing 17.9 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Buffalo is pulling in 41.4 rebounds per game and has earned 209 assists on the season, which ranks 150th in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Bulls are shooting 33.9% on shots from distance (124 of 366) and 71.1% from the free throw line. They average 82.1 points per game (12th in college basketball) while hitting 46.1% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Bulls have forced 12.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.3 fouls. They are relinquishing 33.0% on shots from downtown and they rank 288th in college basketball in PPG from their opponents (73.3). The Bulls are giving up a shooting percentage of 42.8% (378 of 884) and they relinquish 34.9 rebounds per contest as a squad. They rank 77th in college hoops in allowing assists to their opponents with 159 relinquished this season.

The last time they took the court, the Ball State Cardinals took a loss by a score of 84-74 when they played Akron. The Cardinals were able to pull down 18 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 26 for the game. They also coughed up the ball 13 times, while earning 5 steals in the matchup. Akron committed 22 fouls for the game which took the Cardinals to the charity stripe for 23 tries. They were able to make 13 of the free throws for a percentage of 56.5%. When discussing shots from beyond the perimeter, Ball State knocked down 7 of 20 attempts (35.0%). When all was said and done, the Cardinals went 27 out of 55 from the field which had them sitting at 49.1%. The Cardinals allowed Akron to make 31 of 58 tries from the field which had them shooting 53.4% for the game. They shot 29.2% from 3-point land by shooting 7 of 24 and finished the contest at 15 of 21 from the charity stripe (71.4%). In reference to cleaning the glass, Ball State allowed Akron to grab 34 overall (9 offensive).

Payton Sparks ended up being a major contributor for the Cardinals for the matchup. He racked up 23 points in his 23 minutes of playing time, but wasn't able to notch an assist. He converted 8 of 14 for the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 57.1%, and accounted for 10 rebounds.

Ball State has a win-loss mark of 7-8 so far this year. The Cardinals have committed 18.1 personal fouls every game while shooting 67.1% from the charity stripe. Their rate of earning assists is at 13.6 times per contest (165th in college basketball) and they are giving up possession 14.4 times per contest. Ball State has accumulated 1,116 pts on the year (74.4 per game) and they snag 34.6 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the Cardinals are hitting on 44.4% from the field, which ranks them 174th in the nation.

The Cardinals on defense are ranked 333rd in the country in PPG surrendered with 77.3. They are forcing their opponents into 12.9 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 45.4% from the floor (311th in college hoops). The Ball State defense surrenders 35.8% on shots from distance (132 of 369) and their opponents are knocking down 70.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They have allowed 12.9 dimes and 36.9 rebounds per contest, which has them ranked 208th and 284th in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Buffalo

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