Ball State Cardinals vs Kent State Golden Flashes Prediction, 1/20/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ball State Cardinals vs Kent State Golden Flashes

Date: Friday, January 20, 2023

Location: M.A.C. Center in Kent, OH

TV: fuboTV

M.A.C. Center is the location where the Kent State Golden Flashes (15-3) will meet the Ball State Cardinals (13-5) on Friday.

The Ball State Cardinals faced Western Michigan and went home with a win by a final score of 71-70 in their last contest. Ball State finished with a 45.8% field goal percentage (27 of 59) and buried 4 of 15 shots from beyond the perimeter. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Cardinals knocked down 13 of 22 tries for a rate of 59.1%. Pertaining to pulling down boards, they collected 34 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 12 assists for the contest while forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and earning 7 steals. When it comes to the defense, Ball State allowed their opponent to shoot 38.6% from the floor on 22 of 57 shooting. Western Michigan recorded 10 dimes and had 3 steals for the game. Additionally, Western Michigan collected 34 rebounds (8 offensive, 26 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Western Michigan finished the game at 100.0% from the free throw line by converting 17 of 17 tries. They converted 9 of their 18 attempts from long range. In the matter of fouls, the Cardinals left the arena with 18 and Western Michigan finished the game with 21 fouls.

Jarron Coleman is a guy who was a contributor in this matchup. He shot 50.0% from the field and totaled 7 assists. He was on the hardwood for 38 mins played and also grabbed 8 rebounds. He walked away with 22 points on 8 of 16 shooting.

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Ball State enters this one with a mark of 13-5 for the year. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.4 times per contest and as a team they commit 16.6 fouls every game. As a team, Ball State is pulling down 36.1 rebounds per game and has earned 231 dimes on the season, which ranks 254th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Cardinals are shooting 37.2% on shots from distance (124 of 333) and 68.4% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 76.2 points per outing (84th in college hoops) while hitting 47.7% from the field.

On defense, the Cardinals are forcing 12.6 turnovers every game while drawing 21.4 fouls. They are currently ranked 7th in Division 1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 161 conceded so far this year. The Cardinals are allowing a shooting percentage of 41.8% (436 of 1,042) and they surrender 32.6 boards per game as a unit. They concede 35.6% on shots from distance and they are ranked 123rd in D-1 in PPG allowed (67.2).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Kent State Golden Flashes walked away with a victory by a final of 77-63 against Eastern Michigan. Concerning how they attacked the glass, Kent State allowed Eastern Michigan to collect 33 in total (11 on the offensive side). They finished shooting 21.1% from downtown by connecting on 4 out of 19 and ended up going 9 out of 17 from the free throw line (52.9%). The Golden Flashes allowed Eastern Michigan to make 25 out of 61 tries from the field which left them shooting 41.0% in the game. Overall, the Golden Flashes finished the game shooting 28 out of 60 from the field which had them sitting at 46.7%. When it comes to shooting from distance, Kent State knocked down 7 out of 27 attempts (25.9%). They were able to knock down 14 of the free throws for a percentage of 77.8%. Eastern Michigan was called for 16 fouls for this contest which took the Golden Flashes to the charity stripe for 18 tries. They turned it over 8 times, while getting 9 steals in the game. The Golden Flashes snagged 28 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards totaling 35 for the game.

Sincere Carry ended up having an impact for the Golden Flashes for the game. He knocked down 6 of 12 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and had 3 rebounds. He accumulated 14 points in his 39 mins on the hardwood and accumulated 5 assists in the game.

Kent State has a mark of 15-3 on the campaign. On the offensive side of the court, the Golden Flashes are hitting on 43.8% from the field, which has them ranked 222nd in the nation. Kent State has accumulated 1,343 pts on the season (74.6 per contest) and they snag 35.2 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 12.1 times per contest (274th in college basketball) and they lose possession via turnover 11.6 times per contest. The Golden Flashes have committed 18.7 personal fouls every game and they shoot 75.4% from the free throw line.

The Golden Flashes are ranked 25th in D-1 in PPG given up with 62.2. They are forcing their opponents into 17.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 39.0% from the field (19th in Division 1). The Kent State defense concedes 30.2% on shots from beyond the arc (118 of 391) and their opponents are converting on 68.8% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 10.8 dimes and 36.9 boards on a nightly basis, which is ranked 53rd and 302nd in those categories.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Kent State

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