Ball State Cardinals vs Western Michigan Broncos Prediction, 2/18/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ball State Cardinals vs Western Michigan Broncos

Date: Saturday, February 18, 2023

Location: University Arena (MI) in Kalamazoo, MI

TV: ESPN+

The Western Michigan Broncos (6-20) will take on the Ball State Cardinals (19-7) at University Arena (MI) on Saturday.

The Ball State Cardinals stepped onto the hardwood against Northern Illinois and earned the victory with a final of 87-77 in their last contest. Ball State walked away from the game with a 51.7% FG percentage (31 out of 60) and made 9 of 22 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the charity stripe, the Cardinals knocked down 16 of 21 tries for a percentage of 76.2%. Concerning hauling in boards, they earned a total of 38 with 10 of them being offensive. They also doled out 15 assists in this game as well as forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and earning 4 steals. In regard to defense, Ball State allowed their opponent to shoot 46.0% from the floor on 29 of 63 shooting. Northern Illinois totaled 14 assists and had 6 steals in this game. Furthermore, Northern Illinois grabbed 28 rebounds (8 offensive, 20 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Northern Illinois walked away from this one shooting 53.8% when shooting free throws by converting 7 of 13 shots. They made 12 of their 28 attempts from beyond the perimeter. In regard to fouls, the Cardinals ended up finishing with 13 and Northern Illinois had 24 fouls.

Payton Sparks is one guy who had an impact for the game. He recorded 20 points on 8 out of 14 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 33 mins and also snagged 16 rebounds. He ended up shooting 57.1% from the floor and also earned 3 assists.

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Ball State heads into this matchup with a record of 19-7 for the season. They are turning it over 12.5 times per contest and as a team they are committing 16.2 fouls per contest. As a team, Ball State is pulling down 36.3 rebounds per contest and has tallied 343 dimes so far this year, which ranks 183rd in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. The Cardinals are connecting on 38.0% on shots from 3-point land (197 of 518) and 66.8% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 76.7 points per outing (63rd in the nation) while hitting 47.7% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Cardinals are able to force 12.2 turnovers every game and they draw 21.0 personal fouls. They relinquish 36.9% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they rank 178th in D-1 in PPG allowed (69.4). The Cardinals are giving up a FG percentage of 43.3% (655 of 1,511) and they surrender 32.5 rebounds per game as a team. They currently rank 13th in the country in giving up assists to their opponents with 247 conceded for the year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Western Michigan Broncos went home defeated by a final of 82-58 when they played Kent State. The Broncos were able to collect 17 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive boards for a total of 22 for this contest. They gave up possession 19 times, while getting 5 steals in this matchup. Kent State had 18 fouls for the contest which got the Broncos to the charity stripe for a total of 15 tries. They were able to make 9 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 60.0%. Pertaining to shots from beyond the arc, Western Michigan made 7 of 25 attempts (28.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Broncos ended up going 21 out of 49 from the field which had them shooting 42.9%. The Broncos allowed Kent State to make 31 of their 64 attempts from the field which had them shooting 48.4% in this game. They finished 38.1% from beyond the perimeter by going 8 of 21 and walked away from this one shooting 12 of 17 from the free throw line (70.6%). When talking about rebounds, Western Michigan allowed Kent State to grab 37 overall (13 on the offensive side).

Lamar Norman ended up being a major contributor for the Broncos in this contest. He made 7 out of 13 for this contest for a field goal rate of 53.8%, and accounted for 2 rebounds. He totaled 17 points in his 39 mins on the court and had 3 dimes for this game.

Western Michigan has a win-loss mark of 6-20 so far this year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Broncos are hitting on 43.5% from the floor, which is 251st in the country. Western Michigan has tallied 1,822 pts on the year (70.1 per contest) and they collect 37.1 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.0 times per game (203rd in Division 1) and they are losing possession via turnover 13.2 times per contest. The Broncos are committing 16.9 fouls every game and they connect on 71.4% from the charity stripe.

The Western Michigan defense gives up 36.3% on shots from beyond the arc (217 of 598) and opponents are connecting on 69.3% of their shots from the free throw line. They have relinquished 14.7 dimes and 32.3 rebounds per game, which is ranked 320th and 79th in college hoops. The Broncos are ranked 307th in college basketball in PPG surrendered with 74.5. They are forcing 10.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 46.4% from the floor (327th in the country).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Western Michigan

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