Bellarmine Knights vs Ball State Cardinals Prediction, 12/2/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Bellarmine Knights vs Ball State Cardinals

Date: Saturday, December 2, 2023

Location: Worthen Arena in Muncie, IN

TV: ESPN+

The Bellarmine Knights (2-6) are on their way to Worthen Arena on Saturday where they will compete against the Ball State Cardinals (5-2).

The Bellarmine Knights stepped onto the hardwood against Louisville and took a loss by a score of 73-68 in their last contest. In regard to fouls, the Knights left the arena with 21 while Louisville accounted for 19 fouls. They converted 7 of 24 tries from long range. Louisville finished shooting 72.7% from the free throw line by burying 16 of their 22 shots. In addition, Louisville grabbed 37 boards (9 offensive, 28 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Louisville earned 13 dimes and had 1 steal in the matchup. With respect to defending, Bellarmine allowed 43.1% from the floor on 25 of 58 shooting. They also dished out 13 assists for the contest while forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and having 7 steals. In relation to pulling down boards, they collected 30 with 6 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Knights buried 18 of 19 attempts for a rate of 94.7%. Bellarmine ended the game with a 37.9% FG percentage (22 of 58) and knocked down 6 of 20 3-point shots.

Garrett Tipton is a player who was a major factor for the contest. He accumulated 18 points on 6 out of 17 shooting. He played for 34 mins and snagged 3 boards. He ended up going 35.3% from the floor and also recorded 1 assist.

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Bellarmine will enter this matchup with a record of 2-6 this year. They cough up possession 11.3 times per game and as a group are committing 16.1 fouls per game. As a unit, Bellarmine is grabbing 31.6 boards per game and is sitting with 108 assists on the year, which ranks 85th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Knights are connecting on 33.9% from downtown (62 of 183) and 79.1% from the free throw line. They are averaging 66.9 points per contest (315th in the nation) while hitting 40.9% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Knights are forcing 13.1 turnovers per contest while drawing 14.9 fouls. They concede 31.7% from beyond the arc and they are 181st in D-1 in points per game allowed (71.0). The Knights defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 44.6% (205 of 460) and they surrender 37.4 boards per game as a team. They are ranked 325th in D-1 in giving up assists with 111 conceded this season.

In their last game, the Ball State Cardinals went home defeated by a final of 90-64 against Little Rock. The Cardinals were able to corral 14 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards for a total of 23 for the contest. They gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while earning 4 steals in the matchup. Little Rock was called for 17 personal fouls in this contest which took the Cardinals to the free throw line for a total of 16 tries. They were able to knock down 8 of them for a percentage of 50.0%. In regard to 3-point attempts, Ball State converted 4 of 20 tries (20.0%). When all was said and done, the Cardinals walked away from this one shooting 26 for 53 from the floor which had them at 49.1%. The Cardinals permitted Little Rock to convert 37 of 58 tries from the field which had them shooting 63.8% in this matchup. They went 60.0% from 3-point land by shooting 12 out of 20 and finished the contest at 4 out of 7 from the free throw line (57.1%). When talking about team rebounding, Ball State allowed Little Rock to get 27 in all (8 on the offensive side).

Basheer Jihad pitched in for the Cardinals for the game. He made 9 of 15 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 60.0%, and had 4 rebounds. He racked up 25 points in his 37 mins of playing time and had 3 assists in the matchup.

Ball State has a record of 5-2 for the season. The Cardinals are committing 13.3 fouls per contest and they go 68.3% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 12.1 times per game (254th in college basketball) and they turn it over 11.9 times per contest. Ball State has scored 547 pts for the year (78.1 per contest) and they grab 36.0 boards per game. As an offensive unit, the Cardinals are connecting on 48.1% from the floor, which ranks them 61st in the nation.

The Cardinals on defense are ranked 74th in the nation in PPG given up with 65.0. They are forcing their opponents into 15.3 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 45.2% from the field (276th in Division 1). The Ball State defense surrenders 33.8% on shots from 3-point land (46 of 136) and opponents are knocking down 66.3% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 11.7 assists and 30.0 boards per contest, ranking them 131st and 22nd in those categories.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Ball State

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