Ball State Cardinals vs Western Michigan Broncos Prediction, 2/3/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ball State Cardinals vs Western Michigan Broncos

Date: Saturday, February 3, 2024

Location: University Arena (MI) in Kalamazoo, MI

TV: ESPN+

The Western Michigan Broncos (8-13) will go up against the Ball State Cardinals (11-10) at University Arena (MI) on Saturday.

The Ball State Cardinals faced off with Bowling Green and took a loss by a score of 81-72 in their last contest. When it comes to fouls, the Cardinals ended up finishing with 16 and Bowling Green totaled 18 fouls. They made 8 of their 16 shots from beyond the perimeter. Bowling Green finished shooting 75.0% at the charity stripe by knocking down 15 of their 20 shots. Additionally, Bowling Green had 31 rebounds (9 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Bowling Green distributed 11 assists and had 8 steals for this game. Pertaining to defense, Ball State allowed their opponent to shoot 51.8% from the floor on 29 of 56 shooting. They also doled out 10 dimes in this contest as well as forcing the opposition into 12 turnovers and earning 2 steals. Concerning pulling down boards, they compiled 23 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Cardinals converted 18 of their 22 attempts for a rate of 81.8%. Ball State ended the game with a 46.2% field goal percentage (24 out of 52) and made 6 out of their 14 3-pointers.

Mickey Pearson is someone who played a role in the game. He ended up finishing with 15 points on 6 of 9 shooting. He was on the court for 39 minutes and grabbed 7 rebounds. He finished the game at 66.7% from the floor and dished out 3 assists.

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Ball State enters this one with a win-loss record of 11-10 for the year. They lose possession via turnover 12.3 times per contest and as a basketball team they are committing 15.0 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Ball State is snagging 34.9 boards per game and has tallied 261 assists so far this year, which has them ranked 245th in D-1 in terms of passing. The Cardinals are connecting on 37.8% on shots from 3-point land (163 of 431) and 77.1% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 75.1 pts per game (165th in the country) on 46.1% from the field.

On defense, the Cardinals are able to force 11.6 turnovers per game and they draw 19.1 fouls. They are relinquishing 34.0% on shots from downtown and they are ranked 143rd in college basketball in points per game allowed (70.6). The Cardinals defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 44.9% (543 of 1,209) and they relinquish 31.8 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are 138th in Division 1 in allowing assists with 256 relinquished for the year.

The last time they took the court, the Western Michigan Broncos took a loss by a final score of 88-63 when they played Toledo. In reference to how they rebounded, Western Michigan allowed Toledo to get 31 overall (7 offensive). They went 36.4% from downtown by connecting on 4 of 11 and finished the game at 18 out of 22 from the free throw line (81.8%). The Broncos allowed Toledo to knock down 33 out of 52 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 63.5% in this game. When the final whistle blew, the Broncos finished the game shooting 26 for 57 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 45.6%. In relation to shots from beyond the arc, Western Michigan knocked down 6 out of 21 tries (28.6%). They were able to convert 5 of the free throws for a clip of 41.7%. Toledo had 13 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Broncos to the free throw line for 12 shots. They also turned it over 15 times, while earning 10 steals for the contest. The Broncos snagged 14 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards for a total of 22 for the game.

Titus Wright was important for the Broncos for the contest. He accumulated 12 points in his 22 mins of playing time, but wrapped up this contest with no dimes. He converted 6 of 10 for the matchup for a field goal percentage of 60.0%, and had 3 rebounds.

Western Michigan has a record of 8-13 so far this season. As an offensive unit, the Broncos are shooting 45.1% from the field, which has them ranked 157th in college hoops. Western Michigan has totaled 1,534 pts for the season (73.0 per contest) and they grab 37.7 boards per contest. They are dishing out assists 14.2 times per contest (124th in college basketball) and they turn it over 13.8 times per contest. The Broncos are responsible for committing 17.3 fouls per game and they shoot 60.4% from the charity stripe.

The Broncos are ranked 280th in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 75.5. They are able to force 11.4 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.8% from the floor (267th in D-1). The Western Michigan defense surrenders 34.7% on shots from distance (166 of 478) and their opposition knocks down 71.1% of their free throw shots. They surrender 14.3 assists and 35.1 total boards per game, which ranks 298th and 197th in college hoops.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Western Michigan

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