Eastern Michigan Eagles vs Central Michigan Chippewas Prediction, 3/8/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Eastern Michigan Eagles vs Central Michigan Chippewas

Date: Friday, March 8, 2024

Location: McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant, MI

TV: ESPN+

McGuirk Arena is the location where the Central Michigan Chippewas (17-13) will take on the Eastern Michigan Eagles (13-17) on Friday.

The Eastern Michigan Eagles faced Akron and went home with a win by a final score of 61-60 in their last contest. Eastern Michigan wrapped up the game with a 43.3% field goal percentage (26 of 60) and buried 4 out of their 15 shots from downtown. From the free throw line, the Eagles made 5 of their 9 attempts for a rate of 55.6%. When talking about rebounding, they collected 34 with 15 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 9 assists for the contest as well as creating 14 turnovers and having 6 steals. In regard to defending, Eastern Michigan allowed their opponent to shoot 47.8% from the field on 22 out of 46 shooting. Akron dished out 13 dimes and had 6 steals in this matchup. Additionally, Akron snagged 28 boards (8 offensive, 20 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Akron finished shooting 70.6% from the free throw line by making 12 of their 17 shots. They converted 4 out of their 20 tries from distance. With respect to fouls, the Eagles finished with 17 and Akron finished the game with 11 fouls.

Jalin Billingsley is someone who played a role for the game. He shot 46.7% from the floor but had no dimes when the game ended. He played for 36 mins played and pulled down 8 rebounds. He racked up 14 points on 7 out of 15 shooting.

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Eastern Michigan comes into this matchup with a win-loss record of 13-17 so far this year. They lose possession via turnover 11.8 times per game and as a unit they are committing 16.3 personal fouls every game. As a team, Eastern Michigan is grabbing 34.4 rebounds per game and has 309 dimes for the year, which ranks 346th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Eagles are connecting on 30.7% on shots from distance (173 of 563) and 66.8% from the free throw line. They have an average of 66.2 pts per contest (336th in D-1) while going 43.2% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Eagles are able to force 10.7 turnovers per contest and they draw 15.0 fouls. They are conceding 31.9% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 212th in college hoops in points per game allowed (72.9). The Eagles defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 45.7% (797 of 1,744) and they surrender 35.6 rebounds per game as a team. They are ranked 235th in college basketball in allowing assists with 404 surrendered this year.

In their last game, the Central Michigan Chippewas walked away with a victory by a final of 69-63 when they faced Northern Illinois. In regard to rebounding, Central Michigan allowed Northern Illinois to pull down 33 in all (12 offensive). They wrapped up this game 22.7% from 3-point land via 5 out of 22 and ended up going 12 of 20 from the charity stripe (60.0%). The Chippewas allowed Northern Illinois to make 23 out of 58 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 39.7% in this game. When all was said and done, the Chippewas went 24 out of 59 from the floor which gave them a rate of 40.7%. In regard to 3-point attempts, Central Michigan converted 7 of their 21 tries (33.3%). They were able to bury 14 of the free throws for a rate of 56.0%. Northern Illinois committed 18 fouls for the matchup which took the Chippewas to the charity stripe for a total of 25 attempts. They also turned the ball over 6 times, while recording 6 steals in this matchup. The Chippewas collected 19 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds totaling 31 in this game.

Derrick Butler ended up being a factor for the Chippewas for the matchup. He accumulated 24 points in his 38 minutes on the hardwood, but wasn't able to tally an assist. He knocked down 8 out of 14 for the game giving him a field goal percentage of 57.1%, and tallied 4 rebounds.

Central Michigan has a mark of 17-13 so far this year. When it comes to executing on offense, the Chippewas are connecting on 42.7% from the floor, which is 286th in college basketball. Central Michigan has earned 2,006 points for the year (66.9 per game) and they snag 35.8 rebounds per contest. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 11.3 times per game (315th in the nation) and they turn it over 12.2 times per contest. The Chippewas commit 16.7 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 66.3% from the free throw line.

The Chippewas on the defensive end are ranked 131st in the nation in PPG given up with 70.5. They are forcing their opponents into 11.5 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 41.3% from the field (45th in college basketball). The Central Michigan defense gives up 31.4% on 3-point attempts (232 of 738) and their opponents are converting on 74.0% of their shots from the free throw line. They have relinquished 13.2 assists and 37.2 rebounds per game, which is ranked 204th and 309th in college basketball.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Eastern Michigan

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