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

Game: Western Michigan Broncos vs Ball State Cardinals

Date: Saturday, March 2, 2024

Location: Worthen Arena in Muncie, IN

TV: ESPN+

Worthen Arena is the site where the Ball State Cardinals (14-14) will meet the Western Michigan Broncos (10-18) on Saturday.

The Western Michigan Broncos faced Eastern Michigan and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 70-67 in their last contest. With respect to fouls, the Broncos ended up walking away with 13 while Eastern Michigan racked up 16 fouls. They converted 9 of their 21 attempts from long range. Eastern Michigan went 63.6% when shooting free throws by burying 7 of their 11 attempts. On top of that, Eastern Michigan had 34 rebounds (11 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Eastern Michigan totaled 9 dimes and had 7 steals for this contest. With regard to defending, Western Michigan allowed their opponent to shoot 42.9% from the field on 27 of 63 shooting. They also recorded 15 dimes in this game as well as forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and getting 4 steals. In regard to grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 32 with 11 of them being offensive. At the charity stripe, the Broncos buried 6 of 19 attempts for a rate of 31.6%. Western Michigan ended the contest having earned a 41.4% field goal percentage (24 of 58) and made 13 of their 34 shots from downtown.

JaVaughn Hannah is someone who had an impact for this game. He finished the game at 50.0% from the field and distributed 1 assist. He was on the hardwood for 35 mins played and also pulled down 2 rebounds. He walked away with 18 points on 6 out of 12 shooting.

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Western Michigan will enter this game with a record of 10-18 on the campaign. They have an average of 71.2 points per outing (257th in college basketball) while connecting on 43.3% from the field. The Broncos are connecting on 34.4% on shots from distance (227 of 660) and 62.0% from the free throw line. As a unit, Western Michigan is collecting 37.5 boards per contest and has earned 380 dimes this year, which is 162nd in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. They cough up possession 13.4 times per contest and as a basketball team are committing 17.2 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on the defensive end, the Broncos are forcing their opponents into 11.5 turnovers every game while drawing 17.7 fouls. They are conceding 34.4% from beyond the arc and they are 257th in the country in opponents points per game (74.3). The Broncos defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 44.5% (744 of 1,671) and they concede 35.2 rebounds per game as a squad. They currently rank 254th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 386 surrendered for the year.

In their last game, the Ball State Cardinals walked away with a victory by a final of 79-71 against Central Michigan. The Cardinals were able to snag 24 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 34 for the contest. They also coughed it up 13 times, while recording 6 steals in the game. Central Michigan was called for 16 fouls in this game which got the Cardinals to the charity stripe for a total of 16 tries. They were able to bury 13 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 81.3%. Regarding shooting from distance, Ball State made 10 out of 23 attempts (43.5%). When the final whistle was blown, the Cardinals ended up shooting 28 for 57 from the floor which had them sitting at 49.1%. The Cardinals allowed Central Michigan to make 25 out of their 60 attempts from the floor which left them with a rate of 41.7% for the game. They finished shooting 40.0% from three-point range by connecting on 10 of 25 and finished the contest at 11 of 15 at the free throw line (73.3%). When discussing rebounding, Ball State allowed Central Michigan to collect 27 in total (11 offensive).

Mickey Pearson ended up being important for the Cardinals in this contest. He converted 9 of 13 in the game giving him a rate of 69.2%, and had 4 rebounds. He earned 25 points in his 36 minutes on the hardwood, but finished this game without an assist.

Ball State has a win-loss record of 14-14 this year. In terms of offensive execution, the Cardinals are shooting 44.9% from the field, which ranks them 166th in the nation. Ball State has accounted for 2,058 points on the season (73.5 per contest) and they snag 34.9 boards per contest. They are earning an assist 12.6 times per game (226th in Division 1) and they turn it over 12.1 times per game. The Cardinals commit 15.2 personal fouls every game while shooting 76.3% from the free throw line.

The Cardinals on the defensive end are ranked 137th in Division 1 in PPG given up with 70.5. They are forcing their opponents into 11.8 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.6% from the floor (239th in D-1). The Ball State defense allows 34.1% on 3-pointers (196 of 575) and opponents are knocking down 70.3% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 12.3 dimes and 33.2 boards per game, which ranks 125th and 95th in D-1.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Ball State

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