Ball State Cardinals vs Buffalo Bulls Prediction, 2/1/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ball State Cardinals vs Buffalo Bulls

Date: Saturday, February 1, 2025

Location: Alumni Arena in Buffalo, NY

TV: ESPN+

Alumni Arena is where the Buffalo Bulls (7-13) will attempt to beat the Ball State Cardinals (9-11) on Saturday.

The Ball State Cardinals played Western Michigan and went home with a loss by a final score of 74-71 in their last contest. Ball State ended the contest with a 43.9% FG percentage (25 of 57) and buried 6 out of their 21 3-pointers. At the free throw line, the Cardinals buried 15 of their 24 attempts for a rate of 62.5%. In regard to hauling in boards, they collected a total of 35 with 14 of them being offensive. They also distributed 11 assists for the contest while forcing 8 turnovers and earning 1 steal. In the matter of the defense, Ball State allowed the other team to shoot 48.3% from the floor on 28 out of 58 shooting. Western Michigan recorded 13 dimes and had 5 steals for this game. In addition, Western Michigan totaled 27 rebounds (7 offensive, 20 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Western Michigan finished the game at 70.6% at the charity stripe by converting 12 of 17 attempts. They also converted 6 out of their 14 attempts from distance. When discussing fouls, the Cardinals ended up with 15 while Western Michigan finished the game with 22 fouls.

Jermahri Hill is one guy who played a role in the matchup. He ended up scoring 19 points on 8 of 20 shooting. He was on the court for 37 mins and collected 6 rebounds. He finished the contest at 40.0% from the floor and earned 4 assists.

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Ball State steps onto the court with a win-loss mark of 9-11 this season. They average 75.5 points per game (160th in D-1) while connecting on 45.9% from the field. The Cardinals are connecting on 34.7% on 3-pointers (148 of 427) and 68.5% from the charity stripe. As a team, Ball State is pulling in 35.8 boards per contest and has tallied 268 dimes for the season, which ranks 251st in Division 1 in terms of passing. They lose possession via turnover 12.1 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 16.6 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Cardinals have forced 10.1 turnovers per contest and they draw 20.1 personal fouls. They currently rank 150th in college hoops in giving up assists with 264 surrendered for the campaign. The Cardinals are allowing a field goal percentage of 43.4% (519 of 1,195) and they relinquish 34.6 rebounds per game as a group. They are surrendering 32.8% on 3-pointers and they are 244th in D-1 in PPG allowed (73.6).

The last time they took the court, the Buffalo Bulls went home victorious with a score of 75-69 against Central Michigan. In the matter of cleaning the glass, Buffalo allowed Central Michigan to pull down 34 in total (10 on the offensive side). They wrapped up this game 26.3% from beyond the arc by going 5 of 19 and walked away from this one shooting 10 out of 23 from the free throw line (43.5%). The Bulls permitted Central Michigan to bury 27 of 55 tries from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 49.1% for the contest. When the final whistle blew, the Bulls ended up going 28 for 62 from the field which had them shooting 45.2%. In the matter of shots from beyond the perimeter, Buffalo converted 9 of 27 attempts (33.3%). They were able to bury 10 of them for a percentage of 58.8%. Central Michigan had 16 personal fouls in this game which took the Bulls to the free throw line for a total of 17 attempts. They also gave up possession of the ball 17 times, while recording 11 steals for the matchup. The Bulls were able to corral 22 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds for a total of 34 in this game.

Ryan Sabol pitched in for the Bulls in this game. He totaled 24 points in his 38 minutes on the court and had 1 assist for this contest. He made 8 out of 15 for the matchup for a rate of 53.3%, and had 2 rebounds.

Buffalo has a win-loss record of 7-13 this year. The Bulls have committed 16.2 fouls per contest and they connect on 67.8% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 14.3 times per contest (146th in college) and they turn it over 15.0 times per game. Buffalo has accumulated 1,444 points for the season (72.2 per contest) and they snag 34.7 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the ball, the Bulls are shooting 42.7% from the floor, which is 289th in the nation.

The Buffalo defense gives up 36.1% on shots from beyond the arc (180 of 499) and their opposition makes 70.4% of their foul shots. They concede 16.1 dimes and 39.8 rebounds per game, which ranks 343rd and 352nd in D-1. The Bulls defensively are ranked 353rd in college in PPG given up with 81.3. They are able to force 13.2 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.6% from the field (328th in college hoops).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Ball State

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