Ball State Cardinals vs Kent State Golden Flashes Prediction, 1/4/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ball State Cardinals vs Kent State Golden Flashes

Date: Saturday, January 4, 2025

Location: M.A.C. Center in Kent, OH

TV: ESPN+

The Ball State Cardinals (6-6) are en route to M.A.C. Center on Saturday where they will take on the Kent State Golden Flashes (9-3).

The Ball State Cardinals faced Anderson University and took home the win by a score of 89-76 in their last contest. In regard to personal fouls, the Cardinals ended up walking away with 15 and Anderson University had 28 personal fouls. They also buried 12 of their 42 tries from distance. Anderson University finished 70.6% from the free throw line by making 12 of their 17 attempts. Moreover, Anderson University collected 31 boards (11 offensive, 20 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Anderson University doled out 18 dimes and had 9 steals for the matchup. When it comes to defending, Ball State let their opponent shoot 37.1% from the field on 26 of 70 shooting. They also recorded 17 dimes in the game while forcing the opposition into 13 turnovers and having 8 steals. Concerning rebounding, they earned 44 with 14 of them being offensive. At the charity stripe, the Cardinals made 28 of their 39 tries for a rate of 71.8%. Ball State finished the contest with a 44.1% FG percentage (26 out of 59) and knocked down 9 out of their 26 shots from downtown.

Jermahri Hill is a player who was a major contributor in this game. He recorded 25 points on 5 of 10 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 34 minutes and also snagged 8 rebounds. He went 50.0% from the floor and dished out 2 assists.

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Ball State heads into this one with a mark of 6-6 for the campaign. They are losing possession via turnover 11.3 times per game and as a squad are committing 16.9 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Ball State is pulling down 36.3 boards per game and has accounted for 150 dimes this year, which ranks 327th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Cardinals are shooting 33.1% from downtown (89 of 269) and 69.6% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 75.5 pts per game (193rd in the country) while connecting on 44.4% from the field.

Defensively, the Cardinals are able to force 11.3 turnovers per contest and they draw 20.3 personal fouls. They rank 96th in D-1 in allowing assists with 156 conceded so far this year. The Cardinals defense is allowing a FG percentage of 40.8% (285 of 699) and they concede 36.4 rebounds per contest as a team. They give up 31.3% from beyond the arc while they are 165th in the country in PPG allowed (70.5).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Kent State Golden Flashes walked away with a victory by a final of 84-80 against Heidelberg. When talking about rebounding, Kent State permitted Heidelberg to get 23 in all (9 offensive). They shot 42.1% from downtown by shooting 8 of 19 and finished the contest at 10 out of 12 at the free throw line (83.3%). The Golden Flashes allowed Heidelberg to bury 31 of 63 tries from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 49.2% in this matchup. When the final whistle was blown, the Golden Flashes finished 31 for 62 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 50.0%. Pertaining to shooting from 3-point land, Kent State made 10 of 23 attempts (43.5%). They were able to make 12 of the free throw tries for a rate of 70.6%. Heidelberg had 13 personal fouls for the game which got the Golden Flashes to the charity stripe for a total of 17 shots. They also turned it over 12 times, while getting 6 steals in the matchup. The Golden Flashes were able to corral 20 defensive boards and 12 offensive boards totaling 32 in this game.

Jalen Sullinger ended up being important for the Golden Flashes in the matchup. He totaled 25 points in his 38 minutes on the hardwood and had 4 dimes for this contest. He buried 9 of 20 in this matchup for a rate of 45.0%, and had 2 rebounds.

Kent State has a win-loss mark of 9-3 on the campaign. When it comes to offense, the Golden Flashes are connecting on 40.2% from the floor, which ranks them 348th in the nation. Kent State has totaled 835 points on the season (69.6 per game) and they pull in 36.7 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 12.4 times per game (295th in college hoops) and they turn the ball over 10.5 times per game. The Golden Flashes have committed 18.2 personal fouls every game and they shoot 75.6% from the free throw line.

The Golden Flashes on the defensive side of the court are 27th in D-1 in points allowed per contest with 63.6. They are forcing their opponents into 14.0 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 40.8% from the floor (79th in D-1). The Kent State defense concedes 30.9% from downtown (79 of 256) and their opponents are connecting on 72.5% of their free throw shots. They allow 12.6 dimes and 33.3 boards per game, which has them ranked 148th and 134th in Division 1.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Ball State

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