Toledo Rockets vs Ball State Cardinals Prediction, 1/18/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Toledo Rockets vs Ball State Cardinals

Date: Saturday, January 18, 2025

Location: Worthen Arena in Muncie, IN

TV: ESPN+

Worthen Arena is where the Ball State Cardinals (8-8) will try to beat the Toledo Rockets (9-7) on Saturday.

The Toledo Rockets faced Akron and took a loss by a final of 85-78 in their last game. When talking about personal fouls, the Rockets walked away with 16 while Akron racked up 22 personal fouls. They also buried 9 out of their 29 shots from 3-point land. Akron shot 66.7% at the free throw line by making 6 of 9 shots. Additionally, Akron pulled down 38 boards (12 offensive, 26 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Akron doled out 21 dimes and had 6 steals in the matchup. In regard to defense, Toledo allowed 46.7% from the floor on 35 of 75 shooting. They also dished out 9 assists in this game while forcing 9 turnovers and getting 4 steals. Pertaining to pulling down boards, they compiled 36 with 11 of them being of the offensive sort. From the charity stripe, the Rockets made 25 of their 31 attempts for a percentage of 80.6%. Toledo wrapped up the contest having earned a 37.5% FG percentage (24 out of 64) and converted 5 out of their 18 three-point shots.

Isaiah Adams is a guy who came through for the contest. He ended up with 17 points on 6 out of 13 shooting. He played for 34 mins played and collected 4 rebounds. He finished shooting 46.2% from the field and also earned 2 assists.

Get all of our NCAA Betting Picks

Toledo comes into this game with a win-loss record of 9-7 so far this year. They are averaging 77.4 points per contest (120th in college hoops) while hitting 45.7% from the floor. The Rockets are shooting 32.5% on three-point attempts (96 of 295) and 71.5% from the free throw line. As a unit, Toledo is collecting 34.8 boards per game and is sitting with 222 dimes so far this year, which is 243rd in the nation in terms of passing. They turn it over 9.8 times per contest and as a team they commit 15.3 personal fouls per contest.

On defense, the Rockets have forced 11.5 turnovers every game and they draw 18.6 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 185th in college hoops in allowing assists with 222 relinquished for the campaign. The Rockets are giving up a FG percentage of 46.4% (468 of 1,009) and they surrender 37.1 rebounds per contest as a team. They surrender 33.6% on 3-pointers and they rank 318th in Division 1 in PPG from their opponents (77.7).

The last time they took the court, the Ball State Cardinals took a loss by a final score of 86-71 when they played Ohio. In relation to rebounding, Ball State permitted Ohio to snag 27 overall (7 on the offensive side). They shot 36.4% from three-point range by hitting 8 of 22 and ended up going 10 of 16 at the free throw line (62.5%). The Cardinals permitted Ohio to make 34 out of their 62 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 54.8% in the matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Cardinals shot 24 out of 56 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 42.9%. Pertaining to shooting from distance, Ball State made 10 of their 20 attempts (50.0%). They were able to convert 13 of the free throws for a percentage of 68.4%. Ohio earned 17 personal fouls in the game which got the Cardinals to the free throw line for a total of 19 attempts. They also gave up possession of the ball 15 times, while recording 1 steal in the matchup. The Cardinals were able to snag 20 defensive boards and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 29 for this contest.

Mickey Pearson Jr. ended up being a major contributor for the Cardinals for this contest. He scored 19 points in his 33 minutes on the court and added 3 dimes for the matchup. He made 6 out of 13 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 46.2%, and had 6 rebounds.

Ball State has a win-loss record of 8-8 so far this season. As an offensive unit, the Cardinals are hitting on 45.6% from the floor, which ranks them 147th in the nation. Ball State has 1,215 points this year (75.9 per game) and they grab 36.4 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 13.1 times per contest (247th in the nation) and they are losing possession via turnover 12.4 times per contest. The Cardinals have committed 16.7 fouls per game while shooting 70.2% from the free throw line.

The Ball State defense surrenders 31.0% on shots from behind the 3-point line (122 of 394) and their opposition knocks down 71.5% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 13.4 assists and 34.3 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks them 206th and 174th in those categories on the defensive end. The Cardinals on defense are ranked 206th in college hoops in PPG allowed with 71.8. They are able to force 10.7 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 42.2% from the field (128th in the nation).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Toledo

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here