Ball State Cardinals vs Michigan Wolverines Prediction, 12/2/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds
Game: Ball State Cardinals vs Michigan Wolverines
Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020
Location: Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, MI
TV: Big Ten Network
Odds/Point Spread: Ball State (+15.5)
The Michigan Wolverines (2-0) play the Ball State Cardinals (0-1) at Crisler Center on Wednesday. Ball State opens this game as 15.5-point underdogs. The over/under is set at 145.
Ball State comes into this matchup with a win-loss mark of 0-1 on the year. The Cardinals are shooting 26.1% on three-point attempts (6 of 23) and 52.4% from the free throw line. They are averaging 73 points per outing (144th in the nation) while going 43.8% from the field. They cough up possession 9 times per contest and as a unit are committing 21 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Ball State is collecting 39 rebounds per contest and has 11 assists this year, which ranks 240th in D-1 in terms of passing. When they are on defense, the Cardinals are forcing 9 turnovers per contest while drawing 20 fouls. They surrender 28.6% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 261st in college basketball in PPG allowed (74). The Cardinals defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 41.5% (27 of 65) and they surrender 43 boards per game as a basketball team. They are 155th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 16 conceded for the year.
The Ball State Cardinals stepped onto the hardwood against the Northern Kentucky Norse and ended up losing by a score of 74-73 in their last game. Ball State finished the game with a 43.8% FG percentage (28 of 64) and knocked down 6 of their 23 3-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Cardinals converted 11 of 21 attempts for a rate of 52.4%. When talking about hauling in rebounds, they earned 35 with 13 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 11 assists in the matchup as well as getting 7 steals and 4 rejections. In the matter of defense, Ball State allowed 43.8% from the floor on 28 out of 64. Northern Kentucky doled out 16 assists and 5 steals for the game. Additionally, the Norse collected 38 rebounds (17 offensive, 21 defensive) and got 4 blocks. Northern Kentucky finished shooting 52.2% at the free throw line by making 12 of 23 attempts. They also knocked down 8 of 28 shots from beyond the arc.
Ishmael El-Amin is a player who saw a lot of action for this game. He racked up 15 points on 6 out of 13 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 36 minutes and also pulled down 3 rebounds. El-Amin finished the game at 46.2% from the floor and recorded 3 assists. One more player that saw a lot of action in the matchup for the Cardinals was K.J. Walton. He snagged 11 boards and earned 3 dimes. He walked away from this one shooting 52.4% from the field in the game by connecting on 11-of-21 (28 points). When the final whistle blew, Walton was on the court for 27 min.
Michigan has a record of 2-0 for the season. The Wolverines are committing 18.0 fouls every game and they hit 72.9% from the charity stripe. Their rate of earning assists is at 23.5 times per game (9th in college basketball) and they lose possession via turnover 15.0 times per contest. Michigan has accounted for 177 points on the campaign (88.5 per contest) and they snag 44.5 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Wolverines are shooting 50.4% from the floor, which is ranked 145th in D-1. The Wolverines on the defensive side of the court are 283rd in college basketball in PPG given up with 76.5. They have allowed 10.5 dimes and 33.5 boards every game, which ranks them 168th and 191st in college basketball. The Michigan defense concedes 31.7% on 3-pointers (20 of 63) and their opposition makes 83.0% of their shots from the charity stripe. They are forcing their opponents into 11.0 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 35.1% from the field (35th in the country).
The last time they took the hardwood, the Michigan Wolverines went home victorious with a score of 81-71 against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. The Wolverines were able to collect 33 defensive boards and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 42 for the game. They also blocked 5 tries while recording 7 steals for the contest. The Golden Grizzlies were called for 18 personal fouls in the game which got the Wolverines to the charity stripe for 22 tries. They were able to make 15 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 68.2%. Concerning three-point shots, Michigan knocked down 8 of their 27 tries (29.6%). Overall, the Wolverines went 29 for 62 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 46.8%. The Wolverines allowed the Golden Grizzlies to convert 21 out of their 64 attempts from the field which left them with a rate of 32.8% in this game. They went 23.5% from beyond the perimeter by hitting 8 of 34 and finished the contest at 21 out of 25 from the free throw line (84.0%). In the matter of rebounding, Michigan permitted Oakland to snag 29 in total (7 on the offensive side).
Eli Brooks pitched in for the Wolverines for this contest. He knocked down 2 of 6 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 33.3%, which earned him 6 points. Brooks snagged 2 boards in his 41 mins played and had 5 assists in the game. Another guy that was pivotal for Michigan was Isaiah Livers. He was able to score 22 points in 32 minutes played by way of 8 of 12 from the floor for the game. Livers ended up shooting 66.7% from the floor as well as totaling 3 assists and 3 rebounds.
Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?
Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Michigan (-15.5)
Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here
Get all of this Weeks Free College Basketball Picks
Get all of this Weeks Expert College Basketball Picks
Additional Resources:
Michigan Wolverines - Twitter
Ball State Cardinals - Twitter