UIC Flames vs Ball State Cardinals Prediction, 12/5/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: UIC Flames vs Ball State Cardinals

Date: Saturday, December 5, 2020

Location: Worthen Arena in Muncie, IN

TV: ESPN3

Odds/Point Spread: UIC (+7)

The Ball State Cardinals (0-2) play the UIC Flames (3-0) at Worthen Arena on Saturday. UIC opens this game as 7-point dogs. The over/under opens at 134.

UIC enters this game with a mark of 3-0 so far this year. The Flames are shooting 36.0% on shots from beyond the arc (27 of 75) and 70.8% from the free throw line. They average 68.3 pts per contest (200th in Division 1) while hitting 41.6% from the floor. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.7 times per game and as a unit they are committing 16.3 personal fouls every game. As a team, UIC is collecting 38.0 rebounds per contest and has tallied 51 dimes so far this year, which is 62nd in the country in terms of passing the ball. On the defensive end of the court, the Flames are able to force 9.7 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.3 fouls. They are relinquishing 14.3% from 3-point land while they are 56th in the nation in points per game allowed (61.0). The Flames defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 39.0% (69 of 177) and they surrender 35.0 rebounds per contest as a basketball team. They are ranked 83rd in college basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 24 surrendered for the year.

The UIC Flames stepped onto the hardwood against the Valparaiso Crusaders and walked away with a win by a score of 66-50 in their last game. UIC ended the game with a 43.4% FG percentage (23 out of 53) and converted 9 of their 26 three-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Flames converted 11 of their 14 attempts for a percentage of 78.6%. Regarding hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 31 with 5 of them being offensive. They also doled out 19 dimes in this game in addition to getting 3 steals and 2 blocks. Pertaining to the defense, UIC let their opponent shoot 43.4% from the floor on 23 out of 53. Valparaiso totaled 9 dimes and 3 steals for the contest. Additionally, the Crusaders had 27 rebounds (4 offensive, 23 defensive) and had 2 blocks. Valparaiso walked away from this one shooting 56.3% from the free throw line by converting 9 of 16 attempts. They also knocked down 1 out of their 14 attempts from distance.

RayQuawndis Mitchell is someone who was a factor for this game. He accumulated 10 points on 3 out of 9 shooting. He was on the court for 37 minutes played and pulled down 2 rebounds. Mitchell went 33.3% from the floor and also recorded 2 dimes. Another guy that saw a lot of court time in this contest for the Flames was Zion Griffin. He grabbed 4 rebounds and also tallied 2 assists. He finished 12.5% from the floor for this contest by connecting on 1-of-8 (3 points). Overall, Griffin saw the court for 31 min.

Ball State has a win-loss mark of 0-2 so far this year. Ball State has totaled 138 pts on the year (69.0 per contest) and they average 32.5 rebounds per game. The Cardinals commit 19.5 personal fouls per game and they go 56.8% from the free throw line. As an offensive team, the Cardinals are hitting on 41.6% from the floor, which is ranked 262nd in the nation. They are assisting teammates 9.0 times per contest (267th in the country) and they turn it over 11.0 times per game. The Cardinals on the defensive side of the court are 232nd in college basketball in points given up per game with 79.0. They have relinquished 14.0 assists and 42.0 boards on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 195th and 254th in college hoops. The Ball State defense allows 27.9% on 3-pointers (12 of 43) and opponents are knocking down 61.9% of their free throw attempts. They are able to force 11.0 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 48.4% from the floor (257th in the nation).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Ball State Cardinals took a defeat with a final score of 84-65 when they played the Michigan Wolverines. The Cardinals were able to collect 19 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 26 for the game. They rejected 2 tries while earning 5 steals in the matchup. The Wolverines committed 18 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Cardinals to the free throw line for 16 tries. They were able to make 10 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 62.5%. Concerning shots from distance, Ball State made 7 out of 20 tries (35.0%). In all, the Cardinals finished the game shooting 24 out of 61 from the floor which had them shooting 39.3%. The Cardinals allowed the Wolverines to bury 33 out of their 59 tries from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 55.9% in this contest. They finished the game shooting 26.7% from 3-point land by going 4 of 15 and finished the contest at 14 of 19 at the free throw line (73.7%). Concerning attacking the glass, Ball State permitted Michigan to get 40 in all (9 on the offensive side).

Ishmael El-Amin saw the court a lot for the Cardinals in this game. He converted 5 of 17 in the game for a field goal rate of 29.4%, which had him finishing with 10 points. El-Amin collected 2 rebounds in his 32 minutes and had 4 assists for the matchup. Another guy that was pivotal for Ball State was K.J. Walton. He totaled 20 points in 27 minutes played by going 9 out of 15 from the floor in this matchup. Walton wrapped this one up going 60.0% from the floor and also contributing 2 assists and 7 rebounds.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Ball State (-7)

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