Ball State Cardinals vs Eastern Michigan Eagles Prediction, 3/2/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Ball State Cardinals vs Eastern Michigan Eagles

Date: Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Location: Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, MI

TV: ESPN3

Odds/Point Spread: Ball State (-9.5)

The Ball State Cardinals (9-11) are headed to Convocation Center on Tuesday where they'll meet the Eastern Michigan Eagles (5-11). Eastern Michigan opens this contest as 9.5-point underdogs. The total has been set at 142.5.

Ball State will enter this matchup with a mark of 9-11 on the campaign. The Cardinals are connecting on 34.8% on shots from downtown (167 of 480) and 73.5% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 73.0 points per contest (139th in the country) while going 44.2% from the field. They turn it over 14.7 times per game and as a team are committing 19.0 personal fouls per contest. As a team, Ball State is grabbing 35.9 rebounds per contest and has racked up 272 assists for the year, which has them ranked 195th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. On the defensive end of the court, the Cardinals are able to force 12.9 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.2 fouls. The Cardinals are giving up a field goal percentage of 43.0% (527 of 1,226) and they relinquish 37.8 rebounds per contest as a group. They are ranked 131st in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 248 surrendered for the year. They give up 30.3% on 3-point attempts and they rank 276th in D-1 in PPG allowed (74.6).

The Ball State Cardinals played the Central Michigan Chippewas and took home the win by a score of 97-91 in their last game. Ball State wrapped up the contest having earned a 55.9% FG percentage (33 out of 59) and buried 13 of their 27 3-point shots. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Cardinals knocked down 18 of 22 attempts for a percentage of 81.8%. In regard to grabbing rebounds, they earned a total of 30 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 23 assists in this matchup while forcing the opposition into 10 turnovers and getting 4 steals. Regarding the defense, Ball State allowed their opponent to shoot 47.8% from the floor on 32 out of 67 shooting. Central Michigan distributed 12 assists and had 10 steals for the game. In addition, Central Michigan grabbed 33 rebounds (13 offensive, 20 defensive) and added 3 blocked shots. Central Michigan finished the contest at 68.0% at the charity stripe by converting 17 of their 25 tries. They made 10 of 27 attempts from long range.

Ishmael El-Amin is a player who was important for the matchup. He racked up 33 points on 10 out of 17 shooting. He played for 36 minutes played and also snagged 3 rebounds. El-Amin walked away from this one shooting 58.8% from the floor but had no assists when the game ended. An additional guy that came through in this matchup for the Cardinals was Jarron Coleman. He snagged 4 rebounds in 30 min on the hardwood. He shot 61.5% from the floor for this contest by going 8-of-13 (24 points). Overall, Coleman collected 6 assists.

Eastern Michigan has a record of 5-11 for the campaign. The Eagles commit 15.3 personal fouls per game while shooting 76.5% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 11.2 times per game (308th in the country) and they cough up possession 12.8 times per game. Eastern Michigan has scored 1,138 points for the campaign (71.1 per game) and they snag 33.6 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Eagles are shooting 41.8% from the field, which has them ranked 296th in the nation. The Eagles on the defensive side of the court are 283rd in D-1 in PPG given up with 74.9. They are able to force 15.9 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 47.5% from the field (328th in college basketball). The Eastern Michigan defense surrenders 37.2% on three-point shots (151 of 406) and their opponents are connecting on 66.4% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 17.8 dimes and 37.0 boards per game, which is ranked 340th and 269th in college hoops.

The last time they took the court, the Eastern Michigan Eagles got the win with a final of 91-57 against the Northern Illinois Huskies. The Eagles were able to pull down 25 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive boards totaling 36 in this game. They also turned it over 9 times, while recording 9 steals for this game. The Huskies committed 18 personal fouls for the game which got the Eagles to the free throw line for 20 attempts. They were able to knock down 17 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 85.0%. Regarding shots from downtown, Eastern Michigan knocked down 12 of their 21 attempts (57.1%). Overall, the Eagles finished 31 out of 61 from the floor which gave them a rate of 50.8%. The Eagles allowed the Huskies to convert 21 of their 57 tries from the floor which had them shooting 36.8% for the contest. They finished shooting 31.6% from distance by going 6 out of 19 and ended up shooting 9 out of 12 from the free throw line (75.0%). In regard to cleaning the glass, Eastern Michigan permitted Northern Illinois to get 25 in all (8 on the offensive side).

Noah Morgan ended up being important for the Eagles for the contest. He converted 7 of 12 for the game for a rate of 58.3%, and totaled 3 rebounds. Morgan tallied 22 points in his 32 mins on the court and tallied 4 assists in this game. One more player that was pivotal for Eastern Michigan was Yeikson Montero. He ended up walking away with 2 dimes in 28 mins on the court, and he shot 8 of 11 from the floor. Montero walked away from this one going 72.7% from the field and also collecting 20 points and 5 boards.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Ball State (-9.5)

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