Bowling Green Falcons vs Central Michigan Chippewas Prediction, 1/9/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Bowling Green Falcons vs Central Michigan Chippewas

Date: Saturday, January 9, 2021

Location: McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant, MI

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Bowling Green (-5.5)

The Central Michigan Chippewas (5-5) play the Bowling Green Falcons (8-2) at McGuirk Arena on Saturday. Bowling Green opens this contest as 5.5-point favorites. The O/U opens at 159.

Bowling Green steps onto the court with a record of 8-2 on the campaign. The Falcons are connecting on 36.7% on shots beyond the perimeter (84 of 229) and 79.6% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 82.8 pts per game (31st in Division 1) while hitting 45.5% from the field. They are losing possession via turnover 11.4 times per contest and as a group they commit 17.0 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Bowling Green is pulling down 37.0 rebounds per game and is sitting with 135 assists so far this year, which has them ranked 122nd in college basketball in terms of passing the ball. Defensively, the Falcons are forcing their opponents into 14.7 turnovers per game and they draw 18.3 fouls. They are giving up 33.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 250th in college hoops in PPG allowed (73.1). The Falcons defensively are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 45.2% (275 of 609) and they concede 36.6 boards per contest as a team. They rank 273rd in college basketball in allowing assists with 140 conceded on the season.

The Bowling Green Falcons faced the  Chippewas and notched a win by a score of 90-69 in their last game. Bowling Green walked away from the contest with a 51.4% FG percentage (37 out of 72) and converted 8 out of their 20 shots from distance. From the free throw line, the Falcons made 8 of 11 attempts for a rate of 72.7%. When it comes to pulling down rebounds, they earned a total of 39 with 10 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 19 dimes for the contest as well as getting 6 steals and 5 rejections. In terms of defending, Bowling Green let their opponent shoot 51.4% from the field on 37 of 72 shooting. Central Michigan doled out 9 assists and had 7 steals in the game. Moreover, the Chippewas collected 33 rebounds (7 offensive, 26 defensive) and got 5 rejections. Central Michigan ended up going 20.0% from the charity stripe by making 3 of 15 tries. They converted 6 out of their 17 tries from 3-point range.

Justin Turner is a player who was a major factor in this game. He ended up scoring 17 points on 7 of 20 shooting. He played for 34 minutes played and pulled down 2 boards. Turner finished the game shooting 35.0% from the field and earned 7 assists. Someone else that was a major factor in this matchup for the Falcons was Caleb Fields. He snagged 5 boards and collected 2 dimes. He went 62.5% from the field for this game by shooting 5-of-8 (13 points). When all was said and done, Fields played 29 min.

Central Michigan has a record of 5-5 for the campaign. The Chippewas are responsible for committing 17.8 fouls per contest while shooting 62.7% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 12.3 times per contest (242nd in D-1) and they are turning it over 13.3 times per contest. Central Michigan has totaled 819 points on the campaign (81.9 per contest) and they pull in 38.3 boards per game. As an offensive unit, the Chippewas are connecting on 47.1% from the field, which has them ranked 86th in Division 1. The Chippewas on defense are ranked 271st in the country in points allowed per game with 74.5. They have allowed 14.9 assists and 37.3 total rebounds per game, which is ranked 279th and 258th in those categories on the defensive end. The Central Michigan defense allows 33.1% on shots from 3-point land (81 of 245) and opponents are converting on 69.0% of their free throw shots. They are forcing 15.7 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 43.8% from the floor (218th in college hoops).

In their loss to Bowling Green, the Chippewas were able to pull down 26 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 33 for this contest. They also rejected 5 attempts while earning 7 steals in this game. The Falcons were called for 16 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Chippewas to the free throw line for a total of 15 attempts. They were able to make 3 of the free throws for a rate of 20.0%. Concerning shots from 3-point land, Central Michigan converted 6 of 17 tries (35.3%). At the conclusion of this game, the Chippewas ended up going 30 for 61 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 49.2%. The Chippewas permitted the Falcons to bury 37 out of 72 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 51.4% for the contest. They finished 40.0% from 3-point land by connecting on 8 of 20 and walked away from this one shooting 8 of 11 at the free throw line (72.7%). When talking about how they cleaned up the glass, Central Michigan allowed Bowling Green to collect 39 in total (10 offensive).

Meikkel Murray was important for the Chippewas for this contest. He made 7 out of 9 for the contest giving him a rate of 77.8%, which earned him 16 points. Murray had 3 rebounds in his 33 minutes and had 2 assists in this contest. Someone else that was pivotal for Central Michigan was Travon Broadway. He walked away with 13 points in 23 minutes played via 6 out of 10 from the floor in this matchup. Broadway walked away from this one going 60.0% from the floor and also earning 2 assists and 4 rebounds.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Bowling Green (-5.5)

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