Central Michigan Chippewas vs Ball State Cardinals Prediction, 2/27/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Central Michigan Chippewas vs Ball State Cardinals

Date: Saturday, February 27, 2021

Location: Worthen Arena in Muncie, IN

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Central Michigan (+12)

The Central Michigan Chippewas (6-14) head to Worthen Arena on Saturday where they'll meet the Ball State Cardinals (8-11). The odds on this contest have Ball State as 12-point favorites. The O/U has been set at 150.

Central Michigan heads into this contest with a mark of 6-14 on the year. They average 76.0 points per game (77th in D-1) while shooting 44.6% from the floor. The Chippewas are connecting on 32.6% on shots from beyond the arc (126 of 387) and 65.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, Central Michigan is pulling in 36.4 boards per game and has 216 assists on the year, which is 263rd in the country in terms of passing. They are turning it over 14.1 times per game and as a unit they are committing 16.9 personal fouls every game. When they are on defense, the Chippewas are forcing 14.6 turnovers per contest and they draw 19.6 fouls. The Chippewas defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 45.3% (582 of 1,284) and they relinquish 39.1 boards per contest as a team. They are 293rd in Division 1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 313 relinquished so far this season. They are relinquishing 33.2% on shots from distance and they rank 329th in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (79.0).

The Central Michigan Chippewas faced the Buffalo Bulls and ended up losing by a score of 85-73 in their last game. Central Michigan ended the contest with a 50.0% FG percentage (29 of 58) and converted 7 of their 20 shots from beyond the arc. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Chippewas buried 8 of their 11 attempts for a percentage of 72.7%. When it comes to hauling in rebounds, they compiled 25 with 4 of them being of the offensive sort. They also distributed 17 assists for this contest while forcing 12 turnovers and earning 7 steals. In terms of defending, Central Michigan allowed their opponent to shoot 47.8% from the field on 32 out of 67 shooting. Buffalo doled out 20 assists and had 9 steals for the game. Additionally, Buffalo pulled down 37 boards (11 offensive, 26 defensive) and had 3 blocked shots. Buffalo shot 72.7% from the free throw line by making 16 of their 22 tries. They also knocked down 5 of their 22 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Caleb Huffman is a player who was a major contributor in this game. He ended up finishing with 24 points on 10 out of 22 shooting. He saw the court for 36 minutes and also grabbed 1 board. Huffman shot 45.5% from the floor and also dished out 3 assists. One more player that was a major contributor in this contest for the Chippewas was Ralph Bissainthe. He totaled 5 rebounds in his 31 minutes on the hardwood. He walked away from this one shooting 54.5% from the field for the contest by going 6-of-11 (15 points). When this game wrapped up, Bissainthe earned 2 assists.

Ball State has a win-loss mark of 8-11 so far this year. Ball State has scored 1,363 points for the campaign (71.7 per contest) and they collect 36.0 boards per contest. The Cardinals have committed 19.2 fouls per game and they go 73.0% from the free throw line. As an offense, the Cardinals are hitting on 43.6% from the floor, which is ranked 214th in Division 1. They are earning an assist 13.1 times per game (182nd in D-1) and they turn the ball over 14.6 times per contest. The Cardinals are ranked 263rd in D-1 in points allowed per game with 73.7. They have allowed 12.4 dimes and 38.0 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 130th and 305th in D-1. The Ball State defense concedes 29.9% on 3-point shots (129 of 432) and their opponents are making 69.0% of their foul shots. They have forced 13.0 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 42.7% from the floor (151st in college hoops).

When they last stepped on the court, the Ball State Cardinals walked away with a victory by a final of 90-71 against the Kent State Golden Flashes. The Cardinals corralled 22 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 30 for the game. They coughed up the ball 15 times, while getting 5 steals in the game. The Golden Flashes committed 21 personal fouls for this contest which took the Cardinals to the free throw line for a total of 20 shots. They were able to make 15 of the free throw tries for a rate of 75.0%. When discussing shooting from downtown, Ball State knocked down 13 of their 26 tries (50.0%). Overall, the Cardinals shot 31 out of 57 from the floor which had them sitting at 54.4%. The Cardinals permitted the Golden Flashes to make 25 out of 60 attempts from the field which had them at 41.7% in the game. They finished 20.8% from distance by connecting on 5 of 24 and walked away from this one shooting 16 out of 24 from the free throw line (66.7%). When discussing rebounding, Ball State permitted Kent State to snag 31 overall (11 on the offensive glass).

Jarron Coleman pitched in for the Cardinals for the contest. He converted 8 of 11 in this matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 72.7%, and tallied 3 rebounds. Coleman totaled 26 points in his 30 minutes on the hardwood and accounted for 6 dimes for the matchup. One more player who came through for Ball State was Ishmael El-Amin. He walked away with 4 dimes in his 38 minutes on the hardwood, and he shot 6 of 11 from the floor. El-Amin ended the game having shot 54.5% from the field in addition to notching 16 points and 5 rebounds.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Ball State (-12)

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