South Dakota State Jackrabbits vs Ball State Cardinals Prediction, 12/9/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: South Dakota State Jackrabbits vs Ball State Cardinals

Date: Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Location: Worthen Arena in Muncie, IN

TV: ESPN+

Worthen Arena is where the Ball State Cardinals (3-6) will attempt to defeat the South Dakota State Jackrabbits (5-5) on Tuesday.

The South Dakota State Jackrabbits faced off with Idaho and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 84-81 in their last game. South Dakota State ended the contest having earned a 47.3% field goal percentage (26 out of 55) and made 5 of their 15 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the free throw line, the Jackrabbits converted 24 of their 33 attempts for a rate of 72.7%. In reference to hauling in boards, they earned 28 with 7 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 8 dimes for this game as well as forcing 9 turnovers and having 4 steals. In terms of defense, South Dakota State allowed the other team to go 49.1% from the field on 26 out of 53 shooting. Idaho recorded 11 assists and had 2 steals in this game. Moreover, Idaho had 32 rebounds (6 offensive, 26 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Idaho ended up going 72.4% from the free throw line by making 21 of their 29 tries. They converted 11 of 28 tries from 3-point land. In regard to fouls, the Jackrabbits ended up finishing with 22 while Idaho finished the game with 24 fouls.

Jaden Jackson is one player who was a factor in this matchup. He accounted for 21 points on 8 of 13 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 38 minutes and also pulled down 2 rebounds. He ended up shooting 61.5% from the floor and also dished out 1 assist.

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South Dakota State will enter this contest with a record of 5-5 for the season. They are losing possession via turnover 12.7 times per game and as a squad are committing 17.6 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, South Dakota State is snagging 38.2 boards per contest and has 132 dimes on the campaign, which has them ranked 227th in the country in terms of passing the ball. The Jackrabbits are shooting 31.1% on three-point attempts (74 of 238) and 71.1% from the free throw line. They average 72.9 points per game (285th in the nation) while hitting 44.6% from the floor.

Defensively, the Jackrabbits are forcing their opponents into 13.3 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.5 fouls. They give up 31.1% on shots from downtown while they are 53rd in college in points per game allowed (66.5). The Jackrabbits are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 41.3% (224 of 543) and they relinquish 31.2 boards per contest as a team. They are currently ranked 163rd in the country in allowing assists to the opposition with 123 surrendered on the campaign.

The last time they took the court, the Ball State Cardinals took a defeat with a final score of 64-52 when they played Evansville. The Cardinals were able to pull down 19 defensive boards and 7 offensive boards for a total of 26 in this game. They also turned it over 14 times, while getting 10 steals in this contest. Evansville earned 14 personal fouls in the game which took the Cardinals to the charity stripe for a total of 14 shots. They were able to knock down 10 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 71.4%. When it comes to 3-pointers, Ball State made 6 of their 24 attempts (25.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Cardinals ended up going 18 out of 56 from the floor which gave them a rate of 32.1%. The Cardinals allowed Evansville to convert 22 of 52 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 42.3% in this contest. They finished shooting 24.0% from three-point range by shooting 6 out of 25 and ended up shooting 14 of 18 at the charity stripe (77.8%). When it comes to team rebounding, Ball State permitted Evansville to collect 38 in total (8 on the offensive glass).

Armoni Zeigler was important for the Cardinals for the contest. He tallied 17 points in his 35 mins on the court and had 2 assists in the matchup. He converted 5 of 11 in the game giving him a field goal percentage of 45.5%, and earned 3 rebounds.

Ball State has a record of 3-6 this season. The Cardinals commit 15.6 personal fouls per contest while shooting 65.0% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 12.4 times per game (301st in college) and they turn it over 12.4 times per contest. Ball State has totaled 586 points this season (65.1 per game) and they average 33.0 boards per contest. As an offense, the Cardinals are hitting on 40.1% from the floor, which has them ranked 347th in college.

The Ball State defense concedes 33.0% on 3-point attempts (70 of 212) and their opponents are connecting on 73.5% of their free throw shots. They concede 13.8 dimes and 37.3 rebounds every game, which is ranked 212th and 292nd in those categories. The Cardinals defensively are ranked 103rd in college hoops in PPG surrendered with 69.6. They are forcing 14.1 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 45.4% from the field (274th in the country).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Ball State

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