Ball State Cardinals vs Akron Zips Prediction, 1/13/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ball State Cardinals vs Akron Zips

Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Location: James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, OH

TV: ESPN+

James A. Rhodes Arena is where the Akron Zips (12-4) will try to defeat the Ball State Cardinals (4-12) on Tuesday.

The Ball State Cardinals took the court against UMass and took a loss by a final of 79-71 in their last game. Concerning fouls, the Cardinals finished with 22 while UMass accounted for 18 fouls. They also made 9 out of their 24 shots from beyond the perimeter. UMass shot 69.0% from the free throw line by knocking down 20 of their 29 shots. Moreover, UMass collected 35 rebounds (9 offensive, 26 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. UMass earned 19 assists and had 5 steals for this game. Concerning defense, Ball State allowed the other team to go 48.1% from the floor on 25 out of 52 shooting. They also distributed 15 assists in this game as well as forcing 12 turnovers and earning 10 steals. Concerning grabbing boards, they collected a total of 23 with 3 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Cardinals knocked down 13 of their 18 attempts for a percentage of 72.2%. Ball State ended the contest with a 44.6% FG percentage (25 out of 56) and converted 8 of their 23 shots from 3-point land.

Davion Hill is one guy who was a contributor in the game. He finished the game at 69.2% from the field and recorded 2 assists. He was on the court for 29 minutes played and collected 7 boards. He left the arena with 22 points on 9 out of 13 shooting.

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Ball State steps onto the court with a mark of 4-12 so far this season. They average 67.4 points per game (337th in D-1) while hitting 41.8% from the field. The Cardinals are connecting on 31.0% on shots from beyond the arc (112 of 361) and 68.6% from the free throw line. As a unit, Ball State is pulling in 31.9 boards per game and is sitting with 212 dimes on the year, which has them ranked 288th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession via turnover 11.0 times per game and as a team they commit 15.9 fouls per contest.

On the defensive end, the Cardinals are able to force 13.8 turnovers per game and they draw 15.9 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 219th in college in giving up assists with 229 conceded this season. The Cardinals are allowing a field goal percentage of 45.4% (396 of 873) and they relinquish 36.3 boards per contest as a team. They are surrendering 34.9% on 3-point shots and they are 92nd in the nation in opponents PPG (69.8).

The last time they took the court, the Akron Zips went home victorious with a score of 77-67 against Bowling Green. With respect to how they rebounded, Akron allowed Bowling Green to grab 32 in total (10 offensive). They wrapped up this game 28.6% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 6 out of 21 and walked away from this one shooting 9 out of 14 at the free throw line (64.3%). The Zips permitted Bowling Green to make 26 of their 61 tries from the floor which had them at 42.6% in the matchup. When the game finished, the Zips went 26 out of 62 from the floor which gave them a rate of 41.9%. With regard to shots from beyond the arc, Akron made 11 of 34 tries (32.4%). They were able to knock down 14 of those for a percentage of 77.8%. Bowling Green committed 17 fouls in this matchup which took the Zips to the charity stripe for a total of 18 tries. They turned it over 14 times, while earning 10 steals in the matchup. The Zips were able to collect 28 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 36 for this game.

Amani Lyles was important for the Zips in the game. He converted 7 of 9 for the matchup for a rate of 77.8%, and accounted for 10 rebounds. He had 18 points in his 20 minutes on the court, but wasn't able to notch an assist.

Akron has a win-loss mark of 12-4 for the year. The Zips are committing 16.3 fouls per contest and they shoot 75.8% from the charity stripe. They are getting an assist 20.6 times per contest (4th in the country) and they turn the ball over 10.9 times per contest. Akron has earned 1,494 points on the year (93.4 per game) and they average 38.6 rebounds per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Zips are connecting on 52.2% from the floor, which has them ranked 6th in D-1.

The Zips defensively are ranked 243rd in college in points per game surrendered with 75.7. They are able to force 14.8 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.1% from the floor (110th in college). The Akron defense allows 34.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter (154 of 453) and their opponents are connecting on 74.2% of their free throw attempts. They give up 14.0 assists and 33.2 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 237th and 102nd in college.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Ball State

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