Ball State Cardinals vs UMass Minutemen Prediction, 1/10/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ball State Cardinals vs UMass Minutemen

Date: Saturday, January 10, 2026

Location: Mullins Center in Amherst, MA

TV: ESPN+

Mullins Center is the location where the UMass Minutemen (9-7) will go up against the Ball State Cardinals (4-11) on Saturday.

The Ball State Cardinals stepped onto the hardwood against Eastern Michigan and went home with a loss by a final score of 74-52 in their last game. Ball State ended the contest with a 33.3% field goal percentage (17 of 51) and buried 5 out of their 16 shots from downtown. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Cardinals buried 13 of their 15 attempts for a rate of 86.7%. In the matter of rebounding, they collected a total of 14 with 5 of them being of the offensive sort. They also distributed 10 assists for the game while creating 12 turnovers and having 6 steals. When it comes to defending, Ball State allowed 58.0% from the floor on 29 of 50 shooting. Eastern Michigan dished out 16 dimes and had 1 steal for this contest. Additionally, Eastern Michigan collected 33 rebounds (8 offensive, 25 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Eastern Michigan went 83.3% at the charity stripe by making 5 of their 6 attempts. They made 11 out of their 21 shots from beyond the arc. When discussing fouls, the Cardinals finished with 9 and Eastern Michigan racked up 17 fouls.

Armoni Zeigler is one guy who was important in the game. He totaled 15 points on 4 out of 9 shooting. He was on the court for 33 minutes and grabbed 1 rebound. He shot 44.4% from the floor and distributed 4 dimes.

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Ball State enters this one with a mark of 4-11 for the campaign. They are giving up possession 11.1 times per game and as a squad they are committing 15.5 personal fouls per game. As a unit, Ball State is collecting 32.2 rebounds per game and has accumulated 197 dimes so far this year, which has them ranked 283rd in college in terms of passing. The Cardinals are shooting 30.8% on 3-pointers (104 of 338) and 68.4% from the free throw line. They are averaging 67.2 pts per game (337th in D-1) while hitting 41.6% from the field.

On the defensive end of the court, the Cardinals have forced 13.9 turnovers per game while drawing 15.8 fouls. They are surrendering 34.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 84th in college in PPG from their opponents (69.2). The Cardinals are allowing a FG percentage of 45.2% (371 of 821) and they concede 36.3 boards per game as a team. They are 205th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 210 conceded so far this year.

The last time they took the court, the UMass Minutemen went home defeated by a final of 86-83 when they faced Ohio. The Minutemen pulled down 25 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 33 in this matchup. They also turned the ball over 12 times, while recording 7 steals in this matchup. Ohio had 17 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Minutemen to the free throw line for a total of 17 shots. They were able to make 13 of them for a percentage of 76.5%. Regarding shots from 3-point land, UMass made 8 of their 21 attempts (38.1%). Overall, the Minutemen finished 31 out of 65 from the field which had them at 47.7%. The Minutemen permitted Ohio to make 30 of their 58 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 51.7% for the game. They finished the game shooting 42.9% from downtown via 12 of 28 and finished the contest at 14 of 21 from the charity stripe (66.7%). In the matter of cleaning the glass, UMass permitted Ohio to grab 26 in all (3 offensive).

Daniel Hankins-Sanford ended up having an impact for the Minutemen in the matchup. He knocked down 6 out of 13 for the game giving him a field goal percentage of 46.2%, and earned 9 rebounds. He tallied 16 points in his 35 minutes on the court and had 3 assists in this game.

UMass has a mark of 9-7 this season. The Minutemen are responsible for committing 21.4 personal fouls every game and they connect on 66.4% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 18.1 times per contest (30th in college) and they turn the ball over 13.9 times per game. UMass has accounted for 1,290 points on the campaign (80.6 per game) and they pull down 38.9 rebounds per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Minutemen are connecting on 46.4% from the field, which has them ranked 127th in D-1.

The Minutemen on the defensive end are ranked 203rd in college in points allowed per game with 74.1. They are forcing their opponents into 13.4 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.6% from the field (189th in the country). The UMass defense concedes 27.7% on shots from distance (102 of 368) and their opponents are connecting on 71.0% of their shots from the free throw line. They allow 13.9 dimes and 31.9 boards on a nightly basis, which is 228th and 62nd in those defensive categories.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Ball State

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