Ball State Cardinals vs Western Michigan Broncos Prediction, 3/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ball State Cardinals vs Western Michigan Broncos

Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Location: University Arena in Kalamazoo, MI

TV: ESPN+

The Ball State Cardinals (9-19) are hitting the road to University Arena on Tuesday where they will try to defeat the Western Michigan Broncos (10-19).

The Ball State Cardinals faced off with Northern Illinois and notched a win by a score of 79-43 in their last contest. Ball State finished the game having earned a 50.0% field goal percentage (30 of 60) and made 11 of their 25 shots from downtown. At the charity stripe, the Cardinals made 8 of their 10 attempts for a rate of 80.0%. In regard to hauling in boards, they compiled a total of 34 with 8 of them being offensive. They also distributed 20 dimes in this matchup while forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and having 7 steals. In the matter of defending, Ball State allowed 25.6% from the floor on 11 out of 43 shooting. Northern Illinois doled out 6 assists and had 5 steals for this contest. On top of that, Northern Illinois totaled 22 boards (3 offensive, 19 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Northern Illinois went 73.9% at the charity stripe by converting 17 of 23 attempts. They knocked down 4 of 17 attempts from distance. In regard to personal fouls, the Cardinals finished with 19 and Northern Illinois had 10 personal fouls.

Davion Hill is one player who was a major contributor in the matchup. He notched 17 points on 7 of 14 shooting. He played for 30 mins and pulled down 6 boards. He finished the game at 50.0% from the floor and also dished out 7 dimes.

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Ball State enters this one with a record of 9-19 for the year. They are turning it over 10.8 times per game and as a unit they are committing 15.6 fouls every game. As a unit, Ball State is snagging 32.1 boards per game and has accounted for 337 assists for the year, which is 328th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Cardinals are connecting on 30.7% on shots from distance (193 of 628) and 69.9% from the free throw line. They have an average of 66.3 points per game (348th in D-1) while shooting 40.9% from the floor.

On defense, the Cardinals are able to force 12.9 turnovers per game and they draw 15.9 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 153rd in college hoops in allowing assists with 375 conceded for the year. The Cardinals defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 44.9% (690 of 1,536) and they surrender 36.3 rebounds per game as a team. They are relinquishing 33.9% from beyond the arc and they are 84th in college in opponents points per game (70.4).

In their last game, the Western Michigan Broncos took a loss by a score of 69-67 against Miami. Regarding rebounds, Western Michigan allowed Miami to get 26 in all (2 on the offensive side). They wrapped up this game 26.7% from distance by connecting on 4 out of 15 and walked away from this one shooting 15 out of 25 at the free throw line (60.0%). The Broncos allowed Miami to convert 25 out of 52 tries from the floor which had them shooting 48.1% for this game. When the game finished, the Broncos finished shooting 24 for 57 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 42.1%. When talking about shots from beyond the arc, Western Michigan buried 4 out of 13 attempts (30.8%). They were able to knock down 15 of the free throws for a percentage of 75.0%. Miami earned 18 fouls in the game which got the Broncos to the charity stripe for a total of 20 attempts. They turned the ball over 10 times, while getting 2 steals in this game. The Broncos were able to snag 28 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 37 in the game.

Jayden Brewer ended up having an impact for the Broncos in this game. He knocked down 6 of 16 in this game giving him a rate of 37.5%, and accounted for 11 rebounds. He racked up 19 points in his 37 mins of playing time and earned 1 assist in the matchup.

Western Michigan has a mark of 10-19 so far this year. As an offensive unit, the Broncos are shooting 44.3% from the floor, which is 241st in the country. Western Michigan has accumulated 2,169 points on the year (74.8 per contest) and they pull in 36.4 boards per game. They are earning an assist 12.7 times per contest (274th in the nation) and they are turning it over 12.2 times per contest. The Broncos are responsible for committing 19.0 fouls per contest and they go 74.0% from the charity stripe.

The Western Michigan defense allows 35.3% on 3-pointers (268 of 759) and their opponents are connecting on 70.4% of their free throw shots. They allow 15.0 assists and 34.5 rebounds per contest, which has them ranked 294th and 200th in the nation. The Broncos on the defensive end are ranked 318th in college in points allowed per contest with 79.4. They are forcing 9.8 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.0% from the floor (283rd in college).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Western Michigan

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