Eastern Michigan Eagles vs Ball State Cardinals Prediction, 1/6/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Eastern Michigan Eagles vs Ball State Cardinals

Date: Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Location: Worthen Arena in Muncie, IN

TV: ESPN+

The Ball State Cardinals (4-10) will try to defeat the Eastern Michigan Eagles (7-8) at Worthen Arena on Tuesday.

The Eastern Michigan Eagles faced Ohio and went home with a loss by a final score of 68-67 in their last game. Eastern Michigan ended the contest with a 40.4% FG percentage (21 of 52) and made 7 of their 16 three-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Eagles made 18 of their 27 attempts for a rate of 66.7%. Concerning hauling in boards, they earned a total of 32 with 9 of them being offensive. They also distributed 10 assists for this contest in addition to forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and earning 4 steals. In reference to defense, Eastern Michigan allowed the other team to go 43.1% from the field on 25 of 58 shooting. Ohio totaled 9 dimes and had 7 steals in this game. Additionally, Ohio grabbed 31 boards (8 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Ohio finished 73.3% from the free throw line by making 11 of 15 tries. They converted 7 out of their 27 tries from downtown. In regard to personal fouls, the Eagles walked away with 18 and Ohio accounted for 22 personal fouls.

Addison Patterson is one player who was a contributor in this matchup. He ended up with 17 points on 7 out of 13 shooting. He was on the court for 32 mins played and totaled 6 rebounds. He went 53.8% from the field and also distributed 2 assists.

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Eastern Michigan comes into this contest with a record of 7-8 for the campaign. They lose possession via turnover 11.9 times per game and as a group are committing 17.3 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Eastern Michigan is snagging 37.1 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 195 assists this season, which is 266th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Eagles are shooting 33.7% on shots from downtown (89 of 264) and 70.5% from the free throw line. They average 71.6 pts per contest (298th in Division 1) while going 43.8% from the field.

On defense, the Eagles are able to force 12.1 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.9 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 178th in college in allowing assists with 195 surrendered for the year. The Eagles defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 44.2% (397 of 899) and they surrender 36.0 boards per game as a group. They are conceding 31.3% on 3-pointers and they rank 156th in college hoops in points per game allowed (72.3).

When they last played, the Ball State Cardinals took a loss by a final score of 85-72 when they faced Buffalo. The Cardinals earned 15 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 23 for the game. They turned the ball over 10 times, while earning 11 steals for this contest. Buffalo had 14 fouls for the matchup which got the Cardinals to the free throw line for a total of 23 attempts. They were able to convert 19 of the free throws for a percentage of 82.6%. Regarding shots from downtown, Ball State knocked down 9 out of 25 attempts (36.0%). Overall, the Cardinals shot 22 for 55 from the field which had them sitting at 40.0%. The Cardinals allowed Buffalo to convert 29 of their 51 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 56.9% in this matchup. They finished 45.5% from downtown by going 10 of 22 and ended up shooting 17 of 18 from the free throw line (94.4%). In relation to team rebounding, Ball State permitted Buffalo to grab 28 in all (8 on the offensive side).

Devon Barnes ended up having an impact for the Cardinals in this game. He buried 4 out of 9 in the game for a rate of 44.4%, and had 1 rebound. He tallied 20 points in his 25 minutes on the hardwood and earned 2 assists in this matchup.

Ball State has a mark of 4-10 for the season. As an offense, the Cardinals are hitting on 42.2% from the field, which ranks 314th in the nation. Ball State has 956 points for the year (68.3 per contest) and they collect 33.2 boards per game. They are getting an assist 13.4 times per game (257th in college) and they turn it over 11.4 times per contest. The Cardinals commit 15.9 fouls per game while shooting 67.3% from the charity stripe.

The Ball State defense gives up 33.5% on 3-pointers (108 of 322) and their opponents are making 74.8% of their shots from the free throw line. They have allowed 13.9 dimes and 36.2 boards per game, which is ranked 228th and 271st in D-1. The Cardinals on defense are ranked 79th in Division 1 in PPG given up with 68.9. They are forcing their opponents into 13.9 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 44.4% from the field (238th in the nation).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Ball State

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