Central Michigan Chippewas vs Ball State Cardinals Betting Pick & Prediction 1/6/24

Planning on watching today’s Chippewas and Cardinals game? Catch the action at Worthen Arena in Muncie, IN, as the Cardinals hosts this showdown at 2:00 ET on ESPN+. The odds for this Mid-American conference game currently have the Cardinals as the betting favorite with the over/under line sitting at 140.5 points.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN CHIPPEWAS VS BALL STATE CARDINALS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Central Michigan Chippewas +7.5

This game will be played at Worthen Arena at 2:00 ET on Saturday, January 6th.

WHY BET THE CENTRAL MICHIGAN CHIPPEWAS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 75-69 in favor of the Cardinals.
• Even though we have Ball State winning straight-up, we like Central Michigan at +7.5.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 140.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 144 points.

Can Central Michigan Pull Out the Win as Road Underdogs?

Central Michigan enters today’s game as the underdog, with a point spread of +7.5. So far this season, the Chippewas have an overall record of 5-8 and have lost their last two games.

On the road, Central Michigan is just 2-6 this season and have an average scoring margin of -19.8 points per game. Over their last ten games on the road, the Chippewas are just 2-8.

As the underdog this season, Central Michigan is just 1-6 vs. the spread and their overall ATS mark is 4-8. On the road, the Chippewas are 2-6 vs. the spread this year and their last three ATS mark as the underdog is 0-3.

Central Michigan’s over/under record this season sits at 5-6-1. In their games, the average scoring total is 140.2 points while the average over/under line is 142. So far, eight of their games have finished with more points than today’s over/under line of 140.5. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 128 points and their over/under record during this span is 0-2-1.

In their latest game, Central Michigan offense put up 64 points against Buffalo. They recorded an overall field goal percentage of 36.9% and made 3 threes. Coming into the game, the Chippewas offense has strugled with their outside shot this season, hitting threes at a rate of just 29%. On average, they get up 19.6 three-point attempts per game and are averaging 10.2 made free-throws.

Coming into today’s game, the Central Michigan defense is giving up an average of 76.1 points per contest. The Central Michigan defense is coming off a game in which they gave up a total of 76 points and allowed Buffalo to connect on 3 threes.

Is a Home Win Possible for the Cardinals?

Ball State is favored by 7.5 points in today’s game against Central Michigan. So far this season, the Cardinals have an overall record of 8-5 and are 5-0 at home. This is their sixth game as the favorite.

Over their last ten games at home, Ball State is 8-2. In their last game, the Cardinals lost to Kent State by a score of 82-69. They have lost three straight games and are 0-1 in conference play.

As the favorite this season, Ball State has gone 4-2 vs. the spread. At home, they are 5-0 ATS and over their last 10 home games, they are 6-2 vs. the spread. Overall, the Cardinals have an ATS record of 7-4 this year.

The over/under record for Ball State this season is 6-5 and their games have an average point total of 143.5. Today’s over/under line of 140.5 is lower than their season average OU line of 143.3. So far, 4 of their games have finished with more points than today’s OU line. Over their last three games, the over/under record is 3-0 with an average scoring total of 149 points.

In contrast to their season average of 74.5 points per game, the Ball State had a below average performance. They scored 69 points against Kent State and had a field goal percentage of 40%. One area that the Ball State offense has been good this season is getting to the line. Currently, they are 114th in free-throw attempts per contest. Overall, they have a field goal percentage of 45%.

The Cardinals’ defense is presently ranked 102nd nationally, allowing an average of 68.8 points per contest. The Ball State defense is coming off a game in which they gave up a total of 82 points and allowed Kent State to connect on 5 threes.