Central Michigan Chippewas vs Ohio Bobcats Betting Pick & Prediction 1/16/24

Looking to win big? The Chippewas and Bobcats face off at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. The Bobcats are hosting the game at Convocation Center (OH) in Athens, OH. The odds for this Mid-American conference game currently have the Bobcats as the betting favorite with the over/under line sitting at 145 points.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN CHIPPEWAS VS OHIO BOBCATS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Central Michigan Chippewas +10.5

This game will be played at Convocation Center (OH) at 7:00 ET on Tuesday, January 16th.

WHY BET THE CENTRAL MICHIGAN CHIPPEWAS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 75-69 in favor of the Bobcats.
• Even though we have Ohio winning straight-up, we like Central Michigan at +10.5.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 145 points, and we like the under with a projected 144 points.

Can the Chippewas Lock in a Road Win?

Central Michigan enters this game as a 10.5-point underdog, and they have a record of 4-6 on the road this season. The Chippewas have gone 3-2 as the underdog this year.

Over their last ten road games, Central Michigan has gone 4-6, and they are coming off a 77-62 win over Kent State. The Chippewas have won three games in a row and have a record of 8-8 on the year.

Central Michigan’s ATS record this season is currently 7-8 and they have gone 4-6 vs. the spread as the underdog. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, the Chippewas have gone 4-6 vs. the spread and they are 3-0 in their last 3 games as the underdog.

Central Michigan’s over/under record for the season currently sits at 6-8-1. So far, their games have averaged 140.1 points, which is lower than the average over/under line in their games of 141.6. Today’s over/under line of 145 is higher than the average scoring total in their last three games (139) and their last five games (133). In their last 10 games, their over/under record is 3-5-1.

Central Michigan is fresh off a strong offensive showing, putting up 77 points versus Kent State. This output is higher than their season-average of 67.3 points per game. The top scorer for the Chippewas was Derrick Butler with 19 points, while Brian Taylor also added 17 to the scoreboard.

On the defensive side, Central Michigan is currently hovering around the NCAA’s average for points allowed, conceding an average of 73.8 points per game. In their most recent game, the Central Michigan defense struggled to defend the three-point line, as Kent State knocked down 9 three-pointers on their way to 62 points.

Will the Ohio Defense Show Up at Home?

Ohio has a 7-9 record this season, including a 1-3 mark in Mid-American Conference games. The Bobcats have lost two straight games, and they are 6-8 this season when favored.

Through 16 games, Ohio has gone 6-5 at home, including a 5-5 record in their last 10 games at home. Their average scoring margin at home this season is +3.5 points per game.

As the favorite this season, Ohio has an ATS record of just 4-10. Their ATS mark at home is 4-7 and over their last 10 games as the favorite, they are just 2-8.

On the season, the over/under record for Ohio games is 8-7 and today’s line of 145 is lower than the average OU line in their games (150.7). So far, 10 of their games have finished with more points than today’s line. Over their last three games, the OU record is 2-1 and the average scoring total in those games is 154 points.

Coming off a good offensive performance, Ohio’s offense scored 79 points against Western Michigan. Their field goal percentage for the game was 43.3%, and they went 21/29 from the free-throw line. Shereef Mitchell is leading the team in scoring at 13.3 points per contest. Jaylin Hunter has also been a key contributor with a PPG average of 13.2 going into the game.

Currently, the Bobcats’ defense holds the 176th rank in the nation, allowing 72.5 points per game. So far, the Ohio defense is giving up an average of 8.0 offensive rebounds per game and are turning teams over 9.5 times per game (372nd).