MAC foes will collide when the Kent State Golden Flashes (9-10, 3-3 MAC) take on the Ball State Cardinals (12-7, 3-3 MAC) at Memorial A & C Center. Neither team is favored and the Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 148 points. Action starts at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.
Ball State Cardinals at Kent State Golden Flashes Odds Preview
In the Cardinals last contest, they got blown out by the Miami (OH) RedHawks, 71-53. With 18 points on 9-for-10 shooting, Trey Moses led Ball State in scoring. Miami (OH) did a great job of converting from the charity stripe (16-19; 84.2 percent). Ball State, meanwhile, held the RedHawks to an offensive rebounding percentage of 24.3 (below their season average of 30.8).
The Golden Flashes are trying to rebound after their 72-65 loss to the Toledo Rockets in their last matchup. Kevin Zabo was the games leading scorer with 20 points on 9-for-14 shooting. Toledo did a fantastic job of making free throws (14-19; 73.7 percent). Kent State, on the other hand, had an effective field goal percentage of 0.556 (above their season average of 0.488).
Both of these teams tend to go under the projected point total. Ball State games have finished under 61.5 percent of the time, while games featuring Kent State have gone under 57.1 percent of the time. The Cardinals have the superior straight up (SU) record (12-7 vs. 9-10), but both teams have comparable against the spread (ATS) records. Ball State is 6-7 ATS, while Kent State is 6-7-1 ATS.
This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. The Golden Flashes won the sole game played against each other last season, 100-90. The Golden Flashes played a nearly perfect game. They had an absurd offensive rebounding percentage of 47.2 and a turnover percentage of 13.2. For those same stats, the Cardinals put up marks of 34.4 and 17.7, respectively.
Ball State Cardinals vs. Kent State Golden Flashes Betting Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Ball State, ATS Winner – Ball State, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Cardinals average 36.6 rebounds per game, which ranks 116th in the NCAA. The Golden Flashes rank 122nd in rebounds allowed per game (34.4).
- Kent State is 4-1-1 ATS at home, while Ball State is 4-4 ATS on the road.
- The Cardinals have 4 overs and 4 unders in 8 road games.
- Of the Golden Flashes 6 home games, they have 3 overs and 3 unders.
- Kent State ranks 30th in steals allowed per game (5.2) while Ball State ranks 178th (7.7).
- The Cardinals average 14.7 assists per game, which ranks 94th in the nation. The Golden Flashes rank 126th in assists allowed per game (13.3).
- Ball State ranks 80th in three pointers attempted per game (24.1) while Kent State ranks 96th in three pointers allowed per game (20.9).
Betting Trends:
- Kent State is 3-1-1 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Ball State is 1-4 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over.
- The Golden Flashes average margin of victory in their last five games has been 0.2, down from 0.6 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Cardinals have scored an average of 66.2 points per game (8.6 below their season average) and allowed an average of 74.2 points per game (0.4 above their season average).
