The Ball State Cardinals (10-4, 1-0 MAC) welcome the Eastern Michigan Eagles (6-8, 0-1 MAC) to John E. Worthen Arena. The Cardinals will attempt to prolong their five-game home winning streak, while the Eagles look to snap their five-game road losing streak. Action starts at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 8, 2019.
Eastern Michigan Eagles at Ball State Cardinals Betting Odds
Both teams were victorious over their last opponent. The Cardinals defeated the Indiana State Sycamores 86-69, while the Eagles beat the Rochester (MI) Warriors 77-67.
Eastern Michigan dominated nearly every stat category in the game. They had an offensive rebounding percentage of 41.9 and a free throw rate of 0.190. For those same stats, Rochester (MI) was 19.5 and 0.092, respectively. The Cardinals, on the other hand, had a better free throw rate (0.231 vs. 0.164) and had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.546 vs. 0.433). Tahjai Teague played a key role for Ball State with 21 points and seven rebounds. Meanwhile, Eastern Michigan was lifted by Boubacar Toure, who recorded 15 points and 15 rebounds.
This was a highly contested series last year. Each won one of the two games played against each other last season. In the most recent game, the Eagles won 58-41. Eastern Michigan’s effective field goal percentage was its largest advantage over Ball State. The Eagles had a rate of 0.580 while the Cardinals posted a mark of 0.300. This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams.
The upper-echelon offense of Ball State (12th in the country with an effective field goal percentage 0.576) will face off against the porous defense of Eastern Michigan (268th in effective field goal percentage allowed 0.520). The Cardinals figure to have the edge on that end of the court.
Eastern Michigan Eagles vs. Ball State Cardinals Pick
College Basketball Prediction: SU Winner – Ball State, ATS Winner – Eastern Michigan, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- Ball State averages 15.1 assists per game, which ranks 74th in the country. Eastern Michigan ranks 234th in assists allowed per game (17.8).
- The Cardinals rank 67th in rebounds per game (38.5) while the Eagles rank 135th in rebounds allowed per game (35.2).
- Eastern Michigan blocks 4.4 opponent shots per game, which is ranked 49th in the nation. Ball State ranks 67th in blocks allowed per game (3.0).
- The Cardinals rank 36th in steals allowed per game (5.3) while the Eagles rank 150th (7.3).
- Ball State ranks 143rd in three pointers allowed per game (22.9) while Eastern Michigan ranks 238th (26.6).
Bettings Trends:
- The Cardinals have been outscored by an average of 2.2 points in their last five games. For the season, Ball State has defeated opponents by an average of 11.9 points.
- During their last five games, the Eagles have scored an average of 73.2 points per game (3.5 above their season average) and allowed an average of 69.8 points per game (1.3 below their season average).
