Sports Betting Picks

Ball State Cardinals at Michigan Wolverines Betting Preview

Wednesday will feature a MAC versus Big Ten matchup as the Ball State Cardinals (0-1) will take on the Michigan Wolverines (2-0) in Ann Arbor. Michigan plays host at the Crisler Center, and tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.

The Ball State Cardinals are celebrating their 100th season of basketball this year and would love nothing more than to win the MAC for the fourth time in the last six years. Last season, they finished 18-13 overall and 11-7 in the MAC. Head coach James Whitford will look to try to build on that success in his eighth season.

Michigan comes into this one with a bit of a chip on their shoulders. Despite starting the season 2-0, they have fallen out of the top-25 in the AP poll (although it was just one spot to 26th). While they won their first two games, it wasn’t incredibly inspiring basketball, and they will look to get back on track as they welcome in Ball State.

 The Michigan Wolverines come into this one as the overwhelming favorites. They are currently -2200 to win while Ball State is +1100. The spread features the Cardinals +14.5 while the over/under for total points is 143.5.

Ball State Looking For Road Upset

Last Wednesday, Ball State opened up their season with a heartbreaker as they lost 74-73 to the Northern Kentucky Norse on the road. This week, they will once again be on the road and will be looking for a major upset as they take on Michigan.

In that game last week, guard K.J. Walton led all scorers with 28 points. He also added 11 rebounds and 1 assist in the game. Last season, Walton had an injury that allowed him just 10 games so, after 11 months off, he was excited to get back on the floor.

Miryne Thomas (9 points, 3 rebounds), Ishmael El-Amin (15 points, 3 assists), Kanie Acree (4 points, 5 assists), and Blake Higgins (5 points, 8 rebounds) also had productive games in the Cardinals’ loss.

Unfortunately, Ball State has been dealing with some injuries early on this season. Jarron Coleman, the 2020 MAC Freshman of the Year, had surgery in October on his foot and is out. Also, Reggie Jones, a transfer that had originally played for both Western Michigan and Tulsa, will also be out of action.

Michigan Looks To Improve Despite 2-0 Start

At the end of the day, a win is a win. Still, the Wolverines are hoping that their play can improve to make wins a little more satisfying. Thus far, they have beaten Bowling Green 96-82 and needed overtime to beat Oakland 81-71 on Sunday.  

Despite having some talent, it is those unimpressive wins that knocked them out of the top-25. With six Big Ten teams currently in the top-25 and four in the top-10, Michigan is going to have to step up their game this season.

Through two games, the Wolverines have three players that are averaging double digits. Forward Isaiah Livers leads the way with 19.5 points per game while also chipping in 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks per game.

The other two players with double digits are center Hunter Dickinson (15 points, 6 rebounds, 2.5 assists) and guard Chaundee Brown (12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block).

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