Toledo vs Ball State 1/18/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Ball State Cardinals will travel to Savage Arena to take on the Toledo Rockets this Tuesday night in College Basketball action.

The Ball State Cardinals lost their 2^nd straight game and dropped to 7-9 on the season after being defeated by the Buffalo Bulls, 74-68, this past Friday night. Ball State struggled on the offensive end against Buffalo and could not fight back after the Bulls took a 64-58 lead with 6:58 left in regulation. Ball State shot just 35.0% from the field & 16.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Buffalo to shoot 40.6% from the field & 35.5% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Cardinals was Tyler Cochran who had 28 points & 9 rebounds.

On the season, Ball State is averaging 74.0 ppg on 43.8% shooting from the field. The Cardinals are averaging 8.6 three-pointers per game on 35.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Ball State has been led by Luke Bumbalough (12.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.2 apg), Tyler Cochran (12.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.8 spg), Payton Sparks (11.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.1 apg), & Miryne Thomas (9.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.7 apg).

Defensively, Ball State is allowing their opponents to average 77.1 ppg on 45.1% shooting from the field. The Cardinals have a rebound margin of -2.6 and a turnover margin of -1.2.

The Toledo Rockets won their 4^th straight game and improved to 13-4 on the season after defeating the Bowling Green Falcons, 91-78, this past Saturday. Toledo was outstanding on the offensive end against Bowling Green and easily pulled away after taking an 81-63 lead with 5:46 left in regulation. Toledo shot 54.7% from the field & 43.5% from beyond the arc while allowing Bowling Green to shoot 43.5% from the field & 32.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Rockets was JT Shumate who had 29 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assist, 1 block, & 1 steal.

On the season, Toledo is averaging 79.2 ppg on 46.3% shooting from the field. The Rockets are averaging 7.1 three-pointers per game on 35.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Toledo has been led by Ryan Rollins (19.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.9 spg), JT Shumate (15.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 2.1 apg), Setric Millner Jr. (14.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.6 apg), & RayJ Dennis (11.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.5 apg).

Defensively, Toledo is allowing their opponents to an average of 67.2 ppg on 39.7% shooting from the field. The Rockets have a rebound margin of 6.2 and a turnover margin of 0.5.

The Cardinals are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games, however, are just 1-9 ATS in their last 10 road games. The Rockets are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. MAC opponents.

Ball State has been decent offensively as the Cardinals rank 131^st in scoring offense, 83^rd in three-pointers made per game, & 85^th in 3P-FG%, however, the Cardinals have really struggled defensively and currently rank just 325^th in scoring defense & 290^th in defensive FG%. Toledo has been led by their offense which ranks 33^rd in scoring offense & 87^th in FG% and have also been decent defensively as they come into this matchup ranked t-141^st in scoring defense, 40^th in defensive FG%, & 42^nd in rebound margin.

Ball State has lost 3 of their last 4 games and it’s been a struggle on the road as the Cardinals are just 1-5 away from home with those losses coming by an average of 20.2 ppg. Toledo is 6-0 at home and as their offense should have a field day against a Ball State defense that has really struggled this season, I think the play here is to take Toledo to cover this large home spread. Good Luck!