Miami (OH) vs Ball State Prediction 3/7/25 College Basketball Picks Today

The Ball State Cardinals and the Miami-Ohio RedHawks meet Friday in college basketball action from Millett Hall. Here’s a Miami-OH vs Ball State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Miami-OH vs Ball State pick.

Ball State Cardinals Betting Preview

Ball State has had a pretty uneven season thus far, and they’ve been floundering around the .500 mark for quite some time. The Cards opened on an 8-7 run with losses to Georgia State, Dayton, Indiana State, Detroit, Richmond, SIU Edwardsville, and Miami Ohio. A 2-5 stretch came after that, featuring wins over Central Michigan and Buffalo among losses to Ohio, Toledo, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan, and Akron. Since then the Cardinals have gone 4-4 in their last eight outings. Ball State has losses to Toledo, Akron, Bowling Green, and Central Michigan in that time alongside wins over Southern Miss, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, and Buffalo. Over 30 games so far that gives Ball State a 14-16 record in total this season.

In the Central Michigan game on Tuesday, the Cardinals exited the first half with a 39-22 edge. The Cardinals were blitzed 47-28 the rest of the way however, resulting in a 69-67 defeat in the end. Jermahri Hill was the leading team contributor, posting 21 points with four rebounds and one assist in 31 minutes off the bench. Mickey Pearson was the top starter with 11 points and three rebounds in 29 minutes of work. Payton Sparks chipped in eight points with nine rebounds and three assists, while Juanse Gorosito had eight points with three rebounds and one assist in 31 minutes off the bench.

Miami-OH RedHawks Betting Preview

Over on the RedHawks’ side, they’ve been quite impressive overall this year with just one instance of consecutive losses. Miami-OH stumbled a bit in their first 10 though, taking losses to Wright State, Michigan, Indiana, and Vermont along the way. Wins over Sacred Heart, Defiance, Buffalo, Ball State, Western Michigan, Northern Illinois, Kent State, and Bowling Green came next, then a loss to Akron. Miami-OH would then beat Eastern Michigan, Ohio, Central Michigan, Troy, and Toledo. Since then it’s been a 3-3 run with losses to Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Ohio among wins over Kent State, Northern Illinois, and Buffalo. In total that gives the RedHawks a 22-8 record across 30 games so far this year.

In the Buffalo road game back on Tuesday, the RedHawks entered the second half with a 47-35 edge. Miami-OH kept it up in the second half on a 37-34 run and took the win in the end 84-69. Peter Suder led the team with 15 points, nine assists, five rebounds and two steals. Luke Skaljac led the bench contributors with 14 points and four rebounds, while Reece Potter had 12 bench points, four rebounds, and two assists in 19 minutes of work. Antwone Woolfork chipped in 10 points with four rebounds and four steals as well.

Why the Miami RedHawks will win

• Miami (OH) has won each of its last 14 home games.
• Ball State has lost each of its last four games at John D. Millett Hall.
• Miami (OH) has won the first half in each of its last six home games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the Ball State Cardinals will win

• Ball State has won four of its last five night games following a home loss.
• Ball State has won the first half in three of its last four night games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Miami-OH vs Ball State Prediction

I’ll lean toward Miami-OH. The RedHawks are looking good these days and coming off a strong road win over a struggling Buffalo team. Miami-OH shot a smooth 55.9 percent from the field and 57.9 percent (11-of-19) from 3-point range in that one, which overcame the 12 turnovers and 31-29 rebounding deficit. The RedHawks have been below 67 points in each of their last two losses, so hitting that 70-point mark here would be a good sign.

The last time these teams saw each other back on January 7, Miami-OH powered out an 80-72 road victory. The RedHawks shot very well (55.4 percent) in that one and had just seven turnovers. The 37-26 rebounding deficit was about the only blemish, but that won’t matter in the rematch if Miami-OH continues to shoot well.