The Ball State Cardinals look to even their record when they tip off their home schedule against the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks in non-conference action on Saturday. The Mavericks (1-0), who finished 5-20 overall a year ago, defeated Hastings 67-57 on Tuesday night. The Cardinals (0-1) lost at Georgia Southern 82-71 on Tuesday. Ball State was 10-13 last season, including a 7-4 mark at home. This will be the first-ever meeting between the schools.
Tip-off from John Worthen Arena in Muncie, Ind., is set for noon ET. The Cardinals are 9.5-point favorites in the latest Nebraska-Omaha vs. Ball State odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 147.5. Before making any Nebraska-Omaha vs. Ball State picks, make sure you check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of $2,200 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has broken down Nebraska-Omaha vs. Ball State from every angle and released its coveted CBB picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several college basketball odds and betting lines trends for Nebraska-Omaha vs. Ball State:
- Nebraska-Omaha vs. Ball State spread: Ball State -9.5
- Nebraska-Omaha vs. Ball State over-under: 147.5 points
- Nebraska-Omaha vs. Ball State money line: Nebraska-Omaha +350, Ball State -450
- NO: The Mavericks are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games overall
- BSU: The Cardinals are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games as a home favorite
Featured Game | Ball State Cardinals vs. Nebraska Omaha Mavericks
Why Ball State can cover
The Cardinals have had a lot of success in home openers under coach James Whitford, going 7-1, and have won their last three opening games in Worthen Arena. Junior guard Luke Bumbalough led Ball State with 21 points in the season opener on 61.5 percent shooting from the floor, including 55.6 percent from 3-point range. Last season, Bumbalough played in 23 games and averaged 7.3 points, 2.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game. In his freshman season, he played in all 31 games and started 23 of the final 24. He averaged seven points and reached double figures in nine games.
Junior guard Jalen Windham played 24 minutes in the opener, scoring 12 points with two steals and two assists. Windham played in 11 games a year ago and in limited action, averaged 3.6 points and one rebound. He played his freshman season at Creighton in 2019-20, appearing in 16 games for the Blue Jays. He averaged 2.6 points, scoring a game-high 14 points in a game against Midland University.
Why Nebraska-Omaha can cover
The Mavericks return eight letterwinners and two starters – sophomore guard La’Mel Robinson and senior forward Wanjang Tut – from last year’s team. Robinson averaged 9.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and one steal over 24 games in 2020-21. He made 11 starts and scored in double figures in 11 games. He posted a career-high 23 points at South Dakota on Jan. 30, finishing 9-for-14 from the floor with three 3-pointers.
Tut started all 20 games and averaged 8.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.6 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. Tut recorded six double-figure scoring performances, including two 20-plus point games. His best game was at Wyoming, scoring 27 points on 10 of 17 shooting with nine rebounds, four blocks and one assist. His four blocks matched his career high.
How to make Nebraska-Omaha vs. Ball State picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning under on the point total. In fact, it says Nebraska-Omaha’s La’Mel Robinson will be held to under 12 points, while Ball State’s Luke Bumbalough will be held to nine points, 12 points fewer than in the season opener. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in nearly 60 percent of simulations. You can only get the model’s Ball State vs. Nebraska-Omaha pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Nebraska-Omaha vs. Ball State? And which side of the spread hits in nearly 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Nebraska-Omaha vs. Ball State spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up $2,200 on its college basketball picks the last five years, and find out.
