Teams that have played well of late meet when the Ball State Cardinals face the Xavier Musketeers in nonconference play on Wednesday night. The Cardinals (3-4), who have won two of their last three games, are coming off a 93-80 loss at Western Illinois on Dec. 1. The Musketeers (7-1) won their third straight game, a 77-71 victory at Oklahoma State on Sunday as part of the Big East-Big 12 Battle. The teams will be meeting for the first time since Ball State registered a 75-63 win on Nov. 25, 2003. Xavier leads the all-time series 5-3, including a 1-0 mark at Cintas Center.
Tipoff from Cintas Center in Cincinnati is set for 6:30 p.m. ET. The Musketeers are 19-point favorites in the latest Xavier vs. Ball State odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 149.5. Before making any Ball State vs. Xavier picks, be sure to 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-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $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 set its sights on Ball State vs. Xavier and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are the college basketball odds and betting lines for Ball State vs. Xavier:
- Ball State vs. Xavier spread: Xavier -19
- Ball State vs. Xavier over-under: 149.5 points
- BSU: The Cardinals are 4-0 against the spread in their last four games after allowing more than 90 points in their previous game
- XAV: The Musketeers are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games overall
Why Xavier can cover
The Musketeers have four players averaging in double figures, led by redshirt senior guard Nate Johnson. Johnson, who was named to the Big East honor roll each of the last two weeks, leads the team in scoring at 14.6 points per game, including 23 points per game over the last three games. He has scored in double figures in five times this season, including each of the past three.
Sophomore guard Colby Jones leads the Big East in rebounding at 9.7 rebounds per game, including at least 12 rebounds in four of his last five games. He is coming off a 12-rebound performance at Oklahoma State, and had a career-high 13 rebounds against Norfolk State on Nov. 21. He leads the Big East and is fourth in the nation in offensive rebounding at 4.6 per game. Jones has registered double-doubles in three of his last four games.
Why Ball State can cover
The Cardinals are led by junior guard Luke Bumbalough, one of five players averaging at least nine points per game. Bumbalough is scoring at a 13.7 points per game clip to go along with 3.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds per outing. He is coming off a 17-point performance at Western Illinois and has scored at least 14 points in each of Ball State’s last four games. He is hitting 43 percent of his field goals, including a blistering 45.7 percent from 3-point range.
Also fueling the offense is junior guard Jalen Windham, who is averaging 10 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. He is hitting on 40.6 percent of his 3-point attempts. Windham has reached double figures in four games this season, including a season-high 14 points against Omaha on Nov. 13. He is a career 81.6 percent foul shooter, and is connecting on 77.8 percent this season.
How to make Xavier vs. Ball State picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning under on the point total. In fact, it says Ball State’s Luke Bumbalough will score 5.5 points below his season average, while Xavier’s Colby Jones will score below his season average as well. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that has all the value. You can only get the model’s Xavier vs. Ball State pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Ball State vs. Xavier? And which side of the spread has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Ball State vs. Xavier spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $2,200 on its college basketball picks the last five years, and find out.
