Ball State Cardinals vs Akron Zips Expert Picks: January 9 Preview, Betting Odds and NCAAB Picks

On top of congratulating Ej for his call for the Michigan Wolverines to win the NCAA football championship back in August, he is also on fire with his NCAA basketball tips in 2024. After smashing out an easy winner on Monday night, Ej is a perfect 4 – 0 with his college hoops predictions, and he is at it again on Tuesday to extend the win streak to five!

Ej heads to the MAC for tonight’s action, and for the first time this year he is on a total for the match between Ball State and Akron. Let’s hit the hardwood and see if Ej can stay hot!

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• Selection: Ball State Cardinals vs Akron Zips Total Over 138 Points
• Best Odds: 1.91
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stakes: 4/10

Odds are available as of January 9. Odds may now differ.

Go with our tip at bet365In this Article:

• Ball State Cardinals vs Akron Zips Pick
• Ball State Cardinals vs Akron Zips Game Info
• Ball State Cardinals vs Akron Zips Betting Lines
• Ball State Cardinals vs Akron Zips Trends
• Ball State Cardinals vs Akron Zips Stats & Form
• Ball State Cardinals vs Akron Zips Where to Watch
• Safer Gambling

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BALL STATE CARDINALS VS AKRON ZIPS PICKS

First, I called for the Michigan Wolverines to win the NCAA Football Championship in August, and they completed the job on Monday night. My odds were 9.50 for that call, so I hope you enjoyed that, and I also hope you are enjoying a 4 – 0 start to my NCAA Basketball season here at BettingExpert.

Last night’s winner with Monmouth couldn’t have gotten much easier as the Hawks carried a double-digit lead throughout the second half and won by 19 to cover our -2.5 nicely!

So far this year, I have played two dogs and two favs but tonight I am tossing in my first total of the new year hoping to extend my win streak to five straight tips. Akron and Ball State may not be the most highlighted game of the night, but when I saw the 138 on this total and knew the MAC as well as I do, it was an easy choice to expect no less than 140 points from this contest in Muncie, Indiana.

Akron has dominated this series recently having won 6 of the last 7 meetings, and in their second meeting last year there were 170 points and Ball State easily covered the +9.5 losing, 87 – 83, I expect a similar game to take place tonight with plenty of points to light up the scoreboard, so 138 doesn’t seem like a tall order to fill.

The Zips have jumped out to a 10 – 4 record thus far, and they have won 6 of their last 7 games with a 1-point loss to the Bonnies since December. While I can understand why one would be impressed with the Zips’ defensive numbers overall, Ball State is averaging 73.9 PPG and I don’t see Akron stopping them from getting to that number even if they are strongly favoured to win this contest at -7.5.

The biggest problem as to why I couldn’t think underdog enough to play the Cardinals’ +7.5 action is the fact that their defense is a mess and it is why they are 0 – 4 in their last 4 games. Ball State has allowed no less than 71 points over the last 5 games while giving up 80+ to Minnesota, Kent State, and Indiana State.

Ball State ranks 308th in the nation allowing opponents to bury 45.5% of their shots from the floor, and Enrigue Freeman is putting up some hefty numbers for Akron this year. Freeman has earned himself a double-double in all but two games this campaign, and 18.4 PPG along with 13 rebounds a night separates him from nearly everyone in the landscape of college hoops.

Freeman will be scoring 19 points with 13 boards tonight, and his teammates will do the rest of the scoring for us to topple this total with ease. I foresee a 76 – 70 type of game to take place tonight, so play this total and ride the hot hand that is… ME!

• Selection: Total Over 138 Points
• Best Odds: 1.91
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stakes: 4/10

Go with our tip at bet365

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BALL STATE CARDINALS VS AKRON ZIPS GAME INFO

• Wednesday, January 10
• Time: 00:05
• Venue: Worthen Arena, Muncie, IN

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BALL STATE CARDINALS VS AKRON ZIPS BETTING LINES

Ball State vs Akron Betting Lines
Bet365 Odds	Moneyline	Over/Under	Handicap
Ball State	3.55	Over 138	Cardinals +7.5
Akron	1.30	Under 138	Zips -7.5

Go with our tip at bet365Odds are available as of January 9, 2023. Odds may now differ.

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BALL STATE CARDINALS VS AKRON ZIPS TRENDS

• Ball State has hit the Game Total Over in 17 of their last 29 games.
• Akron has hit the Team Total Over in 20 of their last 29 games.
• Akron has hit the Game Total Over in 18 of their last 29 games.

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BALL STATE CARDINALS VS AKRON ZIPS STATS AND FORM

Akron’s Enrigue Freeman is averaging over 18 PPG and 13 RPG, and he is riding an 8-game streak of double-doubles.

Akron has won 6 of their last 7 games but more importantly, they are off to a 2 – 0 start in MAC play entering this away game.

Ball State features 4 players averaging over 11 PPG, and Basheer Jihad has taken his game to the next level in year 3 with the Cardinals. After only putting up just over 7 PPG a season ago, Jihad is leading the squad with an obnoxious 18.5 PPG average this year.

Akron is 6 – 2 ATS and 7 – 1 Overall against Ball State.

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BALL STATE CARDINALS VS AKRON ZIPS WHERE TO WATCH

This game can be seen on ESPN+ for Subscribers.

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SAFER GAMBLING

At bettingexpert, we always take a safe approach to gambling. We’ll never bet more than we can afford or chase losses. For more advice, head to our Safer Gambling hub.