As March Madness betting time approaches, the NCAA basketball season is in full swing. Two match-ups – Western Michigan at Buffalo and Ball State at Central Michigan, promise to be close contests with high potential totals bets.
Western Michigan At Buffalo, Tuesday, 4:30 ET
Action: Over 142
The Bulls sport one of the nation’s top offenses. They have an effective possession ratio of 0.994, which rates eighth in the country. That has increased over their past three games, and it’s even better at home in their Alumni Arena. The Bulls won, 85-69, at Western Michigan on Jan. 12, when junior swingman Jeenathan Williams went for 25 points and 14 rebounds. He averaged 21.5 points in a recent four-game run. The Bulls play perimeter defense very well, but in its own barn a month ago Western went 8-for-18 (44.4%) beyond the arc. In addition, Western hit 21 of its 52 3-point attempts (40.4%) in its past two games, victories at Bowling Green and Central Michigan, after having lost seven in a row.
Overall, Western owns a bottom-15 defense, an opponents’ effective possession ratio of 0.984, which should allow Williams and his pals free reign to tally many baskets. The past three between these two in Buffalo have seen 167, 169 and 158 points on the scoreboard. In NCAA basketball sports betting, Buffalo has been a strong 8-3 to Over, so it should all feed into a scoring frenzy.
Ball State At Central Michigan, Tuesday, 5 p.m.
Action: Over 149
In its past nine games, Central has allowed foes to score in the 90s three times and the 80s on four occasions. It has weapons, though, in junior forward Meikkel Murray (averaged 23 ppg in a recent three-game stretch), senior swingman Travon Broadway (55 total points in his past two outings), and junior guard Caleb Huffman (40 total points in two of his past three games). Maybe to its detriment, Central Michigan likes playing fast as its average possession length of 15.7 seconds is 31st in the land. The Chippewas’ defense is a dam with many holes, though, and in college basketball betting circles that raises many red flags—especially against a team like Ball State.
At 11-3 to the Over, the Cardinals are one of the country’s best programs at piling on the points. McGuirk Arena in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., will need a good re-polishing after this one. Ball State sophomore swingman Jarron Coleman’s season-best 19 points last time out against Toledo were welcomed in senior guard KJ Walton’s absence for a third consecutive game with an ankle issue.
About the Author
