Who's Playing

Ball State @ Ohio

Regular Season Records: Ball State 14-16; Ohio 23-8

What to Know

The Ball State Cardinals are 2-8 against the Ohio Bobcats since January of 2016, but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit Thursday. Ball State and Ohio are set to clash at 6:30 p.m. ET March 10 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tourney. The Cardinals will be strutting in after a win while the Bobcats will be stumbling in from a loss.

Ball State escaped with a win last week against the Western Michigan Broncos by the margin of a single free throw, 64-63. Four players on Ball State scored in the double digits: guard Jaylin Sellers (16), guard Demarius Jacobs (13), center Payton Sparks (13), and forward Miryne Thomas (10).

Speaking of close games: Ohio was just a bucket short of a victory last Friday and fell 58-57 to the Northern Illinois Huskies. What made the defeat an especially bitter pill for Ohio to swallow was that they had been favored by 10 points coming into the matchup. The losing side was boosted by guard Mark Sears, who had 19 points and eight assists along with eight rebounds.

Ohio's defeat took them down to 23-8 while Ball State's win pulled them up to 14-16. We'll see if the Bobcats can steal the Cardinals' luck or if Ball State records another win instead.

How To Watch

  • When: Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET
  • Where: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse -- Cleveland, Ohio
  • TV: ESPN Plus
  • Follow: CBS Sports App

Odds

The Bobcats are a big 7.5-point favorite against the Cardinals, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Bobcats as an 8-point favorite.

Over/Under: -110

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Ohio have won eight out of their last ten games against Ball State.

  • Feb 01, 2022 - Ohio 87 vs. Ball State 63
  • Jan 23, 2021 - Ohio 85 vs. Ball State 77
  • Jan 02, 2021 - Ohio 78 vs. Ball State 68
  • Feb 01, 2020 - Ball State 65 vs. Ohio 54
  • Jan 26, 2019 - Ohio 78 vs. Ball State 74
  • Jan 12, 2019 - Ohio 70 vs. Ball State 52
  • Jan 09, 2018 - Ball State 75 vs. Ohio 68
  • Feb 10, 2017 - Ohio 79 vs. Ball State 77
  • Feb 09, 2016 - Ohio 72 vs. Ball State 69
  • Jan 09, 2016 - Ohio 79 vs. Ball State 73