MAC Best Bet: Ohio at WMU Spread Pick

Ohio Bobcats (7-8 SU, 4-10 ATS) vs. Western Michigan Broncos (6-9 SU, 7-6 ATS)

When: Saturday, January 13th, 12:00 PM (ET)

Where: University Arena (MI), MI, Kalamazoo

TV: ESPN+

Point Spread: OHIO -4.5/WMICH +4.5

Total: 152

Money Line: Ohio Bobcats -196/+162

Notable Injuries

Bobcats

• IJ Ezuma (Out) Undisclosed

Broncos

Recent Form

Ohio comes into this game as a 4.5-point favorite on the road. So far this season, the Bobcats have gone 6-7 when favored, and they are 0-3 on the road.

Over their last ten road games, Ohio has gone 3-7, and they are currently on a three-game losing streak away from home. In their most recent game, the Bobcats lost to Bowling Green by a score of 83-78.

This season, the over/under record for Ohio is 7-7, and today’s line of 152 is similar to the average over/under line in their games (150.5). So far, 8 of their games have finished with more points than today’s line. In their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1, with an average scoring total of 155 points.

Ohio has struggled against the spread this season, going just 4-10. Their ATS record as the favorite is 4-9, and they are 0-3 vs. the spread on the road this year. Over their last ten games as the favorite, the Bobcats are just 2-8 vs. the spread.

Western Michigan will be looking to build on their two-game winning streak when they host Ohio as 4.5-point underdogs. The Broncos have gone 4-8 this season as the underdog, and they come in with an overall record of 6-9.

At home, Western Michigan has gone just 2-4 this season, and they have gone 5-5 in their last ten games at home. In their last game, the Broncos defeated Buffalo by a score of 82-77.

Western Michigan’s over/under record this season is 7-6, and the over/under line in their games is averaging 140.7 points. So far, 13 of their games have had lower over/under lines than today’s line of 152. In their last three games, the over/under record is 3-0, and the average scoring total in those games is 166 points.

As the underdog, Western Michigan has gone 7-5 against the spread this season and 7-3 vs. the spread in their last ten games as the underdog. At home, the Broncos have an ATS record of 3-3 this season and are 5-4 in their last ten home games vs. the spread. Overall, Western Michigan has an ATS record of 7-6 this year.

Analysis

Coming off their recent game, the Ohio offense tallied 78 points in a matchup against Bowling Green. Their field goal percentage for the game was 49.1%, and they made 10 threes. Jaylin Hunter is leading the team in scoring at 13.7 points per contest. Shereef Mitchell has also been a key contributor with a PPG average of 13.3 going into the game.

Ohio’s defense is currently in line with the NCAA average for points allowed, allowing an average of 71.9 points per game. Against Bowling Green in their most recent game, the Ohio defense gave up a total of 83 points while allowing Bowling Green to hit 49% of their shots.

The Western Michigan offense is coming off a game in which they scored 82 points vs. Buffalo. Overall, their field goal percentage was 48.5% while connecting on 10 threes. Seth Hubbard is the current leading scorer for the team, with an average of 16.9 as they approach today’s matchup. In addition, B. Artis White brings a PPG average of 10.2 into the game.

At present, the Broncos’ defense is nationally ranked 262nd, allowing 76.0 points per game. In their previous game vs. Buffalo, the Bulls finished with a field goal percentage of 42% and a total of 77 points vs. Western Michigan.

Betting Trends

• Through their last ten road games, Ohio has an ATS record of just 4-6. However, their overall record was 3-7 while averaging 76 points per game.
• When looking at their past ten home matchups, Western Michigan has an ATS record of 4-6 while averaging 66 per game. The team went 2-8 overall in these games.
• In their last three games as the betting underdog, the Broncos have a strong straight-up record of 2-1. In addition, their ATS record was 2-1 in these scenarios.
• Spanning across their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Bobcats have gone 2-8 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 4-6.

Rich Crew’s Pick To Cover The Spread

The Broncos started the season 0-4 and 2-9, but it wasn’t as bad as it looked with a season-opening loss in overtime at North Dakota St and losses on the road at Northwestern, Ohio State, and Notre Dame. They are on a four-game run now, and while they didn’t beat much, they are a perfect 3-0 in MAC play. Ohio has already dropped two conference games is 0-3 in true road games, and is getting crushed at the betting windows, covering just one spread in its last nine games overall. Take Western Michigan +4.5