Massachusetts vs Ball State Prediction 2/24/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The UMass Minutemen and the Ball State Cardinals meet Tuesday in college basketball action from Worthen Arena in Muncie. Here’s a UMass vs Ball State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best UMass vs Ball State pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.

UMass Minutemen Betting Preview

UMass limped to a choppy 9-7 run over their first 16 games this year. The next eight were a 6-2 run however, as the Minutemen took out Ball State, Western Michigan, Toledo, Buffalo, Eastern Michgian and Central Michigan. After that came losses to Coastal Carolina, Akron and Miami-Ohio in the next three games. Over the first 27 games that gave UMass a 15-12 record in the books.

In game 28 versus Buffalo on Saturday the Minutemen cruised into halftime with a 34-29 edge. UMass gave up the lead on a 39-34 run from there however, and had to go to overtime. Following the extra period the Minutemen were left with an 86-82 loss on their home court. Leading the way was Marcus Banks with 24 points and three assists with three rebounds. Leonardo Bettiol added 21 points and eight boards.

Ball State Cardinals Betting Preview

Over on the Ball State side, they were only able to win four of their first 17 games out of the gate this year. The Cardinals beat Ohio, Central Michigan and Northern Illinois in the next three, but they’re just 1-6 since then. The losses in that time have come versus Toledo, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Kent State, Ohio and Akron. That makes for an 8-19 overall record so far this year.

Matched up against Akron on Friday, Ball State was within four points 40-36 going into the second half. The Cardinals were outscored 38-29 the rest of the way, so they didn’t get any closer on the scoreboard in an eventual 78-65 loss on their home court. The Cards’ Davion Hill led the team on 18 points with 11 rebounds and Devon Barnes had 16 points with three assists.

Massachusetts Minutemen @ Ball State Cardinals Betting Trends: February 24, 2026

Why the Ball State Cardinals will win

• Massachusetts has lost four of its last five road games.

Why the Massachusetts Minutemen will win

• Ball State has lost each of its last six games against the Mid-American Conference.
• Massachusetts has won the first half in 10 of its last 13 night games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

UMass vs Ball State Prediction

I’ll stick with UMass but I’m probably not touching it. The Minutemen are coming off a tough overtime loss to Buffalo last weekend, despite shooting a nice 51.7 percent from the field. UMass added a 33-23 rebounding advantage but also shot just 59.1 percent (13-of-22) from the line and had 14 turnovers. The Minutemen have lost four straight games now with two overtime finishes), giving up 86 or more points in all of those.

Back on January 10 when these teams last met up, the Minutemen took a 79-71 home victory. In that one UMass shot 48.1 percent from the floor with a 35-23 rebounding edge but did have 12 turnovers. I like this road rematch to be a pretty competitive affair, but I think UMass pulls off the cover in the end.

Andrew Jett's Pick: UMass Minutemen -5.5