Central Michigan Chippewas vs Ohio Bobcats Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Ohio vs Central Michigan NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Mount Pleasant.

Ohio vs Central Michigan Prediction

Planning on watching today's Bobcats and Chippewas game? Catch the action at McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant, MI, as the Chippewas hosts this showdown at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. Ohio come into this Mid-American conference matchup as the -4.5 favorite. The over/under line currently sits at 147.5 points.

Ohio vs. Central Michigan Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Ohio Bobcats at Central Michigan Chippewas
Where: Mount Pleasant at McGuirk Arena
Date: Saturday, January 4th
Betting Odds OHIO -4.5, OHIO -199 | CMICH +164 O/U 147.5

Bobcats Preview: Can The Bobcats Secure a Win at Mount Pleasant?

Ohio moved to 5-6 on the season after a 78-58 win over Austin Peay on Wednesday. The Bobcats were -14 favorites at home and covered the spread, but the game’s total points of 136 fell short of the 141.5 O/U line.

Ohio dominated early, leading 49-22 at halftime, but their offense slowed in the 2nd half, scoring just 29 points while allowing 36.

Bobcats Offense Breakdown

Ohio's offense put up 78 points in their last game, shooting 52% from the field and hitting 50% of their threes (12/24). Their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 64%, and they connected on 73.7% of their free throws (14/19).

AJ Clayton led the way with 22 points, knocking down 5 threes at a 62.5% clip. Jackson Paveletzke added 18 points, going 3/3 from deep and dishing out 11 assists. Sai Witt contributed 21 points, while Ohio finished with 19 assists as a team.

Bobcats Team Defense

Ohio's defense allowed 58 points in their previous game, with the opposing team shooting 52% from the field, hitting 26 of their 50 attempts. Inside the arc, the opponents went 14/26, shooting 53% on two-point shots.

From three-point range, Ohio's defense gave up 12 threes on 24 attempts, a 50% shooting performance. The opposing team also went to the free-throw line 19 times, making 14, for a 73% free-throw percentage. Ohio allowed 5 offensive rebounds.

Chippewas Preview: Will the Central Michigan Defense Show Up at Home?

Central Michigan Chippewas Recent Game/Games

Central Michigan’s season continued to be a struggle after a 94-41 loss to Arizona on Saturday, dropping their record to 2-6. The Chippewas were +27.5 point underdogs going into the game and failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game were 135, falling short of the O/U line of 151.5.

Central Michigan trailed 44-23 at halftime and managed just 18 points in the 2nd half while allowing 50. The Chippewas will need to regroup as they look to turn things around this season.

Chippewas Offense Breakdown

Central Michigan struggled offensively in their last game, shooting just 25.9% from the field and 18.8% from three-point range. They managed only 5 assists and 10 offensive rebounds, finishing with 41 points and an effective field goal percentage of 29.6%.

Caleb Love was a bright spot, scoring 24 points on 9/15 shooting, including 3/8 from beyond the arc. KJ Lewis added 13 points, hitting 50% of his shots, though he missed all three of his three-point attempts.

Chippewas Team Defense

Central Michigan's defense struggled in their last game, giving up 94 points on 54% shooting from the field. They allowed the opposing team to hit 70% of their two-point attempts, with 26 makes on 37 tries.

From beyond the arc, the Chippewas allowed 10 threes on 29 attempts, a 34% shooting rate. They also sent the other team to the free-throw line 13 times, where they converted 12 for 92%. Central Michigan gave up 12 offensive rebounds in the game.

Bobcats vs Chippewas Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

In their last three games away from home, the Bobcats have a straight up record of 1-2 while going 1-2 vs. the spread. The team averaged 73 points per game in this stretch.
When looking at their past three home matchups, Central Michigan has an ATS record of 0-3 while averaging 59 per game. The team went 0-3 overall in these games.
Going back to their previous ten games as the underdog, Central Michigan has an ATS mark of 5-5 while going 2-8 straight up.
Going back to their previous ten games as the favorite, Ohio has an ATS mark of 4-6 while going 6-4 straight up.