Basketball Preview: Purdue vs. Ball State - December 18th - 7:00 pm - ESPN3

We all know that Ball State football is hard for a Big Ten team to beat, but the Cardinals' basketball team is in a different situation when they head to West Lafayette to face the Boilers on Tuesday night.

Why Purdue Will Win
Ball State is 5-4 and hasn't beaten even a mediocre team.  They lost by almost 50 points to Indiana and 20 points to Indiana State.  There's no excuse to lose this game, and as long as the Boilers don't shoot under 35% or get in ridiculous foul trouble, they'll win.  Look to see them drive, drive, and drive the ball inside to help avoid their shooting ails.  Can Ray Davis score 20 points again?  I hope he'll get the playing time to try.

Why Ball State Will Win
Purdue is 4-6 and has only beaten one relevant team (Clemson). They have the size to match up with the Boilers, and they can be a strong rebounding team that plays with lots of energy, albeit short of talent.  If the Cardinals can close the lane and force Purdue to take contested shots inside or long jumpers, then we all know it could be a very, very long night.

One thing you absolutely need to know before the game 
My favorite person at Ball State, and arguably their best all-around player, is Majok Majok.  His name alone produces fond memories of former Wisconsin Badger Duany Duany, and allows him to join the ranks of double-named sports personalities like Yang Yang, Li Li, Samoa Samoa, and Jose Jose.  His full name is Majok Maker Majok (his father's name is Maker), which is even cooler, and I'm sure he's got a harrowing back-story, hailing from Sudan via Australia.

Also know that I'm very, very sick of Purdue losing.  And have fun watching the game on the poor-resolution feed on ESPN3.com (try to mute the commercials, they are so annoying).

Our Picks - We like to think we're better than Vegas.  So throughout the season, we'll be "betting" a whole dollar amount versus the spread between $1 and $32, but we can't repeat the same value twice. The spread for this game is Purdue -15.5.


Erik's Bet: $21
Erik's Pick: Purdue 65 - Ball State 55

Kirk's Bet: $20
Kirk's Pick: Purdue 70 - Ball State 57

Standings
Erik +198 (10-2 ATS)
Kirk -88 (5-7 ATS)

Values already bet
Erik 3, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31, 32
Kirk 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32

BOILER UP!!!!

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