Ohio vs. Ball State betting: College basketball preview for Feb. 17

Data Skrive
Data Skrive

The Ohio Bobcats (13-13, 7-6 MAC) are at home in MAC play against the Ball State Cardinals (8-17, 3-9 MAC) on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at 7 p.m. ET. The Bobcats are favored by 9.5 points in the game. The over/under is set at 144.5 for the matchup.

Check out all the Latest NCAA Basketball Betting Previews!

Spread

Ohio Cover -9.5 vs Ball State -112

Bet $20, Payout $37.86

Ohio vs. Ball State betting lines

  • Ohio moneyline odds to win: -526
  • Ball State moneyline odds to win: +380
  • Spread: Ohio (-9.5)
  • Total: 144.5

Ohio statistics, trends and more

As the home team

  • Ohio has covered the spread in a higher percentage of its home games than away games. It has covered five times in 11 opportunities when playing at home, and it has covered three times in 10 opportunities in away games.
  • In home games, the Bobcats exceed the total 54.5% of the time (six of 11 games). They’ve hit the over in 40% of games on the road (four of 10 contests).
  • Ohio has performed better as a moneyline favorite when playing at home, sporting a home record of 7-2, compared to going 2-2 in road games.

Recent trends

  • The Bobcats have seen an increase in scoring recently, racking up 78.1 points per game in their last 10 outings, 0.5 points more than the 77.6 they’ve scored this year.
  • Ohio has been slightly suspect on the defensive end of the floor recently, giving up 81.4 points per game over its last 10 contests compared to the 77.8 it has surrendered this season.
  • Over their past 10 contests, the Bobcats are making the same number of three-pointers per game as their season long average (6.9), while shooting a higher percentage from deep in that span (31.2% compared to 30.7% season-long).

Ohio betting records this season

  • ATS Record: 9-15-0 (Home: 5-6-0; Away: 3-7-0)
  • ATS Record When Favored by 9.5+: 2-1-0 (As Favorite: 6-7-0; As Underdog: 3-8-0)
  • O-U-P: 12-11-1 (Home: 6-5-0; Away: 4-5-1)
  • Record When Moneyline Favorite: 9-4 (Home: 7-2; Away: 2-2)
  • Record When Moneyline Underdog: 2-9 (Home: 0-2; Away: 1-5)
Field Goal % Opp. Field Goal % Rebounds Opp. Rebounds Assists Turnovers
46.7 (98th in nation) 45.7 (272nd) 29.7 (301st) 32.3 (253rd) 13.4 (217th) 10.6 (129th)

Need to know more about sports betting before you put down a wager on Ohio vs. Ball State? Here’s everything you need to know about how to bet.

Ball State statistics, trends and more

As the away team

  • Ball State’s winning percentage against the spread at home is .444 (4-5-0). Away, it is .333 (4-8-0).
  • Cardinals games have gone above the over/under 22.2% of the time at home (two of nine), and 25% of the time on the road (three of 12).
  • The Cardinals, when moneyline underdogs, have won a higher percentage of games at home (1-4) than away (0-9) this year.

Recent trends

  • In their last 10 games, the Cardinals are putting up 65.1 points per contest, 1.3 fewer points than their season average (66.4).
  • Ball State is giving up 71.3 points per contest over its past 10 games, which is 1.3 more points than it is allowing for the season (70.0).
  • In their previous 10 games, the Cardinals are making 6.5 threes per game, 0.3 fewer threes than their season average (6.8). They also have a lower three-point percentage over their previous 10 games (30.2%) compared to their season average (30.6%).

Ball State betting records this season

  • ATS Record: 9-14-0 (Home: 4-5-0; Away: 4-8-0)
  • ATS Record When Underdog by 9.5+: 2-2-0 (As Favorite: 2-5-0; As Underdog: 7-9-0)
  • O-U-P: 7-16-0 (Home: 2-7-0; Away: 3-9-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Favorite: 4-3 (Home: 2-2; Away: 2-1)
  • Record When Moneyline Underdog: 2-14 (Home: 1-4; Away: 0-9)
Field Goal % Opp. Field Goal % Rebounds Opp. Rebounds Assists Turnovers
41.3 (338th in nation) 45.4 (257th) 27.3 (349th) 32.1 (244th) 12.2 (303rd) 10.0 (70th)
Author Profile
BetDecider Team

The BetDecider team brings you the most current sports betting content, with expert insights and tips. Our aim is that you can make an informed betting decision, including best odds and exclusive sportsbook offers, to maximize your betting experience.

Ryan Knuppel

Knup Solutions [molongui_author_name]

About Ryan Knuppel

Ryan has been one of the leading sports business & iGaming professionals for over 15 years. He started as a freelance writer and now operates one of the top sports content agencies around, Knup Solutions. He has literally written 10,000 plus sports and betting related articles across the web.

 

Sports Network:

sports20.com, usawager.com, knupsports.com, baseballspotlight.com, basketballarticles.com, betdecider.com, njsportsbookreview.com, dunkelindex.com, sportspub.com, oddschoice.com

 

Betting Guide

How Money Line Works?

Moneyline betting is by far the easiest way to place a sports wager. There are no point spreads to parse, no garbage-time free throws to ruin your betting day, and no last-minute meaningless touchdowns to take you from a winner to a loser.

How to Bet Odds

When we, as sports fans, learned our multiplication tables, we aced the number 7. Seven, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42 were easy because we all watched football on the weekends. Multiplication by sevens, then add a three, a six after a missed PAT.

How to Bet on NFL Games

Baseball is America’s pastime, but football is America’s crazed passion, with its weekly schedule of games, millions of television viewers across the country and the world, and the billion-dollar stadiums that serve as Sunday cathedrals in 32 American cities.

What is the Spread?

If you are a golfer or have ever played on a bowling team, think of a point spread like a handicap. It is a way for two teams of differing abilities to play each other on equal footing.  The better team, and the favorite in the game, gives a certain amount …