Miami Ohio vs. Central Michigan Prediction, Odds, Line, Pick, and Preview: January 3

The Miami (OH) Redhawks (6-7) will visit the Central Michigan Chippewas (5-8) on Tuesday afternoon. Tuesday's matchup will be the first conference game for either team.

Miami won last Thursday over NAIA's Saint Mary of the Woods Pomeroys 90-51. Fifth-year senior and leading scorer Mekhi Lairy had 13 points in 18 minutes off the bench. Wofford transfer Morgan Safford paced the team with 19 points, while Cleveland State transfer Anderson Mirambeaux had 11 on 5-of-6 from the floor.

Miami (OH) vs. Central Michigan Betting Odds

Team	Spread	Over/Under	Moneyline
Miami (OH) Redhawks	+2.5	0148.5	+115
Central Michigan Chippewas	-2.5	u148.5	-140

All Lines Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook

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Central Michigan shocked the world last time out, beating the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor 63-61. The Chippewas never trailed by more than eight points the entire game, keeping the Wolverines close before freshman Reggie Bass drilled a game-winning three-pointer with 11 seconds remaining. He finished with 16 points while leading scorers Brian Taylor and Jesse Zarzuela combined for 31 points on 14-of-28 from the field.

Before the upset victory, CMU was riding a four-game losing streak with blowout losses to Missouri State and Youngstown State.

ShotQuality Tale of the Tape

Below, we will highlight essential ShotQuality data for this matchup, including Adjusted Offensive and Defensive SQ, strengths, weaknesses, and frequency. SQppp is a player's average ShotQuality points per possession.

Thus, SQppp = Total SQpoints/Total No. of Possessions.

The Miami (OH) Redhawks own a 0.97 AdjOFF SQ this season, suitable for 264th in the nation. Conversely, central Michigan has the 260th-best AdjDEF SQ at 1.05. Miami (OH) does well to average in all key stats, but rim and three SQ PPP, where they are 305th in the nation. Conversely, the Chippewas are bottom fifty in most key categories, including rim and three SQ PPP.

The Redhawks own high-frequency numbers in catch & shoot three-pointer, cut, half-court, isolation, off-the-dribble three-pointer, off-screen, and post-up shot types. However, they are in the bottom 150 of all those shot types except isolation and post-up, ranking top 100 in both shot-type SQ PPPs. Conversely, the Chippewas are bottom 100 in defensive isolation and post-up.

The Central Michigan Chippewas have a 0.98 AdjOFF SQ, the 247th-best mark in the country. Miami (OH) has posted a 1.06 AdjDEF SQ this season, clocking in at 265th in the country. The Chippewas rank 205th-284th in all key categories. The Redhawks are 175th-330th in all defensive key categories except spacing, where they are in the 12th percentile.

Central Michigan is in the country's top half in frequency regarding the following shot types: catch & shoot three-pointers, cut, isolation, midrange, off-the-dribble three-pointer, off-screen, P&R ball screen, post-up, and transition. In addition, they excel from an SQ PPP perspective in the midrange, off-screen, and post-up. However, the Redhawks are fourth in the country in defending off-screen shots but 232nd in the post.

Miami (OH) vs. Central Michigan Prediction

Central Michigan should be riding high, rightfully so, after taking down in-state powerhouse Michigan last week. However, they struggled against far lesser competition heading into the matchup, with losses to Robert Morris, Missouri State, and High Point.

Meanwhile, the Redhawks snagged a solid transfer in Morgan Safford from Wofford, and SQ suggests they are the better team in this matchup. Take the Redhawks to cover the small spread on the road in Mount Pleasant.