West Co-Champs Meet Thursday in MAC Men’s Basketball Quarters

Thursday, March 9

Cleveland, Ohio

2:30 p.m.

Ball State University

Western Michigan

Photo by: Ball State University Creative Services

West Co-Champs Meet Thursday in MAC Men’s Basketball Quarters

March 07, 2017 | Men's Basketball

Ball State Postseason Guide MAC Tournament Bracket Tournament Central

Cardinals had a first-round bye; Western Michigan defeated Miami to advance

MAC Tournament Quarterfinals
(4) Ball State (20-11, 11-7 MAC) vs. (5) Western Michigan (16-15, 11-7 MAC)
Thursday, March 3 (2:30 p.m.)
Quicken Loans Arena (Cleveland, Ohio)
Watch (ESPN3) | Listen (WLBC) | Live Stats

TV Note: In addition to ESPN3, Thursday's game will be available in Ohio markets on the Buckeye Cable Sports Network and Spectrum Sports … Friday's semifinal games will air nationally on CBS Sports Network, and Saturday's championship game will air nationally on ESPN2.

Tickets: Fans can purchase tickets by calling the Stoops Buick/GMC Ticket Center (888-BSU-TICKET) or by visiting the Quicken Loans Arena ticket portal.

Opening Tip
• Ball State earned a first-round bye as the No. 4 seed in the MAC Tournament. The Cardinals will play a quarterfinal game Thursday against No. 5 seed Western Michigan, which advanced Monday with a first-round victory over Miami. The winner will advance to Friday's semifinal round to meet either No. 1 seed Akron or No. 8 seed Eastern Michigan.

• The Cardinals secured a second straight MAC West Division co-championship by closing out the regular season with an 87-82 victory over Northern Illinois. It was the team's fifth win in its final six games.

• Ball State finished as part of a four-way tie for the second-best record in the overall league standings with Ohio, Buffalo and Western Michigan. The Cardinals beat out Western Michigan for the No. 4 seed and final first-round bye because of a better record against the West Division.

• The Cardinals and Broncos shared the MAC West title. They split two regular season meetings with each team winning on its home floor. Ball State was an 84-78 winner Jan. 28 in Muncie, while Western Michigan won 80-55 Feb. 25 in Kalamazoo.

• Western Michigan enters the matchup riding a nine-game winning streak. First-team All-MAC guard Thomas Wilder leads the Broncos with 19.1 points per game, while Tucker Haymond adds 15.1.

• The Cardinals are making their first appearance in Cleveland since 2013 when they lost a second-round game to Buffalo. BSU earned a top-four seed for the first time since 2011 when the team reached the semifinals before falling to Kent State.

• Ball State had three players earn all-conference honors, with sophomore point guard Tayler Persons being named to the All-MAC Second Team, senior forward Franko House earning third-team honors and sophomore center Trey Moses being named to the all-defensive team.

• Persons leads Ball State at 16.2 points and 5.0 assists per game. He is the first player in BSU history to record more than 500 points (502) and more than 150 assists (155) in a single season.

All-Time in the MAC Tournament
• Ball State owns the most MAC Tournament championships in league history with seven. Ohio has six tournament titles, and Kent State has five.
• The Cardinals are looking for their first league tournament crown since 2000, which is also the last time BSU reached the championship game.
• Ball State is returning to Cleveland after a three-year absence, having lost first-round games on campus sites in each of the past three seasons.
• BSU last advanced past the quarterfinal round in 2011 when the Cardinals reached the semifinals before falling to Kent State.
• Ball State has advanced to the semifinals 20 times in its 35 tournament appearances.

Cardinals at Quicken
• This season marks the 18th year Quicken Loans Arena (formerly Gund Arena) in Cleveland will host the MAC Tournament.
• Ball State won the first tournament in Cleveland in 2000 and owns a 7-8 record in tourney games at Quicken Loans Arena.
• Thursday's quarterfinal game will be the first MAC Tournament game at Quicken Loans Arena for any current member of the Ball State team.

How We Got Here
• Ball State entered the final day of the regular season needing a win and some help to secure a top-four seed and first-round bye.
• The Cardinals were part of a five-way tie for seeds two through six and needed a loss by Kent State or losses by two of the following: Ohio, Buffalo and Western Michigan.
• That last group of teams all won early in the evening, leaving a loss by Kent State as the last chance for the Cardinals to get a bye. When Akron finished off a road win over the Golden Flashes, it secured the No. 4 seed for Ball State.

Back-to-Back 20 Win Seasons
• Ball State's victory over Northern Illinois in the regular season finale gave the Cardinals 20 wins for the second year in a row.
• BSU has won 20 games in consecutive seasons for the fifth time in history and the first time since 1991-92 (24-9) and 1992-93 (26-8).
• It's the first time the Cardinals have won 20 games in the regular season since 1997-98.

Back-to-Back MAC West Titles
• Ball State has won back-to-back MAC West Division championships for the first time, sharing last year's title with Central Michigan and this year's with Western Michigan.
• The Cardinals were picked last in the preseason poll last year and second this year.
• Since the MAC went to the divisional format in 1998, Ball State has won or shared six division titles: 1998 (co), 2000 (co), 2002 (outright), 2009 (co), 2016 (co) and 2017 (co).

House Set to Break Record
• In Thursday's MAC Tournament quarterfinal game, senior forward Franko House will become Ball State's all-time leader in career games played with 127.
• House tied the mark of Mike Spicer (1988-92) at 126 in the regular season finale.
• He also enters the tournament fourth in school history with 110 career starts.

Persons Wins Weekly Award
• Point guard Tayler Persons was named the MAC West Division Player of the Week for the final week of the regular season after averaging 22.5 points, 6.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds in wins over Toledo and Northern Illinois.
• The Cardinals bookended the season with weekly awards. Franko House won the top West Division honor in the season's opening week.