Ball State University
Middle Tennessee
WBB Opens WNIT Play At Home Thursday Against Middle Tennessee
March 14, 2018 | Women's Basketball
Game #31 First Round Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT)
Date: Thursday, March 15, 2018
Tipoff: 7:00 p.m.
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Social Media: @BallStateWBB, @BallStateSports, #ChirpChirp
Game Notes: Ball State | Middle Tennessee
2018 WNIT Bracket
- The Ball State women's basketball team accepted an invitation as an automatic qualifier to play in the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) that consists of 64 teams. The Cardinals host Middle Tennessee (18-12) Thursday in Worthen Arena at 7 p.m. This is the first postseason WNIT game the Cardinals have hosted since the 2013 season when Ball State defeated Northern Iowa, 53-48.
- Ball State will be making its sixth straight WNIT appearance and ninth overall (all since 2002). The Cardinals are 5-8 all-time in WNIT play and won two games to reach the final 16 of the 2013 event. Last season, the Cardinals lost a first-round game at Indiana.
- Ball State enters the WNIT with a 24-6 overall record. The Cardinals went 13-5 in Mid-American Conference play and earned a first-round bye in the league tournament for the fifth time in the past six seasons before falling to Western Michigan in the quarterfinals. The Cardinals began the year with a perfect 11-0 non-conference record, highlighted by wins over Purdue, Vanderbilt, Butler and Western Kentucky.
- In the last three seasons, head coach Brady Sallee has compiled a 17-13 record for the month of March. Last year Ball State went 1-2 in the month of March. In 2015-16, Ball State registered a 4-2 ledger in March with wins over Northern Illinois, Toledo and Big Ten foe Iowa. The 2014-15 season wasn't any different, as Ball State began the month with wins over Central Michigan and Toledo before falling to Eastern Michigan in the semifinals of the MAC Tournament. In 2013-14, the Cardinals began the month with wins over Western Michigan, Northern Illinois and Toledo before heading into the MAC Tournament where they won four-straight before suffering a loss to Akron in the championship game. Ball State went 3-3 in the month of March in 2012-13, which included two wins in the Women's National Invitation Tournament, advancing the Cardinals to the Final 16. So far this season, Ball State is 1-1 this month with a win over Eastern Michigan and a loss to Western Michigan.
- Ball State is two games away from tying the programs record for most wins in a season. In 2008-09, the Cardinals went 26-9 under the direction of former head coach Kelly Packard. Current assistant coach, Audrey McDonald-Spencer was the starting guard for that team.
- Ball State finished non-conference play with an 11-0 record and was one of only seven teams nationally to accomplish that goal. The Cardinals were also only one of two non Power 5 teams on that list. Ball State has received votes in both the USA Today Coaches and AP Top 25 polls this season.
- Power 5 conference wins over - Vanderbilt (88-79) and Purdue (66-60). Along with wins over Big East opponent Butler (87-75) and Conference USA Western Kentucky (93-81).
- Ball State has scored at least 80-plus points in 19 out of its 30 games.
- Ball State ranks 44th nationally in the latest RPI which is the third highest ranking of any team in the Mid-American Conference.
- Ball State has four wins over top 100 RPI Teams - Western Kentucky (50), Purdue (62), Toledo (78), and Miami (85).
- Junior guard Carmen Grande has been named to the 2017-18 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America First Team, the organization announced Monday. Grande becomes only the second player in program history to earn the honor and the first since Kate Endress in 2004-05. Grande ranks second nationally in assists per game (9.2) and second in total assists (275). She currently has 678 career assists and became the program's all-time leader at Western Michigan Saturday, Feb. 10. Grande is currently seventh on the Mid-American Conference all-time assists list and was tabbed to the Third Team All-MAC team along with receiving MAC All-Defensive Team honors. Grande ranks fourth on the team in scoring at 11.5 points per game. She scored a career-high 25 points this season in a win against Eastern Michigan Feb. 7, and was featured on the Top 10 Plays on ESPN's SportsCenter. Grande has 13 career double-doubles and 23 games with double-figure assists.
- The 11 straight non-conference wins marked the second largest win streak in program history (12 in 2008-09 which included win over Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament).
- Senior forward Moriah Monaco has scored 80 times in double figures over her career and is 63 points away from moving up to fifth on the program's all-time scoring list.
- Ball State sixth year head women's basketball coach Brady Sallee became the program's winningest coach after the Cardinals defeated Eastern Michigan 88-63 on March 3 in the Convocation Center. Sallee's career record at Ball State is now 119-72 and passes former head coach Tracy Roller who coached at Ball State from 2001-08.
- Middle Tennesse holds an 18-12 record heading into tonight's contest and a 10-6 C-USA record. The Lady Raiders are making their sixth appearance in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). Middle Tennessee is 6-5 in the WNIT. The Cardinals and the Lady Raiders have met only once in the WNIT in 2015 which resulted in a 69-58 loss at Middle Tennesse. All of the Lady Raiders wins in the WNIT were at home.
- Thursday's game against Middle Tennessee will mark on the second time in program history the two schools have met with the Lady Raiders leading the series record, 1-0. Both teams have played Vanderbilt, Lipscomb and Western Kentucky this season. Middle Tennessee defeated Vanderbilt and Lipscomb but fell to WKU twice in conference play this season.
- Middle Tennessee is paced by Alex Johnson who leads the team averaging 13.6 points per game. Behind Johnson is Abbey Sissom who is scoring 11.3 points per contest.
- The Lady Raiders are led by head coach Rick Insell who is in his 13th season at Middle Tennessee. He owns a career coaching mark of 317-109 (.744).
- A Cardinal win would give Ball State its first opening round win since the 2016 season when the Cardinals pulled off the 77-72 victory at Big Ten foe Iowa. It will also give Ball State the opportunity to potentially play Purdue again this season as the Cardinals would face the winner of the IUPUI versus Purdue game. After that, Ball State could also potentially meet Indiana again as the Hoosiers are also in the Cardinals bracket.
