Ball State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Meets No. 8 EMU In Cleveland
March 05, 2007 | Men's Basketball
RADIO NETWORK: Ball State Radio Network; WLBC 104.1 FM; Morry Mannies (play-by-play); David Eha (analyst)
STUDENT RADIO: WCRD; 91.3 FM; Shane Wilkinson (play-by-play); Levin Black (analyst); Cameron Andry (sideline)
BALL STATE “ALL ACCESS”: live video; live audio @ ballstatesports.com.
THE SERIES: Ball State leads 51-30.
AT THE MAC: Series tied at 6-6 in MAC Tournament games played.
COACHES: Ball State Coach Ronny Thompson (9-21) is in his first season as head coach . . . Eastern Michigan Coach Charles Ramsey (19-39) in second season.
ABOUT THE GAME
Wednesday's game will be the first contest in the 2007 FirstEnergy Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Tournament played at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland . . . The 1 p.m. tip features the No. 9 Cardinals against the No. 8 Eagles . . . The meeting is the third between the two schools this season, with EMU sweeping the regular-season series.
ABOUT THE CARDS
Skip Mills (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central H.S.) scored 22 points, while Anthony Newell (Chicago, Ill./Simeon H.S.) posted his sixth double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds in Sunday's loss to Western Michigan . . . An emotional and inspired Ball State team ? which included starts for its three seniors Chris Ames (Jackson, Miss./Wingfield H.S.), D'Andre Peyton (Indianapolis, Ind./Shores Academy H.S.) and Mills ? built an 11-point lead with just under six mintues to play in the first half . . .The Broncos answered from the three-point line in the second half to spark an 18-4 run to secure the win . . . WMU hit 10 threes on the afternoon . . . Ames finished with nine points, while Peyton added six.
ABOUT THE EAGLES
Eastern Michigan ended its regular season with a 76-69 setback Sunday at Northern Illinois . . . The Eagles also played last Friday at Central Michigan, winning 87-83 in overtime . . . EMU has won two of its last three games, including a Feb. 25 victory over BSU . . . For the season, Carlos Medlock leads the team averaging 13.2 points per contest . . . Jesse Bunkley is second with 10.9 points per game . . . The Eagles are 12-18 overall, 6-10 in the MAC, 8-6 at home, 3-9 on the road and 1-3 on a neutral court.
THE MAC TOURNAMENT
Ball State will be competing in its 26th Mid-American Conference Tournament in 2007 . . . The Cardinals own an all-time MAC Tournament record of 35-19 with seven tournament championships and eight tourney Most Valuable Players . . . Those totals are the most of any team in the league.
BSU IN CLEVELAND
Ball State has played eight postseason games in the Mid-American Conference Tournament in Cleveland . . . The Cardinals are 4-4 all-time at Gund/Quicken Loans Arena . . . BSU won the 2000 MAC Tournament, the first played in Cleveland.
THE CARDS & THE EAGLES IN THE POSTSEASON
Ball State and Eastern Michigan have played a total of six times in the Mid-American Conference Tournament . . . The series in MAC Tourney games is tied at 3-3 . . . The Eagles won the last meeting in postseason play with a 93-92 overtime win in the 1998 semifinals . . . EMU went on to defeat Miami 92-77 to win the title.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES WITH EASTERN MICHIGAN
Wednesday's game will be the 82nd meeting in the all-time series ? and the third this season ? between Ball State and Eastern Michigan . . . BSU leads the all-time series 51-30, but EMU has won three of the last four . . . The two teams have played six times on a neutral court -- all in the MAC Tournament -- and BSU leads 4-2.
MORE ON NUMBER 9 -- YES, IT'S BEEN DONE BEFORE
For the second straight season, Ball State enters the Mid-American Conference Tournament as the No. 9 seed . . . BSU lost at No. 8 Buffalo 80-72 in the first round in 2006 . . . A ninth-seed has advanced to the championship game just once before in the MAC Tournament . . . Ironically, No. 9 Miami defeated No. 8 Eastern Michigan that season to advance all the way to the title game in 2000 . . . The RedHawks' chase for a championship was denied by No. 2 seed Ball State 61-58 in the championship game.
MILLS MARCHING IN LIKE A LION
Skip Mills scored 21 points March 1 at Toledo and added 22 points March 4 vs. Western Michigan . . . In the last seven games he has played in the month of March (dating back to 2005), Mills is averaging 26.1 points . . . He scored back-to-back career highs last March with 34 points at Eastern Michigan (March 4) and 38 at Buffalo (March 6) . . . In 2005, Mills scored 24 points against the Broncos (March 5) and added 25 against Bowling Green (March 7).
MILLS MAKES IT 20 AGAIN
Skip Mills scored 22 points Sunday vs. Western Michigan for his sixth 20-plus game of the season and the 20th in his career . . . He managed his fifth 20-point scoring effort of the season March 1 with 21 points at Toledo . . . He had 20 points Feb. 7 vs. Buffalo for his fourth 20-point scoring effort of the season . . . Against Ohio Jan. 28, he posted his third 20-point scoring effort . . . Mills poured in a season-high 26 points Dec. 22 at Tennessee State . . . The effort was his first 20-plus scoring game of the season . . . He added his second 20-plus effort Jan. 9 at Western Michigan.
ALL AMES ON THE MAC
Chris Ames recorded a season-high 11 points -- just one point shy of his BSU career high -- in the Feb. 22 loss to Central Michigan . . . Through 16 league games, Ames is shooting 76 percent from the floor (31-of-41) . . . He has handed out 12 assists and recorded 15 steals against MAC foes.
NEWELL-NEWELL
Anthony Newell recorded his sixth double-double of the season and the seventh of his career with 13 points and 12 rebounds Sunday vs. Western Michigan . . . Newell poured in 17 points and grabbed 10 boards March 1 at Toledo . . . Newell has scored in double figures in 10 of BSU's last 11 games and in 23 of BSU's 30 games this season.
MORE ON THE DEFENSIVE CARDS
Behind a team-best average of 7.8 rebounds from Anthony Newell, Ball State has out-rebounded 14 opponents this season . . . In addition, Ball State has forced 73 more opponent turnovers than it has committed . . . The Cardinals have also recorded 80 more steals than their opponents.
THE LAST TWO GAMES
Despite the two losses, statistically the Cardinals turned is some good performances . . . Skip Mills returned to scoring form with a pair of 20-point contests . . . Mills averaged 21.5 points in two games last week, shooting 52 percent (16-of-31) from the floor and 80 percent (8-of-10) from the free throw line . . . Anthony Newell averaged a double-double for the week with 15 points and 11 rebounds in the two games . . . In addition, the Cardinals shot 43 percent as a team in the two games.
