Ball State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Travels To Tennessee Tech Saturday
December 10, 2009 | Men's Basketball
What's On Tap . . .
The Cardinals continue their three-game road swing Saturday afternoon as they head to Cookeville, Tenn., for a meeting against Tennessee Tech ... The contest is a return trip for Ball State after playing the Golden Eagles in last season's ESPNU BracketBusters event ... The Cardinals enter the game with a 3-3 record on the year after coming off their best performance of the season Wednesday night with a 68-63 victory at Indiana State ... Ball State is led by third-year head coach Billy Taylor ... Tennessee Tech enters Saturday's game with a 3-6 overall record and have been off since last Saturday ... The Golden Eagles have dropped three straight and five of their last six ... TTU is led by eighth-year head coach Mike Sutton.
The Ball State Radio Network will broadcast the game on 104.1 WLBC FM with Morry Mannies and David Eha providing the call ... Fans can also watch the game online at www.ovcsports.tv for a monthly subscription fee.
Series History With Tennessee Tech . . .
Saturday's game is the fourth meeting all-time between Ball State and Tennessee Tech with the Cardinals holding a 1-2 record in the series ... The two teams played a home-and-home series in the 1971-72 and 1972-73 seasons with the Golden Eagles claiming victories in both games ... Last season, Tennessee Tech made the trip to Muncie for the ESPNU BracketBusters event ... Ball State claimed a 59-55 victory over the Golden Eagles ... The Cardinals jumped out to an early 32-17 first half lead behind the play of forward Jarrod Jones who led BSU with 16 points in the victory ... TTU battled back and pulled within one point on two different occasions, but the Cardinals never relinquished the lead down the stretch ... Laron Frazier added 14 points in the win while Pierre Sneed came through with a huge steal late in the game to seal the Cardinals' victory.
Last Time Out . . .
Ball State snapped a three-game losing streak Wednesday night as the Cardinals turned in their most complete performance of the season with a 68-63 road victory against in-state rival Indiana State ... Ball State used a strong first half performance and played with resiliency late in the game to hold of the Sycamores' rally ... The Cardinals opened the game scoring the first seven points on their way to an early 18-5 lead ... Indiana State mounted a big rally in the second half and took a one-point lead with 3:06 remaining, but the Cardinals would not be denied as they answered back with a 6-2 run to claim the victory.
Ball State dominated play on the glass as the Cardinals out-rebounded Indiana State by a 35-22 margin ... BSU had more defensive rebounds (27) than ISU had total rebounds (22).
Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones battled through foul trouble and led the Cardinals with 16 points in just 25 minutes of play ... Jones connected on eight-of-12 from the field ... Sophomore guard Randy Davis had a strong games as well as he tied his career-high with 11 points, grabbed a career-high eight rebounds and dished out four assists ... Davis was eight-of-10 from the free throw line in the second half.
Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife added 14 points, five rebounds and three assists in the victory ... Scaife was four-of-seven from the field, two-of-three from three-point land and a perfect four-of-four from the charity stripe.
Digital Guide Available Online . . .
The 2009-10 Ball State men's basketball digital guide is available online at www.ballstatesports.com by clicking the digital guide button on the left hand side ... The guide was produced by the BSU athletics media relations office and 180 Communications ... The digital guide will replace Ball State's traditional printed media guide.
Scouting The Cardinals . . .
Ball State enters Saturday's game with a 3-3 overall record and is coming off of a 68-63 victory at Indiana State Wednesday night ... The Cardinals are averaging 59.2 points per game while allowing 62.2 points per game ... Ball State is out-rebounding its opponents by a 34.0-29.2 margin this season.
Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones leads the team in scoring at 14.0 points per game and has connected on 52.4 percent (33-of-63) from the field ... Jones is second on the team in rebounding at 6.0 boards per game ... Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife is second on the team in scoring at 11.2 points per game ... Scaife leads the team in minutes (31.0) and in free throw percentage (91.3).
Junior forward Malik Perry is third on the team in scoring at 8.7 points per game and has connected on a team-high 61.3 percent (19-of-31) from the field ... Perry is third on the team in rebounding at 5.2 boards per game ... Senior forward Terrence Watson leads the team on the glass at 7.0 caroms per game ... Sophomore guard Randy Davis leads the team with 21 assists.
Scouting The Golden Eagles . . .
Tennessee Tech enters the game with a 3-6 overall record ... TTU has dropped three straight and five of its last six ... The Golden Eagles have defeated Central Arkansas, Lipscomb and Southern Utah while falling to Minnesota, Memphis, Oakland, Kansas, Evansville and Jacksonville State ... TTU is averaging 70.8 points per game but is allowing 84.8 points per game ... The Golden Eagles are being out-rebounded by a 37.7-34.2 margin.
Guard Kevin Murphy leads the team in scoring at 14.0 points per game ... Fellow guard Frank Davis is second on the team in scoring at 12.9 points per game and has connected on 45.7 percent (21-of-46) from three-point land this season ... Guard Elijah Muhammad is third in scoring at 9.7 points per game ... Forward Alfred Jones leads the team in rebounding at 5.1 boards per game.
Cardinals In MAC Stats . . .
Through the early part of the year, the Cardinals are sprinkled throughout the Mid-American Conference statistical leaders ... Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones is sixth in the MAC in scoring at 14.0 points per game ... Jones is also 13th in rebounding (6.0) and 10th in field goal percentage (.524) ... Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife is 19th in the MAC in scoring at 11.2 points per game, which ranks fourth best among MAC freshmen ... Scaife is also second in free throw percentage (.913) and ninth in three-point percentage (.417).
Senior forward Terrence Watson is eighth in the MAC in rebounding at 8.0 boards per game ... Watson is also third in blocks (1.67) and tied for second on the offensive glass (3.67) ... Junior forward Malik Perry is second in the league in field goal percentage at 61.3 ... Perry is also tied for second in offensive rebounds (3.67) ... Sophomore guard Randy Davis is fifth in the MAC in assist/turnover ratio (1.62) and 10th in assists (3.5).
Hitting The Glass . . .
The Cardinals dominated the glass Wednesday night at Indiana State as they held a 35-22 advantage ... Ball State posted more defensive rebounds (27) than the Sycamores had total rebounds (22) ... The Cardinals lead the Mid-American Conference in rebounding defense as they are limiting opponents to 29.2 boards per game ... BSU is second in the MAC in rebounding margin at +4.2 ... The Cardinals have three players averaging at least five rebounds per game in Terrence Watson (7.0), Jarrod Jones (6.0) and Malik Perry (5.2).
Road Victory . . .
Ball State picked up its first road victory of the season Wednesday night at Indiana State ... The victory is the Cardinals' first road win since January 10, 2009 at Eastern Michigan (46-42) ... The Cardinals only posted three road wins last year (at Milwaukee, IPFW and Eastern Michigan) ... Ball State's victory gave Indiana State its first home loss of the season and was just the 17th victory all-time for the Cardinals in Terre Haute in 64 meetings in program history.
Walk-On Impact . . .
The Cardinals have recently received a spark from one of its four walk-on players in freshman guard John Green ... Green, a native of Osceola, Ind., has played in three out of the last four games including 21 minutes against nationally ranked Butler and 14 minutes in the Cardinals' victory over Indiana State ... He scored three points and grabbed two rebounds while recording an assist, a steal and a blocked shot against Butler ... He followed that up with two points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal against the Sycamores.
Green was a three-year letterwinner at Penn High School before spending one year at Naval Academy Prep.
Great Alaska Shootout . . .
The Cardinals will be part of the 2010 Great Alaska Shootout, which will be held November 24-27 on the campus of Alaska Anchorage ... Ball State will be joined in the eight-team field by host Alaska Anchorage, Arizona State, Drake, Houston Baptist, St. John's, Southeast Louisiana and Southern Utah ... The Cardinals will be making their second trip all-time to Alaska as they took part in the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks during the 2002-03 season in which they posted a 2-1 record.
Muncie's Own . . .
Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife has posted a strong debut to his collegiate career ... Scaife, a Muncie native, scored in double figures in his first four games this season and five out of his first six games ... He is second on the team in scoring at 11.2 points per game ... He scored 14 points against Valparaiso, 12 points against SIU Edwardsville, 10 points at Temple,14 points against UC Davis and most recently 14 points at Indiana State.
Defensive Prowess . . .
The Cardinals lead the Mid-American Conference this season in scoring defense as they are holding opponents to 62.2 points per game ... Senior forward Terrence Watson is third in the MAC this season in blocked shots as he is averaging 1.67 rejections per game.
Last season, the Cardinals limited opponents to just 59.7 points per game and only 57.2 points per game in conference play ... Ball State held 16 opponents under 60 points last year, including four teams under the 50-point mark
Wooden Tradition . . .
Ball State will be part of one of the nation's premier college basketball events this season as the Cardinals will meet instate foe Purdue in the 10th annual John R. Wooden Tradition held at Conseco Fieldhouse December 19 at 4 p.m., and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network ... The two teams were originally scheduled to play at Purdue (Dec. 5), but moved the contest to be part of the prestigious event.
Established in 2000, the John R. Wooden Tradition is an annual tribute to the legendary former coach and the excellence he personifies ... Similar to the standards established by the Wooden Classic, its California-based sibling founded in 1994, the events host college basketball's elite programs ... The Wooden Tradition is a celebration of the game of basketball.
Home Sweet Home . . .
Wednesday's game marked the 259th game for the Cardinals in Worthen Arena (previously University Arena) since its opening January 15, 1992 ... Ball State owns a 188-71 record all-time in Worthen Arena, which is good for .726 winning percentage ... Last season, the Cardinals posted a 10-6 home record on the year, including a 6-2 mark in Mid-American Conference play ... The Cardinals opened the home portion of the 2009-10 schedule with victories over Valparaiso and SIU Edwardsville ... During its history, Ball State has averaged just over 10 wins per season at Worthen Arena.
Welcome To Ball State . . .
The Cardinals had a pair of strong debuts in the season opener as senior forward Terrence Watson and freshman guard Jauwan Scaife each played well in their first career BSU games ... Watson, a transfer from Mississippi, fell just shy of a double-double with 11 points and a game-high nine rebounds ... He also recorded four blocked shots in 31 minutes of play.
Scaife, a Muncie native, scored 14 points in his collegiate debut in 30 minutes of action ... He connected on five-of-10 from the field and tallied a pair of three-pointers.
Offensive Outburst . . .
The Cardinals turned in a strong offensive performance in the season opener as they scored 88 points against Valparaiso ... The 88 point output is the largest for the Cardinals since the 2005-06 season when BSU scored 89 points in a victory over Eastern Michigan in overtime (March 4, 2006) ... It is the most points scored in a regulation games since the Cardinals scored 88 points against Western Michigan in the 2004-05 season (March 5, 2005).
A Cardinal Six-Pack . . .
Ball State had six different players in doubles figures in their season opening victory over Valparaiso ... Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones led the team in scoring with 19 points, junior Malik Perry had 17 points, freshman Jauwan Scaife had 14 points, senior Brawley Chisholm had 12 points, senior Terrence Watson had 11 points and sophomore guard Randy Davis added 11 points ... The six players in doubles figures were the most for the Cardinals since February 7, 1999 (vs. Bowling Green).
Preseason Honors . . .
Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones has recently been named to the CollegeInsider.com preseason Mid-Major All-America Team ... Jones is one of four players from the Mid-American Conference to be honored, joining Rodney Pierce (Buffalo), David Kool (Western Michigan) and Anthony Hitchens (Akron) ... Jones, a native of Michigan City, Ind., turned in one of the top freshmen seasons in Ball State history last year as he was third all-time among BSU freshmen in rebounding (227) and fourth all-time in freshmen scoring (346) ... He was named the MAC Freshman of the Year after leading the Cardinals in scoring at 11.2 points and rebounding at 7.2 boards per game.
He opened the 2009-10 season in impressive fashion as he scored a team-high 19 points against Valparaiso ... He connected on seven-of-11 from the field and five-of-six from the free throw line ... In his first two career season openers, he is averaging 20.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game ... He is shooting 14-of-22 (.636) from the field and 12-of-16 (.750) from the line in season openers.
Cardinals Sign Two . . .
Head coach Billy Taylor announced the signing of Matt Kamieniecki (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) and Marvin Jordan (Peoria, Ill./Manual) to national letters of intent during the early signing period ... Kamieniecki and Jordan will begin their Ball State careers during the 2010-2011 season.
Kamieniecki, a 6-7 forward, is a standout at Clarkston High School ... He averaged 13.0 points and nine rebounds last season while leading the Wolves to a 24-2 overall record ... His play helped Clarkston to a state semifinal appearance in Class A as he averaged 15.3 points per game in the postseason ... As a sophomore, he guided Clarkston to a state quarterfinals appearance and a 13-2 record ... Highlighting his postseason run was a 22-point, 13-rebound effort in the quarterfinals against eventual state champion Saginaw.
Jordan, a 5-11 point guard, stars at Peoria Manual High School ... He is a two-time Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Honorable Mention All-State recipient and has led Manual to a 48-16 record in two seasons as a starting point guard ... He led his team to back-to-back conference and sectional championships as well as a berth in the 2008 2A State Championship game ... He averaged 11 points per game as a junior and dished out four assists per game ... He was rated No. 25 overall in the Class of 2010 by Windycitybasketball.com and was tabbed as one of the top 25 Illinois recruits in 2010 by Scout.com.
89th Season Underway . . .
Ball State is in its 89th season in program history ... The Cardinals have posted a 1082-982-1 record all-time, which is good for a .524 winning percentage ... Ball State is 719-311 all-time at home in Muncie as the Cardinals have won 69.8 percent of games at home.
This year's opener marked the 89th season opener in program history and the Cardinals are 52-37 all-time in openers ... Ball State is 40-9 all-time when it opens the year at home in Muncie
MAC Honors For Jones . . .
Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones was named preseason All-Mid-American Conference West Division as voted on by the MAC News Media Association ... Jones, a native of Michigan City, Ind., turned in one of the top freshmen seasons in Ball State history last year as he was third all-time among BSU freshmen in rebounding (227) and fourth all-time in freshmen scoring (346) ... He was named the MAC Freshman of the Year after leading the Cardinals in scoring at 11.2 points and rebounding at 7.2 boards per game.
Jones, an Honorable Mention All-MAC selection last year, started 30 of 31 games while scoring in double figures 18 times. He burst onto the scene with a 21-point, 13-rebound effort in his collegiate debut, marking the first of his three double-doubles on the year.
BSU Picked Fourth In West . . .
The Cardinals were tabbed to finish fourth in the Mid-American Conference West Division in the preseason poll and were one of five MAC West Division team to earn first place votes ... Central Michigan was selected to capture the league's West Division title, picking up 113 points in the very balanced division ... Northern Illinois (102 points) was chosen second, followed by Eastern Michigan (94 points). Western Michigan (79) and Toledo (29) round out the West Division poll.
Voting for the East Division saw defending MAC Tournament champion Akron come out on top, earning 190 points ... Kent State was second with 108 points, followed by Buffalo (97 points), Miami (78 points), Bowling Green (54 points) and Ohio (32 points).
The Zips were also the favorite to win the 2009 MAC Tournament title, earning 19 votes, followed Buffalo (2), Northern Illinois (1), Kent State (1) and Bowling Green (1).
Media Exposure . . .
The Cardinals have announced three early season non-conference games will be televised by the Ball State Sports Network (BSSN), including Wednesday's game at Indiana State ... BSSN has already broadcasted early non-conference games against Valparaiso and Butler ... New to the affiliate lineup this year for men's basketball is the addition of WTTV-4, beginning with the Butler game ... The addition of WTTV-4 as an affiliate of BSSN will allow BSU men's basketball to be broadcast statewide.
Also, the Cardinals will have two games broadcast on FSN Ohio as part of the Mid-American Conference package ... Ball State's Jan. 17 game at home against Toledo and its Feb. 6 game against Akron are slated to be aired on FSN Ohio.
Next weekend's contest against nationally ranked Purdue will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
Seven New Faces . . .
The Cardinals added seven newcomers to the team this season, five of which will be eligible to play this year ... Leading the charge for Ball State is freshman guard Jauwan Scaife, freshman forward Myron Green Jr., freshman guard John Green, freshman guard Zach Harrison and freshman forward Will Hauser ... Sophomore forward Franklin Henderson and junior guard Dusty Mills will sit out the season after transferring.
Looking Ahead . . .
The Cardinals will be off this week because of final exams ... Ball State returns to action next Saturday when it takes on nationally ranked Purdue in the Wooden Tradition at Conseco Fieldhouse.
