Ball State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Battles No. 4 Purdue Saturday At Conseco
December 16, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Television - Big Ten Network
What's On Tap . . .
Ball State returns to action Saturday afternoon after taking the week off for final exams as the Cardinals travel to Indianapolis to battle fourth-ranked Purdue at Conseco Fieldhouse in the Wooden Tradition ... Saturday's game is the Cardinals' second of the season against a ranked opponent (#20/23 Butler) and their fourth game against an instate foe (Valparaiso, Butler & Indiana State) ... Ball State enters Saturday's game with a 3-4 overall record and is playing its third straight game away from home ... The Cardinals are coming off of a tough 86-81 overtime loss at Tennessee Tech last weekend ... Ball State is led by third-year head coach Billy Taylor ... Purdue enters Saturday's game ranked No. 4 in the nation by both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls ... The Boilermakers are the highest ranked team the Cardinals have faced since BSU travel to No. 1/2 Connecticut December 28, 2003 ... The Boilermakers have a perfect 9-0 record on the season after posting a come-from-behind victory at Alabama this past weekend ... Purdue has played one common opponent as the Cardinals so far this season in Valparaiso (W, 86-62) while also meeting two Mid-American Conference teams in Central Michigan (W, 64-38) and Buffalo (W, 101-65) ... The Boilermakers are led by fifth-year head coach Matt Painter.
Saturday's game will be televised on the Big Ten Network ... Craig Coshun and Bob Ford will provide the game's call ... Also, the game will be broadcast by 104.1 WLBC FM with Morry Mannies and David Eha providing the call.
Wooden Tradition . . .
Ball State meets instate foe Purdue in the 10th annual John R. Wooden Tradition held at Conseco Fieldhouse Saturday at 4 p.m. ... The two teams were originally scheduled to play at Purdue (Dec. 5), but moved the contest to be part of the prestigious event ... Purdue will be making its ninth appearance all-time in the Wooden Tradition this year ... 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.
Ball State History In Conseco . . .
Saturday's game marks Ball State's third contest all-time in program history at Conseco Fieldhouse and the second meeting all-time against Purdue at Conseco ... The Cardinals and Boilermakers played in the first collegiate game all-time in Conseco Fieldhouse history December 18, 1999 ... In that game, the Cardinals took home a 72-52 victory over the Boilermakers in front of a crowd of 17,752 fans ... Former Cardinal Theron Smith posted a double-double in the victory as he scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as part of the Boilermaker Challenge event.
Ball State also met the Indiana Hoosiers at Conseco Fieldhouse December 28, 2004 ... The Cardinals suffered a 71-59 loss to Indiana that year.
Series History With Purdue . . .
Saturday's game marks the 10th meeting all-time between Ball State and Purdue ... The Cardinals trail the all-time series by a 7-2 margin, including losses in the past two seasons ... Last year, Ball State suffered a 68-39 setback to nationally ranked Purdue at Worthen Arena ... The Cardinals started out strong as they held a 9-7 lead just over five minutes into the game but Purdue posted a 19-3 run to take control of the contest ... Ball State (4-4) shot a season-low 26.4 percent (14-of-53) from the field in the loss and just 20 percent (three-of-15) from three-point land ... Senior forward Anthony Newell led the Cardinals with 11 points as he fell just short of a double-double with a team-high eight rebounds ... Freshman forward Mo Hubbard added six points and five rebounds off of the bench for the Cardinals.
The Cardinals last claimed victory over Purdue the last time to two teams met at Conseco December 18, 1999.
Last Time Out . . .
The Cardinals suffered an 86-81 overtime loss at Tennessee Tech last Saturday ... Ball State rallied from a second half deficit and tied the game as freshman guard Jauwan Scaife nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to send it into extra time ... The Cardinals shot 50.9 percent (27-of-53) from the field in the loss but allowed Tennessee Tech to shoot 53.2 percent (33-of-62) from the field.
Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones posted his first double-double of the season and fourth of his career as he scored 18 points and grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds ... Jones connected on seven-of-12 from the field and was a perfect four-of-four from the free throw line ... Scaife finished the night with 13 points, including two three-pointers.
Sophomore guard Randy Davis chipped in 13 points as he was eight-of-11 from the free throw line ... Davis also dished out a season-high six assists in the loss ... Junior forward Malik Perry added 10 points despite playing only 17 minutes due to foul trouble as he was a perfect three-of-three from the field. .
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 3-4 overall record ... The Cardinals are coming off of an 86-81 overtime loss at Tennessee Tech ... Saturday's game will be the Cardinals' third straight game away from home court ... Ball State is averaging 62.3 points per game while holding opponents to 65.6 points per game ... The Cardinals are out-rebounding opponents by a 33.4-30.1 margin this season.
Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones leads the team in scoring at 14.6 points per game and in rebounding at 6.6 boards per game ... Jones has connected on 53.3 percent (40-of-75) from the field this season ... Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife is second on the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game ... Scaife has hit 44.4 percent (12-of-27) from three-point land and 88.0 percent (22-of-25) from the free throw line.
Sophomore guard Randy Davis leads the team with 27 assists and is fourth in scoring at 7.0 points per game ... Junior forward Malik Perry is third in scoring at 8.9 points per game and has connected on a team-high 64.7 percent (22-of-34) from the field ... Senior forward Terrence Watson is tied for the team lead in rebounding at 6.6 caroms per game.
Scouting The Boilermakers . . .
Purdue enters Saturday's game ranked No. 4 in the country as the Boilermakers are 9-0 on the season ... Purdue has defeated Cal State Northridge, South Dakota State, St. Joseph's, Tennessee, Central Michigan, Wake Forest, Buffalo, Valparaiso and most recently Alabama ... The Boilermakers are averaging 79.3 points per game while holding opponents to 60.8 points per game ... Purdue is out-rebounding its opponents by a 36.9-33.8 margin this season.
Guard E'Twaun Moore leads the team in scoring at 16.6 points per game and is second in assists with 23 ... Forward Robbie Hummel is second on the team in scoring at 14.6 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 7.1 boards per game ... Forward JaJuan Johnson is third in scoring at 14.1 points per game and second in rebounding at 6.6 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 third in the MAC in scoring at 14.6 points per game ... Jones is also tied for eighth in rebounding (6.6), seventh in field goal percentage (.533), fourth in blocked shots (1.14) and fifth in defensive rebounds (5.0) ... Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife is 18th in the MAC in scoring at 11.4 points per game, which ranks fourth best among MAC freshmen ... Scaife is also second in free throw percentage (.880) and eighth in three-point percentage (.444).
Senior forward Terrence Watson is eighth in the MAC in rebounding at 6.6 boards per game ... Watson is also third in blocks (1.43) and tied for third on the offensive glass (3.14) ... Junior forward Malik Perry is second in the league in field goal percentage at 64.7 ... Perry is also tied for third in offensive rebounds (3.14) ... Sophomore guard Randy Davis is seventh in the MAC in assist/turnover ratio (1.50) and seventh in assists (3.86).
Hitting The Glass . . .
The Cardinals dominated the glass 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 30.1 boards per game ... BSU is second in the MAC in rebounding margin at +3.3 ... The Cardinals have three players averaging at least four rebounds per game in Terrence Watson (6.6), Jarrod Jones (6.6) and Malik Perry (4.7).
Road Victory . . .
Ball State picked up its first road victory of the season 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 scored a career-high seven points while playing a career-high 25 minutes at Tennessee Tech.
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 11.4 points per game ... He scored 14 points against Valparaiso, 12 points against SIU Edwardsville, 10 points at Temple,14 points against UC Davis, 14 points at Indiana State and 13 points at Tennessee Tech.
Defensive Prowess . . .
The Cardinals are fourth in the Mid-American Conference this season in scoring defense as they are holding opponents to 65.6 points per game ... Senior forward Terrence Watson is third in the MAC this season in blocked shots as he is averaging 1.43 rejections per game while sophomore forward Jarrod Jones is fourth at 1.14 blocks 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
Home Sweet Home . . .
The UC Davis 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 1082-983-1 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 aired three non-conference games on the Ball State Sports Network (BSSN), including Indiana State, 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 return home to Worthen Arena for the first of three straight home games ... Ball State hosts North Carolina Central Monday night at 7 p.m.
Players Mentioned
