Ball State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Travels To Indiana State Wednesday
December 07, 2009 | Men's Basketball
What's On Tap . . .
Ball State returns to action after a week off when it travels to instate rival Indiana State Wednesday evening ... The Cardinals enter the contest with a 2-3 record on the season as they have dropped three straight games, including a loss to nationally ranked Butler last week ... Ball State is led by third-year head coach Billy Taylor ... Indiana State enters the contest with a 5-2 overall record and has been off longer than BSU as it last played November 29 at Arkansas State ... The Sycamores have posted two straight with road wins at Western Kentucky and ASU ... Indiana State is led by third-year head coach Kevin McKenna.
Wednesday's game will be broadcast by the Ball State Sports Network with Jerry Peirson and Wil Hampton calling the game ... The game will be carried on its flagship station WIPB-Muncie while affiliates include WTTV 4, WHME-South Bend, WNDA-Jeffersonville, WYCS-Louisville, WJTS-Jasper, Hometown Television-Noblesville (tape delay), Comcast Fort Wayne and Indianapolis (Ch. 81 tape delay).
Series History With Indiana State . . .
Ball State and Indiana State will be meeting for the 124th time in series history Wednesday night ... The Cardinals have not played any team more times than the Sycamores in program history ... Ball State has only played three programs over 100 times in its history (Western Michigan - 109; Butler - 101) ... Indiana State leads the all-time series by a 68-55 margin, dating back to the initial meeting February 11, 1922 ... The two teams met for 61 straight seasons before not playing last year ... The Cardinals own a 16-47 record all-time against the Sycamores in Terre Haute.
Last time the teams met, the Cardinals dropped a 59-48 contest at ISU during the 2007-08 season ... Indiana State connected on 47.8 percent (22-of-46) from the field in the victory and hit nine three-pointers ... The Cardinals were held to just 32.1 percent (18-of-56) shooting from the field in the loss ... Former Cardinal Melvin Goins led the Cardinals with 17 points, while Marico Stinson added a game-high 18 points for the Sycamores.
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.
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 Wednesday's game with a 2-3 overall record ... The Cardinals opened the season with back-to-back victories, but have dropped three straight games, including a 59-38 loss to #20/23 Butler last Wednesday ... Ball State is averaging 57.4 points per game while allowing 62.0 points per game ... The Cardinals are out-rebounding their opponents by a 33.8-30.6 margin this season.
Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones leads the team in scoring at 13.6 points per game ... Jones is second on the team on the glass at 6.2 boards per game ... Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife is second on the team in scoring at 10.6 points per game and has connected on 89.5 percent (17-of-19) from the free throw line.
Junior forward Malik Perry is third on the team in scoring at 8.8 points per game and has connected on a team-best 62.5 percent (15-of-24) from the field ... Sophomore guard Randy Davis leads the team with 17 assists while senior guard Brawley Chisholm is second with 12 assists.
Scouting The Sycamores . . .
Indiana State enters Wednesday's game with a 5-2 overall record ... The Sycamores have picked up wins over Nebraska-Kearney, Milwaukee, Colorado State, Western Kentucky and Arkansas State ... ISU has dropped contests to LSU and Coastal Carolina ... The Sycamores are averaging 68.1 points per game while allowing 64.1 points per game ... Indiana State has connected on 76.7 percent (125-of-163) from the free throw line.
Dwayne Lathan leads the team in scoring at 13.7 points per game, despite only starting one game ... Lathan is shooting 59.1 percent (26-of-44) from the field and leads the team on the glass at 5.5 boards per game ... Jake Kelly is second on the team in scoring at 10.7 points per game while Harry Marshall rounds out the double figure scorers at 10.4 points per contest.
Last Time Out . . .
The Cardinals dropped their third straight as they fell 59-38 to #20/23 Butler at Worthen Arena ... The contest marked the Cardinals' first against a nationally ranked opponent this season and the first since Purdue came to BSU last season ranked 14th in the nation ... The Cardinals were limited to just 38 points and 31.7 percent (13-of-41) shooting from the field in the loss.
Junior forward Malik Perry was the only Cardinal in double figures as he scored 11 points as he was three-of-three from the field and five-of-six from the free throw line ... Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones was second on the team in scoring at nine points, while sophomore guard Pierre Sneed chipped in six points and four rebounds.
Freshman walk-on John Green played a career-high 21 minutes off of the bench as he scored three points, grabbed two rebounds while recording an assist, a steal and a blocked shot.
Cardinals In MAC Stats . . .
Through the early part of the year, the Cardinals are sprinkled throughout the Mid-American Conference statistical leaders ... Senior forward Terrence Watson leads the MAC on the offensive glass as he averages 4.4 offensive rebounds per game while junior forward Malik Perry is second at 3.8 offensive caroms per game ... Perry is also second in the MAC in field goal percentage at 62.5 percent ... Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife is second in the conference from the charity stripe as he is connecting on 89.5 percent ... Sophomore Jarrod Jones is second in the MAC in scoring at 13.6 points per game.
Muncie's Own . . .
Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife has posted a strong debut to his collegiate career ... Scaife, a Muncie native, has scored in double figures in his first four games this season and is second on the team in scoring at 10.6 points per game ... He scored 14 points against Valparaiso, 12 points against SIU Edwardsville, 10 points at Temple and 14 points against UC Davis.
Defensive Prowess . . .
The Cardinals lead the Mid-American Conference this season in scoring defense as they are holding opponents to 62.0 points per game ... Senior forward Terrence Watson is second in the MAC this season in blocked shots as he is averaging 1.80 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
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 1081-982-1 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.
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.
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 leave the state of Indiana for just the second time this season Saturday afternoon as they travel to Cookeville, Tenn., for a meeting with Tennessee Tech.
