Ball State University Athletics
Men's Hoops Hosts Central Michigan In MAC West Showdown
February 15, 2010 | Men's Basketball
What's On Tap . . .
Ball State enters the week tied for first place in the Mid-American Conference West Division with a 13-11 overall record and a 7-5 mark in MAC play ... The Cardinals host MAC West co-leader Central Michigan Wednesday night in a divisional showdown for the top spot in the division ... Ball State has won seven out of its last 10 games heading into Wednesday's meeting as it picked up two games in the standings against the Chippewas ... The Cardinals are led by third-year head coach Billy Taylor ... Central Michigan enters Wednesday's game with a 12-12 overall record and a 7-5 mark in MAC play ... The Chippewas are coming off of a 63-46 victory over Toledo that snapped a three-game losing streak ... Central Michigan is led by fourth-year head coach Ernie Zeigler.
Wednesday's game will be televised by the Ball State Sports Network (BSSN) with Jerry Peirson and Vince Welch providing the call ... Affiliates for the game include WIPB-Muncie, WTTV-4 Indianapolis (4.2 only), WHME-South Bend, WTTK-Kokomo (29.2 only), WNDA-Jeffersonville, WYCS-Louisville, Hometown Television-Noblesville (tape delay), Comcast 81/Brighthouse-Indianapolis (tape delay) and Comcast/Brighthouse-Fort Wayne (tape delay) ... The game will also be broadcast on 104.1 WLBC FM with Morry Mannies and David Eha providing the call.
Series History With Central Michigan . . .
Wednesday's game marks the 84th meeting all-time between Ball State and Central Michigan ... The Cardinals hold a 53-30 advantage in the series all-time, but the teams have split the regular season series for the past three years ... Ball State is 32-5 all-time against the Chippewas in Muncie, including a 15-2 record all-time in Worthen Arena.
Earlier this season, Central Michigan claimed a 53-38 victory over the Cardinals in the second Mid-American Conference game of the year ... Central Michigan came out of the gate quickly as it scored the first seven points of the game on its way to a 21-3 start through the first 12 minutes of the game ... The Chippewas took advantage of strong shooting from three-point land in the opening stretch as they connected on their first five three-pointers in the run, while the Cardinals connected on just one of their first 13 shots from the field ... The Cardinals finished the game shooting 24.4 percent (11-of-45) from the field and only 13.3 percent (2-of-15) from long range ... Freshman Jauwan Scaife finished the game as the Cardinals' leading scorer as he tallied 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line ... Sophomore guard Randy Davis added nine points as he was 3-of-5 from the field and a perfect 2-of-2 from the charity stripe ... Chris Kellerman led three Chippewas in double figures with 14 points while Robbie Harman and Jordan Bitzer each scored 12 points.
Differences Between W's & L's . . .
The Cardinals enter Wednesday's game with a 13-11 record on the year and a 7-5 mark in Mid-American Conference play ... Ball State is averaging 68.1 points per game in its victories but only averaging 50.7 points per game in losses ... The Cardinals have four players averaging double figures in games they win (Jarrod Jones 14.4, Jauwan Scaife 11.0, Randy Davis 10.2 & Terrence Watson 10.1), but do not have anyone averaging double figures in losses ... Ball State's defense is holding opponents to 58.8 points per game in its wins while allowing 65.6 points per game in victories.
In Wins -- In Losses
Offense 68.1 -- 50.7
Defense 58.8 -- 65.6
FG% .454 -- .364
FG% Def. .382 -- .428
3Pt% .437 -- .269
3Pt% Def. .281 -- .357
Reb. Off. 39.1 -- 31.7
Reb. Def. 30.8 -- 36.2
Reb. Margin +9.2 -- -4.5
Assists/Gm 13.2 -- 9.0
Turnovers/Gm 13.5 -- 16.6
Assist/TO Ratio 1.0 -- 0.5
Emergence Of Davis . . .
Sophomore guard Randy Davis has been one of the Cardinals' keys to their recent success and rise to the top of the Mid-American Conference West Division ... Davis was fifth on the team in scoring during non-conference play as he averaged just 5.5 points per game while scoring just 66 points through 12 games ... Since MAC play began, Davis leads the team in scoring against conference foes at 11.2 points per game as he has scored 134 points in 12 games ... In fact, he is shooting 48.8 percent (40-of-82) from the field, 44.7 percent (21-of-47) from three-point land and 82.5 percent (33-of-40) from the free throw line ... He also is averaging 3.6 assists per game and 3.4 rebounds per game in league play.
Last Time Out . . .
Ball State remained in a first place tie atop the Mid-American Conference West Division Saturday afternoon with a 71-66 victory at Northern Illinois ... The Cardinals rallied from a seven-point first half deficit to claim the victory ... Ball State shot 59.3 percent (16-of-27) from the field in the second half, including all three three-pointers, as it out-scored the Huskies 46-39 ... Sophomore guard Randy Davis led the attack as he scored a team-high 20 points, including 15 in the second half ... Davis connected on 7-of-12 from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point land while hitting all three free throws ... He also led the Cardinals with seven rebounds.
Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones was second in scoring with 16 points while also grabbing seven rebounds ... Sophomore guard Pierre Sneed chipped in 11 points, including his first three-pointer of the season ... Senior forward Terrence Watson added eight second half points, including Ball State's first six of the half.
Scouting The Cardinals . . .
Ball State enters Wednesday's game with a 13-11 overall record and a 7-5 mark in Mid-American Conference play ... The Cardinals have won seven out of their last 10 games ... The Cardinals are averaging 60.1 points per game this season while holding opponents to a MAC-low 62.0 points per game ... The Cardinals are out-rebounding opponents by a 35.7-33.3 margin this season.
Sophomore guard Jarrod Jones leads the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game and leads the team on the glass at 7.6 rebounds per contest ... Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife is second on the team in scoring at 9.8 points per game and leads the team with 36 three-pointers (36-of-89).
Senior forward Terrence Watson adds 8.4 points per game and is second on the glass at 6.5 rebounds per contest ... Sophomore guard Randy Davis is fourth in scoring at 8.3 points per game and leads the team with 79 assists ... Davis is second on the team with 29 three-pointers (29-of-70) and has hit a team-high 67 free throws (67-of-86) ... Junior forward Malik Perry adds 7.8 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per contest.
Scouting The Chippewas . . .
Central Michigan enters Wednesday's game with a 12-12 overall record and a 7-5 Mid-American Conference mark ... The Chippewas have dropped three out of their last four games and sit in a tie with the Cardinals atop the MAC West Division ... Central Michigan is averaging 64.2 points per game this season and allowing 63.5 points per game ... The Chippewas are out-rebounding opponents by a 34.4-32.2 margin this season and lead the MAC in three-pointers made per game at 7.5.
Guard Robbie Harman leads the team in scoring at 14.6 points per game and has hit a team-high 82 three-pointers (82-of-190) ... Harman also leads the team in assists with 70 and steals with 47 ... Fellow guard Jordan Bitzer is second on the team in scoring at 14.1 points per game and second on the glass at 4.8 rebounds per contest ... Bitzer has connected on 55 three-pointers (55-of-141) this season.
Forward Chris Kellerman adds 7.5 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per contest ... Forward Jalin Thomas leads the Chippewas on the glass at 5.6 rebounds per game while adding 7.7 points per game.
Home Sweet Home . . .
Wednesday's game marks the 269th game for the Cardinals in Worthen Arena (previously University Arena) since its opening January 15, 1992 ... Ball State owns a 195-73 record all-time in Worthen Arena, which is good for .728 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.
So far this season the Cardinals have posted an 9-4 record at home, including a 4-2 mark against MAC opponents ... The Cardinals' eight wins this year have come over Valparaiso, SIU Edwardsville, North Carolina Central, Maryland Eastern Shore, Manchester, Toledo, Western Michigan, Miami and Bowling Green ... During its history, Ball State has averaged just over 10 wins per season at Worthen Arena.
Cardinals Vs. MAC East . . .
The 2009-10 season marks the 13th season the Mid-American Conference has been in two divisions (West & East) ... Ball State, which has always been a member of the West Division, owns a 41-46 record against the East Division since the two-division format was implemented in the 1997-98 season.
The Cardinals opened this year's crossover games with four straight wins over Miami, Buffalo, Ohio and Bowling Green ... Ball State secured a 4-2 record against the MAC East Division this season, marking just the third time in program history BSU has accomplished that feat ... The Cardinals are the only MAC West Division team to post a winning record against the MAC East Division as Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan all posted 2-4 marks in crossover action while Northern Illinois and Toledo recorded 0-6 marks ... BSU has only posted two other records over the .500 mark against the East Division in program history (1997-98/5-1 and 2002-03/4-2) ... Ball State has recorded four .500 records against the East Division but have six straight seasons of losing marks against the East Division prior to this year ... The Cardinals posted a 2-4 record last season against East Division, including wins over Ohio and Buffalo
Ball State is 11-3 during the regular season against Buffalo, 7-3 against Bowling Green, 5-8 against Akron, 6-5 against Ohio, 4-6 against Kent State, 2-6 against Marshall and 6-14 against Miami since divisional play began.
Freshman Scoring Marks . . .
Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife is second on the team in scoring at 9.8 points per game and has scored 235 points so far this season ... Scaife has already scored the 11th most points in a single season for a freshmen in Ball State history ... He is six points from moving into the top 10 freshmen scoring seasons in BSU history.
Below is a list of top freshman scoring marks in Ball Sate history:
1. 474 - Bonzi Wells (1994-95)
2. 463 - Ray McCallum (1979-80)
3. 377 - Theron Smith (1999-00)
4. 346 - Jarrod Jones (2008-09)
5. 344 - Randy Boarden (1975-76)
6. 299 - Mike Drews (1977-78)
7. 275 - Duane Clemens (1996-97)
8. 258 - Maurice Acker (2005-06)
9. 252 - Derrick Wesley (1984-85)
10. 241 - Melvin Goins (2007-08)
11. 235 - Jauwan Scaife (2009-10)
12. 233 - Shafer Suggs (1973-74)
Scaife is currently third in scoring in the Mid-American Conference among freshmen ... He only trails Toledo's Jack Barnett (13.2) and Ohio's D.J. Cooper (14.2) ... Last season, the Cardinals' Jarrod Jones was one of the MAC's top freshmen scorers at 11.2 points per game on his way to MAC Freshmen of the Year honors.
Defensive Prowess . . .
The Cardinals lead in the Mid-American Conference this season in scoring defense as they are holding opponents to 60.1 points per game ... Ball State has held four opponents under 50 points this season in SIU Edwardsville (47), North Carolina Central (45), Maryland Eastern Shore (47) and most recently Toledo (43) ... The Cardinals' defense ranks 40th in NCAA Division I in scoring defense (as of February 21).
Ball State also leads the MAC in field goal percentage defense at 41.4, which ranks 49th best in the nation ... The Cardinals hold opponents to a MAC-low 31.3 percent from three-point land, which is 55th in the nation.
Senior forward Terrence Watson is third in the MAC this season in blocked shots as he is averaging 1.41 rejections per game, while sophomore forward Jarrod Jones is sixth at 1.08 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
Cardinals In MAC Stats . . .
This season, the Cardinals are sprinkled throughout the Mid-American Conference statistical leaders ... Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones is 13th in the MAC in scoring at 123 points per game ... Jones is also third in rebounding (7.6), 13th in field goal percentage (.447), sixth in blocked shots (1.08) and second in defensive rebounds (5.75) ... Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife is 26th in the MAC in scoring at 9.8 points per game, which ranks third best among MAC freshmen ... Scaife is also 10th in free throw percentage (.779) and eighth in three-point percentage (.404)
Senior forward Terrence Watson is ninth in the MAC in rebounding at 6.5 boards per game ... Watson is also third in blocks (1.42) and fifth on the offensive glass (2.67) ... Junior forward Malik Perry is second in the league in field goal percentage at 54.5 percent ... Perry is also 10th in offensive rebounds (2.27) ... Sophomore guard Randy Davis is 12th in free throw percentage (.779), 11th in assists at 3.29 per game and seventh in three-point percentage (.403).
Double Trouble . . .
So far this season, Ball State has seen two players post 10 double-doubles ... Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones has tallied six double dips while senior forward Terrence Watson has reached the double-double on four occasions ... Ball State is the only team in the Mid-American Conference that has had two different players post at least three double-doubles this season.
Jones is second in the MAC in double-doubles with six as he posted double-doubles against Tennessee Tech, North Carolina Central, Maryland Eastern Shore, Manchester, Miami and Bowling Green ... Watson is tied for fourth in the MAC in double dips ... He has posted double-doubles against UC Davis, Toledo, Western Michigan and most recently at Ohio.
Four Straight . . .
Ball State won four straight Mid-American Conference games to open MAC crossover action ... The four straight victories over Miami, Buffalo, Ohio and Bowling Green marks the first time BSU has won four straight league games since the 2003-04 season ... That year, the Cardinals defeated five straight MAC opponents in the stretch dating from January 7 through January 20.
Also, Ball State has won back-to-back MAC road games for the first time since the 2003-04 season ... That year the Cardinals defeated Marshall and Bowling Green (Feb. 24-28).
ESPNU BracketBusters . . .
Ball State has been part of the ESPNU BracketBusters event since its inception eight seasons ago as the MAC is a charter member of the event ...The Cardinals are hosting a BracketBusters game for the fifth time in program history this season when they host Tennessee Martin February 20 at 2 p.m. ... The Cardinals and Skyhawks will be meeting for the second time in program history ... Ball State claimed an 88-41 victory over UTM in Muncie December 6, 1991 in the previous meeting.
Road Victories . . .
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.
The Cardinals tallied their second road win of the season at Buffalo with a 75-69 victory ... The win was the first on the road for the Cardinals in Mid-American Conference play this season ... BSU added its third road win of the year at Ohio and its fourth road win at Northern Illinois ... The Cardinals' four road wins this season already surpasses last season's total and is the most road wins for Ball State in a single season since the 2005-06 season when the Cardinals also won four games ... BalL State has also won three MAC road games this season, marking the most league road wins since the 2004-05 season (three wins).
New Lineups . . .
Head coach Billy Taylor has shuffled his starting lineups this season as the Cardinals have used six different lineups through the first 24 games this season ... Only two Cardinals this season have started all 24 games in sophomore forward Jarrod Jones and freshman guard Jauwan Scaife ... The lineup of Terrence Watson, Randy Davis, Scaife, Pierre Sneed and Jones has been called a team-high 12 times, including the past eight games ... The Cardinals' second most-used lineup this season as been the starting five of Randy Davis, Pierre Sneed, Malik Perry, Scaife and Jones, which has been called five times this season ... Davis, Scaife, Perry, Watson and Jones has been used three ... Taylor used the starting lineup of Davis, Scaife, Sneed, Mo Hubbard and Jones twice, while the starting five of Brawley Chisholm, Scaife, Watson, Perry and Jones as well as the starting five of Davis, Scaife, Watson, Jones and Hubbard has been used once.
Last season, the Cardinals used 10 different starting lineups throughout the year.
Raining Threes . . .
Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife had a breakout three-point shooting game against Toledo ... Scaife hit six three-pointers in the Cardinals' victory, including all five of his attempts in the second half ... His six three-pointers are the most for a Cardinal this season and the most for BSU since Skip Mills hit six against Buffalo March 6, 2006.
28-Point Victory . . .
Ball State's 71-43 victory over Toledo is its largest win of the season and the largest since an 81-42 victory over Northern Colorado November 11, 2006 ... It was also the Cardinals' largest Mid-American Conference victory since 2003-04 (75-47 vs. Eastern Michigan).
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.
Jones Twice Honored By MAC . . .
Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones has earned Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week honors twice this season (Dec. 28 & Feb. 1) ... Jones has earned three weekly honors in his young career.
Jones earned his second weekly honor after leading the Cardinals to 3-0 record on the week with wins over Miami, at Buffalo and at Ohio ... Jones averaged 15.7 points and 7.7 rebounds on the week as he scored in double figures in all three victories ... He posted his fifth double-double of the season against Miami as he scored a career-high 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a double-overtime victory ... He added 14 points in the Cardinals' come-from-behind victory at Buffalo before adding 12 points in the Cardinals' late-rally at Ohio ... He scored the game-winning basket at Ohio with 2.1 seconds left in the overtime period.
Jones picked up his first weekly honor when he led the Cardinals to a 59-45 victory over North Carolina Central as he posted his second double-double in the past three games ... He scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to record his fifth career double dip ... He led the Cardinals' second half surge as he scored 12 of his 16 points in the second frame, including a stretch of 10 straight points for BSU ... He connected on five-of-10 from the field and was six-of-eight from the free throw line, while also handing out a career-high three assists.
Non-Conference Play . . .
Ball State concluded the scheduled non-conference portion of the 2009-10 slate with a 6-6 record through the first 12 games this year ... The six wins in the first 12 games are the most for the Cardinals since BSU posted a 7-5 record in the 2004-05 season ... Also, Ball State won three straight games this season with wins over North Carolina Central, Maryland Eastern Shore and Manchester ... The three-game winning streak is the longest for BSU since it won three straight between Jan. 29-Feb. 3, 2005.
Ball State's non-conference schedule included four contests against teams receiving votes in the national polls in Purdue (#4), Butler (#24), Temple (#21) and Dayton (ORV).
89th Season Underway . . .
Ball State is in its 89th season in program history ... The Cardinals have posted a 1092-991-1 record all-time, which is good for a .524 winning percentage ... Ball State is 726-313 all-time at home in Muncie as the Cardinals have won 69.9 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.
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.
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 game 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 its 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 was 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.
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.
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).
Six 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 and freshman forward Will Hauser ... Sophomore forward Franklin Henderson and junior guard Dusty Mills will sit out the season after transferring.
Looking Ahead . . .
Ball State steps out of Mid-American Conference play Saturday afternoon for the annual ESPNU BracketBusters event as the Cardinals host UT-Martin at 2 p.m. ... The Cardinals return to MAC play next Wednesday as they host Eastern Michigan in the regular season home finale ... The game is also senior night for the Cardinals' two seniors Brawley Chisholm and Terrence Watson.
Players Mentioned
