Ball State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Hosts EMU Tonight On Senior Night
February 24, 2010 | Men's Basketball
PROMOTION: White Out the Eagles - Fans encouraged to wear White to the game
What's On Tap . . .
Ball State wraps up the home portion of the 2009-10 regular season Wednesday night as it hosts Mid-American Conference West Division foe Eastern Michigan at Worthen Arena at 7 p.m. ... The Cardinals will honor their senior duo of Brawley Chisholm and Terrence Watson prior to the game with senior night festivities ... Ball State enters the game with a 15-11 overall record and sit alone in first place in the MAC West Division with an 8-5 record ... BSU has won three straight games and seven out of its last nine contests ... The Cardinals hold a one game lead over Central Michigan and a two game lead over Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan in the division with three conference games remaining ... Ball State is led by third-year head coach Billy Taylor ... Eastern Michigan enters Wednesday's game with a 14-13 overall record and a 6-7 mark in MAC play ... The Eagles suffered a 68-66 loss at Detroit Saturday in the ESPNU BracketBusters event, but have won two straight MAC games with wins over Western Michigan and Toledo ... EMU is led by fifth-year head coach Charles Ramsey.
Wednesday's game will be broadcast on 104.1 WLBC FM with Morry Mannies and David Eha providing the call ... Live stats will also be available at www.ballstatesports.com.
Davis Named MAC West Player of the Week . . .
Sophomore guard Randy Davis was named the Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday ... Davis led Ball State into sole possession of first place in the MAC West Division last week as he scored a career-high 24 points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out five assists in the Cardinals' showdown with divisional rival Central Michigan ... He connected on 8-of-13 from the field, 3-of-5 from three-point land and 5-of-6 from the free throw line in the battle of first place teams as Ball State earned a 69-63 victory ... Davis followed that performance with 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists as the Cardinals ran their winning streak to three straight with a 68-52 victory over Tennessee-Martin in the ESPNU BracketBusters event.
Surpassing Last Season's Win Total . . .
The Cardinals picked up their 15th win of the season Saturday with their 68-52 victory over Tennessee Martin ... The 15 wins surpasses last season's win total when Ball State posted a 14-17 record and secures the Cardinals of at least a .500 winning percentage on the year ... The total is the most since the Cardinals won 15 games during the 2004-05 season (15-13) ... The Cardinals have not won more than 15 games in a season since the 2001-02 season, when they posted a 23-12 record ... Also, Ball State is 8-5 in Mid-American Conference play, marking the most MAC wins in a single season since the 2004-05 season when BSU posted a 10-8 record ... Last season, the Cardinals only won seven MAC games on its way to a MAC West Division title.
Series History With EMU . . .
Ball State and Eastern Michigan have met 88 times prior to Wednesday's contest with the Cardinals holding a 53-35 advantage all-time in the series ... The Cardinals own a 24-14 all-time record against the Eagles in Muncie, including a 10-6 mark at Worthen Arena ... The two teams have split the regular season series the past two years.
Earlier this season, Ball State suffered a 57-53 loss at Eastern Michigan ... The Cardinals rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final minute to pull with two, but could not overcome the margin entirely ... Junior forward Malik Perry led the offensive attack as he scored a team-high 17 points while grabbing nine rebounds ... Perry connected on 6-of-10 from the field and 5-of-7 from the free throw line in the loss as he played 26 minutes off of the bench ... Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife ended the game with 13 points before fouling out late in the game ... He connected on 5-of-11 from the field and was a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point land.
Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones chipped in seven points and six rebounds in the loss for the Cardinals ... BSU was strong at the free throw line as they hit 75 percent (9-of-12), but only got to the line 12 times compared to 23 attempts for the Eagles ... Justin Dobbins led all scorers as he tallied 18 points, 16 in the second half, on 8-of-13 shooting ... Carlos Medlock added 12 points, including a trio of three-pointers, while Brandon Bowdry notched nine points and nine rebounds.
Differences Between W's & L's . . .
The Cardinals enter Wednesday's game with a 15-11 record on the year and an 8-5 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 14.1, Jauwan Scaife 11.1, Randy Davis 11.1 & Terrence Watson 10.1), but do not have anyone averaging double figures in losses ... Ball State's defense is holding opponents to 58.7 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 58.7 -- 65.6
FG% .455 -- .364
FG% Def. .378 -- .428
3Pt% .423 -- .269
3Pt% Def. .276 -- .357
Reb. Off. 38.4 -- 31.7
Reb. Def. 31.9 -- 36.2
Reb. Margin +6.5 -- -4.5
Assists/Gm 13.1 -- 9.0
Turnovers/Gm 13.3 -- 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 12.2 points per game as he has scored 158 points in 13 games ... In fact, he is shooting 50.5 percent (48-of-95) from the field, 46.2 percent (24-of-52) from three-point land and 82.6 percent (38-of-46) from the free throw line ... He also is averaging 3.7 assists per game and 3.5 rebounds per game in league play.
Davis has scored in double figures in seven out of the last eight games, including back-to-back MAC games of at least 20 points ... He scored a career-high 24 points against Central Michigan in his last MAC contest ... He is averaging 14.9 points per game during the last eight game stretch.
Home Sweet Home . . .
Wednesday's game marks the 271st game for the Cardinals in Worthen Arena (previously University Arena) since its opening January 15, 1992 ... Ball State owns a 197-73 record all-time in Worthen Arena, which is good for .730 winning percentage.
So far this season the Cardinals have posted an 11-4 record at home, including a 5-2 mark against MAC opponents ... The 11 wins are the most for the Cardinals at home since the 2004-05 season when BSU posted an 11-3 home record ... The Cardinals' 11 wins this year have come over Valparaiso, SIU Edwardsville, North Carolina Central, Maryland Eastern Shore, Manchester, Toledo, Western Michigan, Miami, Bowling Green, Central Michigan and Tennessee Martin.
During its history, Ball State has averaged just over 10 wins per season at Worthen Arena ... Last season, the Cardinals posted a 10-6 home record on the year, including a 6-2 mark in Mid-American Conference play.
Last Time Out . . .
Ball State picked up its third straight victory and its 15th win of the season Saturday afternoon with a 68-52 victory over Tennessee-Martin in the ESPNU BracketBusters event ... The Cardinals used a strong second half performance as they out-scored the Skyhawks by a 42-30 margin ... Ball State connected on 56.0 percent (14-of-25) from the field in the second half and 76.5 percent (13-of-17) from the free throw line ... Ball State's defense held UTM to just 34.8 percent (23-of-66) shooting from the field and just 12.5 percent (2-of-16) from three-point land.
The Cardinals did most of their damage from the paint as they scored 36 points in the paint and had three forwards in double figures scoring ... Junior forward Malik Perry led the team in scoring with 15 points off the bench as he was 7-of-9 from the field ... Senior forward Terrence Watson also added 15 points as he was 5-of-9 from the field and 5-of-7 from the free throw line.
Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones chipped in 13 points and eight rebounds ... Jones was 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-5 from the free throw line ... Sophomore guard Randy Davis added 10 points and seven rebounds in the victory.
Scouting The Cardinals . . .
Ball State enters Wednesday's game with a 15-11 overall record and an 8-5 mark in Mid-American Conference play ... The Cardinals have won three straight and nine of their last 12 games ... Ball State is averaging 60.8 points per game this season while holding opponents to a MAC-low 61.6 points per game ... The Cardinals are out-rebounding opponents by a 35.6-33.7 margin this season.
Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones leads the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game and leads the team on the glass at 7.5 rebounds per game ... Jones is second on the team with 32 blocked shots ... Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife is second on the team in scoring at 10.0 points per game and leads the team with 36 three-pointers.
Sophomore guard Randy Davis is third in scoring at 9.0 points per game ... Davis leads the team with 88 assists and is second on the team with 34 three-pointers ... Senior forward Terrence Watson adds 8.5 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per contest ... Junior forward Malik Perry chips in 7.9 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per contest ... Perry is connecting on 55.7 percent (68-of-122) from the field this season to lead the team and the MAC.
Scouting The Eagles . . .
Eastern Michigan enters Wednesday's game with a 14-13 overall record and a 6-7 mark in Mid-American Conference play ... The Eagles have won two straight MAC games with wins over Western Michigan and Toledo ... EMU is averaging 65.8 points per game this season while allowing 65.1 points per game against ... The Eagles are out-rebounding opponents by a 34.6-32.8 margin this year.
Eastern Michigan is led by a trio of upperclassmen who all average double figures ... Junior forward Brandon Bowdry leads the team in scoring at 16.7 points per game and leads the MAC in rebounding at 9.7 boards per game ... Senior guard Carols Medlock is second on the team in scoring at 15.6 points per game and leads the team in assists with 100 ... He has connected on a team-high 61 three-pointers this year.
Senior forward Brandon Bowdry is third on the team in scoring at 11.9 points per game and second on the glass at 5.7 rebounds per contest ... Jay Higgins chips in 7.9 points per game and has hit 48 three-pointers this season, which is second on the team.
MAC Tournament . . .
The 2010 Mid-American Conference Tournament begins March 7 with first round games at campus sites while the tournament will resume in Cleveland, Ohio March 11-13 ... The top four seeds regardless of division (including both division winners) receive first round byes and advance to Cleveland for a quarterfinal contest ... Media wishing to attend the MAC Tournament in Cleveland need to fill out the online form at www.mac-sports.com for credentials.
If the season ended today, Ball State would be the number two seed in the tournament as the MAC West Division winner ... The seeds would fall as follows:
1.) Kent State
2.) Ball State
3.) Akron
4.) Buffalo
5.) Miami
6.) Central Michigan
7.) Western Michigan
8.) Bowling Green
9.) Eastern Michigan
10.) Ohio
11.) Northern Illinois
12.) Toledo
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 10.0 points per game and has scored 259 points so far this season ... Scaife has already moved into the top 10 in freshmen scoring in Ball State history as he is currently eight best in a single season ... He just past former Cardinals Melvin Goins, Derrick Wesley and Maurice Acker in the past week to enter the top 10 ... He needs 17 points to move past Duane Clemens for seventh all-time in freshmen scoring.
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. 259 - Jauwan Scaife (2009-10)
9. 258 - Maurice Acker (2005-06)
10. 252 - Derrick Wesley (1984-85)
11. 241 - Melvin Goins (2007-08)
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 61.6 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 33rd in NCAA Division I in scoring defense (as of February 21).
Ball State also leads the MAC in field goal percentage defense at 39.8, which ranks 38th best in the nation ... The Cardinals hold opponents to a MAC-low 30.8 percent from three-point land, which is 38th in the nation.
Senior forward Terrence Watson is third in the MAC this season in blocked shots as he is averaging 1.39 rejections per game, while sophomore forward Jarrod Jones is sixth at 1.23 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
Birthday Celebration . . .
Freshman guard Myron Green Jr. celebrated his 19th birthday in style last week ... Green scored a career-high eight points in 14 minutes of action against Central Michigan ... He connected on a career-high two three-pointers and hit both of his free throws in the Cardinals' victory.
Cardinals In MAC Stats . . .
This season, the Cardinals are sprinkled throughout the Mid-American Conference statistical leaders ... Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones is 14th in the MAC in scoring at 12.3 points per game ... Jones is also third in rebounding (7.5), 14th in field goal percentage (.448), sixth in blocked shots (1.23) and second in defensive rebounds (5.77) ... Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife is 25th in the MAC in scoring at 10.0 points per game, which ranks third best among MAC freshmen ... Scaife is also 10th in free throw percentage (.798) and ninth in three-point percentage (.383)
Senior forward Terrence Watson is 11th in the MAC in rebounding at 6.3 boards per game ... Watson is also third in blocks (1.41) and fifth on the offensive glass (2.62) ... Junior forward Malik Perry is second in the league in field goal percentage at 55.7 percent ... Perry is also 12th in offensive rebounds (2.17) ... Sophomore guard Randy Davis is 12th in free throw percentage (.790), eighth in assists at 3.38 per game and fifth in three-point percentage (.413).
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.
Streaking Cardinals . . .
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).
The Cardinals enter Wednesday's game having won three straight games, marking their third winning streak of at least three games this season.
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 26 games this season ... Only two Cardinals this season have started all 26 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 13 times, including nine of the last 10 games 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 four times ... 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 1093-991-1 record all-time, which is good for a .524 winning percentage ... Ball State is 727-313 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).
Looking Ahead . . .
Ball State hits the road for its final two games of the regular season beginning with a trip to Toledo Saturday for an evening contest against the Rockets.
