Ball State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Travels To Toledo Saturday Night
February 25, 2010 | Men's Basketball
What's On Tap . . .
Ball State hits the road for its final two games of the regular season, beginning Saturday night as it faces the Toledo Rockets at Savage Arena at 7 p.m. ... The Cardinals enter the contest with a 15-12 overall record and an 8-6 mark in Mid-American Conference play ... Ball State owns a one-game lead for the top spot in the MAC West Division over Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan and Central Michigan with two games remaining ... The Cardinals are coming off of a 72-67 loss Wednesday night to EMU ... Ball State is led by third-year head coach Billy Taylor ... Toledo enters Saturday's game with a 3-26 overall record and an 0-14 mark in MAC play ... The Rockets have dropped 18 straight games heading into Saturday's contest ... Toledo is led by second-year head coach Gene Cross.
Saturday's game will be broadcast by the Ball State Sports Network (BSSN) with Jerry Peirson and Wil Hampton providing the call ... Affiliates for the game include: WIPB-Muncie, WTTV-Indianapolis (4.2 only), WTTK-Kokomo (29.2 only), WHME-South Bend, 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 Toledo . . .
Saturday's game marks the 77th meeting all-time between Ball State and Toledo ... The Cardinals trail the all-time series by a 40-36 margin and are just 9-26 all-time on the road against the Rockets ... The two teams have split the regular season series the last two seasons with the home team winning on each occasion ... Earlier this season, the Cardinals tallied their first MAC win of the season against the Rockets as they claimed a 71-43 victory at Worthen Arena ... The victory was the Cardinals' 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).
Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife led the offensive effort as he scored a career-high 20 points in the victory, 15 of which came in the second half ... Scaife connected on a career-high six three-pointers, including five in the second half as he finished the game 6-of-8 from long range ... Senior forward Terrence Watson also turned in a strong performance as he recorded his second career double-double with a career-high 17 points and 11 rebounds ... Watson finished the game shooting 6-of-9 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line as he scored 13 of his points in the first half ... Ball State finished the game shooting 50 percent (25-of-50) from the field and 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from three-point land ... Toledo was held to just 30.8 percent (16-of-52) shooting in the loss as the Cardinals' defense tallied six steals and five blocked shots ... The Rockets connected on just 4-of-15 (26.7%) from three-point land and committed 16 turnovers.
MAC Scenarios and Tournament . . .
Ball State enters the final two games of the regular season in first place in the Mid-American Conference West Division with an 8-6 record ... The Cardinals hold a one game lead over Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan and Central Michigan ... Ball State's magic number for clinching at least a share of the MAC West title is one, while its magic number for securing the number two seed in the MAC Tournament is two (with Eastern Michigan) ... The Cardinals hold the tiebreaker over both Western Michigan and Central Michigan, but do not have the tiebreaker over Eastern Michigan.
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.) Western Michigan
7.) Central Michigan
8.) Eastern Michigan
9.) Bowling Green
10.) Ohio
11.) Northern Illinois
12.) Toledo
Davis Earns MAC Honor . . .
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 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.
Differences Between W's & L's . . .
The Cardinals enter Saturday's game with a 15-12 record on the year and an 8-6 mark in Mid-American Conference play ... Ball State is averaging 68.1 points per game in its victories but only averaging 52.1 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 only have one player averaging double figures (Jones - 10.2) in losses ... Ball State's defense is holding opponents to 58.7 points per game in its wins while allowing 66.2 points per game in victories.
In Wins -- In Losses
Offense 68.1 -- 52.1
Defense 58.7 -- 66.2
FG% .455 -- .374
FG% Def. .378 -- .423
3Pt% .423 -- .287
3Pt% Def. .276 -- .348
Reb. Off. 38.4 -- 31.8
Reb. Def. 31.9 -- 36.1
Reb. Margin +6.5 -- -4.2
Assists/Gm 13.1 -- 8.9
Turnovers/Gm 13.3 -- 16.3
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 12.4 points per game as he has scored 174 points in 14 games ... In fact, he is shooting 50.5 percent (52-of-103) from the field, 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from three-point land and 82.7 percent (43-of-52) from the free throw line ... He also is averaging 3.6 assists per game and 3.4 rebounds per game in league play.
Davis has scored in double figures in eight out of the last nine games, including back-to-back MAC games of at least 20 points ... He scored a career-high 24 points against Central Michigan ... He is averaging 15.0 points per game during the last nine game stretch.
Free Throw Contest . . .
Ball State has gone to the free throw line 623 times this season and is converting at a 68.7 percent (428-of-623) clip ... Conversely, opponents have only been to the line 444 times, hitting 67.8 percent (301-of-444) ... The Cardinals have attempted more free throws in a game this season than their opponent 20 times and are 15-5 in those games ... On the other hand, when opponents head to the line more than the Cardinals, Ball State is 0-7 this season.
Additionally, the Cardinals are second in the Mid-American Conference in free throw percentage in MAC play as they are connecting on 72.0 percent (224-of-311).
Did You Know . . .
Ball State is 11-3 this season when it commits less than 15 turnovers while it is 4-9 when committing 15 or more miscues.
Last Time Out . . .
Ball State saw its three-game winning streak come to an end Wednesday night as it dropped a 72-67 contest to Eastern Michigan on senior night at Worthen Arena ... The Cardinals were out-rebounded by a 35-33 margin, including 15 offensive rebounds by Eastern Michigan ... Sophomore guard Randy Davis led the Cardinals in scoring with 16 points as he was 4-of-8 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line ... Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones was the only other Cardinal in double figures as he scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds ... The Cardinals were playing without the services of junior forward Malik Perry ... Sophomore guard Pierre Sneed added eight points while freshman guard Jauwan Scaife chipped in nine points.
EMU was paced by Brandon Bowdry who scored 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in just 21 minutes of action ... Carlos Medlock and Antonio Green each chipped in 15 points as the Eagles had four players in double figures.
Scouting The Cardinals . . .
Ball State enters Saturday's game with a 15-12 overall record and an 8-6 mark in Mid-American Conference play ... The Cardinals have won three out of their last four and seven out of their last 10 games ... Ball State is averaging 61.0 points per game while holding opponents to a MAC-low 62.0 points per game ... The Cardinals are out-rebounding opponents by a 35.5-33.8 margin this season.
Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones leads the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game and on the glass at 7.5 rebounds per contest ... Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife is second in scoring at 9.9 points per game and leads the team with 37 three-pointers.
Sophomore guard Randy Davis is third on the team in scoring at 9.3 points per game and is second in three-pointers made at 36 ... He leads the team in three-point shooting at 42.9 percent (36-of-84) and leads the team with 90 assists ... Senior forward Terrence Watson adds 8.4 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per contest while leading the team with 37 blocked shots ... Junior forward Malik Perry chips in 7.9 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per contest ... He leads the team in shooting from the field at 55.7 percent (68-of-122).
Scouting The Rockets . . .
Toledo enters Saturday's game with a 3-26 overall record and an 0-14 mark in Mid-American Conference play ... The Rockets have dropped 18 straight contests, dating back to December 10 when they defeated IPFW 73-72 ... Toledo is averaging 54.4 points per game and is holding opponents to 67.7 points per contest ... The Rockets are being out-rebounded by a 33.5-31.2 margin this season.
Freshman guard Jake Barnett leads the team in scoring at 13.2 points per game ... Barnett has hit a team-high 65 three-pointers and is shooting a team-high 82.0 percent (73-of-89) from the free throw line ... Forward Justin Anyijong is second on the team in scoring at 8.9 points per game and leads the team on the glass at 5.1 caroms per game ... Larry Bastfield leads the team with 100 assists on the year while Malcolm Griffin is second on the team with 66 helpers.
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 9.9 points per game and has scored 268 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 eight 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. 268 - 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 (13.9) ... 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 62.0 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 39.7, which ranks 38th best in the nation ... The Cardinals hold opponents to a MAC-low 30.6 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 1.37 rejections per game, while sophomore forward Jarrod Jones is sixth at 1.26 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 14th in the MAC in scoring at 12.3 points per game ... Jones is also third in rebounding (7.5), fourth in blocked shots (1.26) and second in defensive rebounds (5.70) ... Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife is 28th in the MAC in scoring at 9.9 points per game, which ranks third best among MAC freshmen ... Scaife is also ninth in free throw percentage (.802) and eighth in three-point percentage (.389)
Senior forward Terrence Watson is 10th in the MAC in rebounding at 6.3 boards per game ... Watson is also second in blocks (1.37) and sixth on the offensive glass (2.59) ... Junior forward Malik Perry is second in the league in field goal percentage at 55.7 percent ... Perry is also 15th in offensive rebounds (2.17) ... Sophomore guard Randy Davis is 13th in free throw percentage (.792), ninth in assists at 3.33 per game and second in three-point percentage (.429).
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.
Home Sweet Home . . .
Wednesday's game marked the 271st game for the Cardinals in Worthen Arena (previously University Arena) since its opening January 15, 1992 ... Ball State owns a 197-74 record all-time in Worthen Arena, which is good for .730 winning percentage.
This season the Cardinals posted an 11-5 record at home, including a 5-3 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.
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 have won three straight games on three separate occasions this season.
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.
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 seven different lineups through the 27 games this season ... Only one Cardinal this season have started all 27 games in sophomore forward Jarrod Jones ... Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife and sophomore guard Randy Davis have started 26 games ... The lineup of Terrence Watson, Davis, Scaife, Pierre Sneed and Jones has been called a team-high 13 times, including nine of the last 11 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 ... Also, the lineup of Chisholm, Davis, Sneed, Watson and Jones was used on senior night.
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.
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 1093-992-1 record all-time, which is good for a .524 winning percentage ... Ball State is 727-314 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 wraps up the 2009-10 regular season Thursday night as it travels to Kalamazoo, Mich., for a meeting with the Western Michigan Broncos ... The game will be broadcast by the Ball State Sports Network.
