Ball State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Hosts Kent State Thursday
January 27, 2011 | Men's Basketball
Ball State's men's basketball team will put its 5-0 Mid-American Conference record and 13-5 overall record on the line Thursday at 7 p.m. vs. the Kent State Golden Flashes (12-7; MAC 3-2). The game will be a Ball State Sports Link televised contest and can be heard on the Ball State Radio Network (Flagship Muncie 104.1 FM) or on www.ballstatesports.com.
Television . . .
Ball State Sports Link will show the game live on Cardinal Vision 57 and Muncie Comcast Cable 61 . . . The game will be aired on a tape-delayed basis on Fox College Sports and Indiana Comcast 81
Radio . . .
The game can be heard on the Ball State Radio Network (Flagship Muncie 104.1 FM) with Morry Mannies handling the play-by-play and David Eha providing the color commentary . . . Sports Link Radio on WCRD will also air the contest on 91.3 FM . . . All Ball State men's basketball games can be heard on the internet at www.ballstatesports.com.
What's On Tap . . .
Ball State wrapped up its first cycle through the Mid-American Conference West Division last Saturday with a 70-60 win at Toledo to improve to 5-0 in the MAC . . . The Cardinals sit alone in first place in the MAC West . . . Ball State has won seven of its last eight games . . . The Cardinals suffered a 50-48 non-conference loss to Morehead State in Worthen Arena Monday night . . . Ball State will conclude its regular season non-conference schedule Feb. 19 in the ESPNU BracketBuster vs. an opponent to be announced.
Scouting Kent State . . .
Kent State improved to 12-7 overall and 3-2 in the MAC with a 78-57 home win over Miami University Sunday . . . The Golden Flashes have suffered MAC losses at Akron (65-62) and at Buffalo (79-54) while their other two conference victories were vs. Bowling Green (80-63) and at Ohio (69-66) . . . The Golden Flashes are 8-1 in home games, but 1-6 on the road and 3-0 in neutral site contests . . . Justin Greene leads the team with a 15.9 points-per-game scoring average, while Sherman Rodriguez is adding 12.1 a game and Carlton Guyton is scoring 12.0 per contest . . . Greene also leads the team with 7.4 rebounds per game.
Cardinals in the MAC . . .
Ball State owns the top conference record in the MAC with a 5-0 mark . . . Western Michigan stands in second place in the MAC West with a 3-2 record, while Kent State, Buffalo, Bowling Green and Miami University are all tied for first in the MAC East Division with identical 3-2 marks . . . Ball State is off to a 5-0 start in MAC play for the first time since the 1997-98 season when it posted a6-0 league start.
Cross Divisional Play . . .
After opening MAC play against all West Division teams, the Cardinals will play their next six games against the East Division teams . . . Ball State hosts Kent State and Ohio, travels to Miami University, hosts Buffalo and then finishes the East Division swing at Bowling Green and at Akron.
Clutch Down the Stretch . . .
Ball State has gone to the free throw line more than any other team in the Mid-American Conference . . . The Cardinals have converted on 353-of-512 free throws for a .689 percentage . . . The closest MAC team in free throws made is Kent State with 277 . . . The closest league foe in terms of free throws attempted is Toledo with 412 . . . In the final five minutes of games, Ball State has made 123-of-160 free throws for a .769 percentage . . . Junior guard Randy Davis has made 56-of-63 free throws in the final five minutes of games for a .889 mark . . . Jauwan Scaife has made 18-of-21 in the closing minutes for a .857 mark, while Malik Perry has connected on 7-of-8 in the final five minutes of games for a .875 mark.
Mid-Major Poll . . .
Ball State moved up to 19th in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll . . . The Cardinals entered the poll for the first time this season in the Jan. 17 edition as the No. 24 team . . . Ball State is the highest ranked MAC team in the poll and the only one in the top-25 . . . The mid-major poll is made up of teams from the following conferences: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Great West, Horizon, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, West Coast and some independents . . . Six Ball State opponents are receiving votes in the poll, including Butler, which is ranked 12th, and Valparaiso, which is ranked 22nd . . . Indiana State, Kent State and Buffalo are also receiving votes.
Scoring Boost . . .
Ball State has been one of the top defensive teams in the Mid-American Conference during head coach Billy Taylor's tenure at the helm . . . The Cardinals have added another strength this season as they rank seventh in the MAC in scoring offense with a 68.1 points-per-game average . . . Last year, Ball State averaged 60.6 points per game on the season and finished with a 15-15 record.
Turning Up the Defense . . .
The Cardinals are first in the MAC in scoring defense, allowing only 60.6 points per game . . . Ball State also leads the league in field goal percentage defense, holding opponent to a .400 mark, and lead the MAC in three point field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to a .288 percentage from behind the arc . . . Ball State ranks ninth in the nation in three point field goal percentage defense, 30th in the nation in scoring defense and 39th in field goal percentage defense.
Getting to the Line . . .
Ball State ranks fifth in the MAC in free throw percentage . . . The Cardinals have made 353-of-512 free throws for a .689 percentage . . . The 512 attempts are the most in the MAC and100 attempts more than Toledo, which is second with 412 attempts . . . In MAC play, the Cardinals have connected on 111-of-153 from the line for a .725 percentage . . . The Cardinals 111 free throws made in league play is one more than Western Michigan, which is second in the MAC in attempts, has attempted at 110.
