Ball State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Set To Host Ohio Saturday
January 29, 2011 | Men's Basketball
The Ball State (13-6; 5-1 Mid-American Conference) men's basketball team looks to end a two game losing streak Saturday, when it hosts Ohio (9-11; 2-4 MAC) in a 2 p.m. tip-off at Worthen Arena. The Cardinals currenlty hold a one game lead in the MAC overall standings and a two game edge in the MAC West Division. Saturday's game can be heard on the Ball State Radio Network (Flagship Muncie 104.1 FM) or on www.ballstatesports.com.
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 with a 70-60 win at Toledo to improve to 5-0 in the MAC, but suffered a 66-53 home loss to Kent State Thursday in its first game against an East Division opponent to fall to 5-1 in league play . . . The Cardinals sit alone in first place in the MAC West and owns a two game lead over Western Michigan and Northern Illinois, who are tied for second at 3-3 . . . Ball State will play three of its next four MAC games on the road after hosting Ohio Saturday.
Scouting Ohio . . .
Ohio improved to 9-11 overall and 2-4 in MAC play after posting a 79-65 win at home over Eastern Michigan Wednesday . . . The Bobcats also managed a 79-70 win at Akron for its other conference victory . . . Ohio has suffered losses to Miami University (92-88, 3 OT), vs. Kent State (69-66), at Bowling Green (73-61) and vs. Buffalo (73-68) . . . In addition to the triple overtime loss vs. Miami University, the Bobcats were also a part of a four overtime loss at St. Bonaventure (112-107) earlier this season . . . D.J. Cooper leads the team with 17.7 points per game, while DeVaughn Washington is scoring 11.5 per contest . . . Tommy Freeman, a Muncie Central graduate, is averaging 10.6 points per tilt.
The MAC . . .
Ball State owns the top conference record in the MAC with a 5-1 mark . . . The Cardinals are in first in the MAC West, while four teams are tied for first in the MAC East with identical 4-2 marks . . . Buffalo, Kent State, Bowling Green and Miami University are all 4-2 in the East, while Akron and Ohio are 2-4 . . . Ball State hosts Ohio, travels to Miami University, hosts Buffalo and then finishes the East Division swing at Bowling Green and at Akron . . . Ball State owns the best overall record in the conference with a 13-6 record, while Buffalo is 12-6 and Kent State is 13-7.
Quick Hits . . .
Four Ball State players -- Chris Bond (12), Malik Perry (12), Randy Davis (10) and Jauwan Scaife (10) -- scored in double figures vs. Kent State . . . Jarrod Jones has 999 career points and needs one point to become the 25th player in Ball State history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
Steadying Force . . .
Junior forward Jarrod Jones has been in the Cardinals' starting lineup practically since he stepped onto campus as a freshman ... Jones has appeared in 80 straight games and has started 79 games during his career ... He has made 69 consecutive starts ... He only came off the bench one time in his career as he was a reserve December 29, 2008, when the Cardinals played at UC Santa Barbara.
Road Warriors . . .
Ball State is the only team in the Mid-American Conference that has won three road conference games this season ... The Cardinals have picked up road wins at Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan and Toledo ... Ball State is 5-3 this season on the road as it also picked up victories at Eastern Illinois and DePaul ... The Cardinals' five road wins ties their highest total since the 2001-02 season when Ball State won five games on the road on its way to a 23-12 record.
Clutch Down The Stretch . . .
Ball State has gone to the free throw line more than any other team in the MAC . . . The Cardinals have converted on 365-of-530 free throws for a .689 percentage . . . The closest MAC team in free throws made is Ohio with 293 . . . The closest league foe in terms of free throws attempted is Toledo with 435 . . . In the final five minutes of games, Ball State has made 126-of-165 free throws for a .764 percentage . . . Junior guard Randy Davis has made 57-of-65 free throws in the final five minutes of games for a .877 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 for a .875 mark.
Mid-Major Top 25 . . .
Ball State moved up to 19th in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll . . . The Cardinals entered the poll for the first time Jan. 17, 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.
ESPNU BracketBusters . . .
Ball State will participate in the ninth annual ESPNU BracketBusters event and will be one of the 57 road teams ... The 11 televised matchups and the remaining non-televised matchups will be announced Jan. 31 ... Home teams for 2011 include: Stony Brook, Boston, Eastern Washington, Portland State, Montana State, Idaho State, High Point, Liberty, Presbyterian, UNC Ashville, Winthrop, Cal Poly, Long Beach State, UC-Davis, UC-Santa Barbara, Drexel, James Madison, UNC-Wilmington, Old Dominion, Towson, William & Mary, Loyola-Chicago, Valparaiso, Wright State, Youngstown State, Fairfield, Marist, Niagara, Rider, Siena, Akron, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Western Michigan, Morgan State, Drake, Indiana State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Wichita State, Murray State, Southeast Missouri, Tennessee-Martin, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, College of Charleston, Western Carolina, Wofford, Oral Roberts, Fresno State, Louisiana Tech, Nevada, New Mexico State, San Jose State and Saint Mary's.
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 67.3 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 60.9 points per game . . . Ball State also leads the league in field goal percentage defense, holding opponent to a .404 mark, and lead the MAC in three point field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to a .293 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 365-of-530 free throws for a .689 percentage . . . The 530 attempts are the most in the MAC and 95 attempts more than Toledo, which is second with 435 attempts . . . In MAC play, the Cardinals have connected on 123-of-171 from the line for a .719 percentage . . . The Cardinals 123 free throws made in league play are more than seven of the other MAC teams have even attempted.
Jones Climbs The Charts . . .
Junior forward Jarrod Jones has led the Cardinals in rebounding since he stepped on campus and leads the team once again this year averaging 8.6 rebounds per game ... Jones has grabbed 613 career rebounds which moves him into 11th all-time in Ball State history ... He recently surpassed Chris Collins (577), Paris McCurdy (547) and Bill Gillis (606) ... Jones needs eight to move into 10th and pass Dan Palombizio (620) ... Ed Butler (1961-64) holds the Ball State career record with 1,231 rebounds... Jones also leads the team in scoring as he averages 15.1 points per game ... He has 999 career points and is one point shy of becoming the 25th player in Ball State history to reach 1,000 career points.
Bond Steps Up Too . . .
Freshman forward Chris Bond scored 12 points in Ball State's loss to Ohio Thursday to tie for team-high honors . . . It marked his third double figure scoring effort this season . . . Bond scored a career-high 13 points against North Carolina A&T when he hit 6-of-9 from the field and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds against Mount St. Joseph ... He also tallied 10 points at Northern Illinois.
Home, Sweet Home . . .
The Cardinals have played 281 games all-time at Worthen Arena since it opened January 15, 1992 (previously named University Arena) ... Ball State owns a 204-77 all-time record at Worthen Arena and has won 72.8 percent of its games at home ... The Cardinals have posted a 7-2 record this season at Worthen with wins over Eastern Illinois, Indiana State, Mount St. Joseph, North Carolina A&T, SIU Edwardsville, Western Michigan and Central Michigan ... The Cardinals have suffered home losses vs. Morehead State Jan. 24, and vs. Ohio Jan. 27.
Defense Key vs. Ohio . . .
Saturday's game features the top defense in the league in Ball State (60.9 points per game) versus the second-best offense in the league in Ohio (74.1 ppg) ... Ohio has scored 61-or-more points in 17 of its 20 games, owning a 10-7 mark in those contests ... Ball State has only allowed nine of its 19 opponents to score more than 61 points, posting a 4-5 record in those games ... In league only games, BSU is giving up 60.8 ppg, while Ohio is scoring 73.5 ppg.
From Long Range . . .
One key to the Cardinals' defensive success is it limits opponents to a league-low .293 rate of success from behind the arc this season ... In 345 attempts, BSU's opponents have connected just 101 times for a 5.3 per-game average ... Central Michigan is the only MAC school to give up fewer threes (81), but the Chippewas rank last in the league in three-point field goal defense at .375 (81-of-216) ... Ohio enters the game ranked second in the league in three-point percentage at .362 and have made a league-best 167 long-range shots for a MAC-best 8.35 per-game average.
Comparing W's vs. L's . . .
Ball State has won 13 games this season by an average of 16.2 points per game while its six losses have been by an average of 14.7 points per game ... In the 13 wins, Ball State has four different players averaging double figures in Jarrod Jones (16.6), Jauwan Scaife (12.6), Randy Davis (11.2) and Jesse Berry (10.1) ... In its six losses, BSU only has one player averaging double figures in Jones at 13.8 points per game ... Scaife is the next highest scorer at 9.2 points per game.
