Ball State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Travels To Morehead State Friday
December 21, 2011 | Men's Basketball
What's On Tap . . .
Ball State wraps up its short two-game road swing Friday evening as it travels to defending Ohio Valley Conference Tournament champion and 2011 NCAA Tournament particpant Morehead State ... The game can be heard on 104.1 WLBC FM and online at www.ballstatesports.com with Morry Mannies and Jeff Weller providing the call ... The game will be video streamed online at www.ovcsports.com ... There is a $5.95 fee to watch a game via this service.
Tyrae Robinson Eligible To Play . . .
Sophomore guard Tyrae Robinson, who has missed the first semester due to academic reasons, has been cleared and is eligible to play Friday at Morehead State ... Robinson played in 30 games last season and was second on the team with 71 assists while averaging 4.3 points per game.
Davis Named Bob Cousy Award Candidate . . .
For the second year in a row, Ball State senior point guard Randy Davis has been named one of 59 candidates for the 2012 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award ... The annual honor, named for Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic Bob Cousy, recognizes the top point guards in college basketball ... Davis is one of just two players from the Mid-American Conference (D.J. Cooper, Ohio) among the 2012 nominees and is just one of 12 players in the country that has made the exclusive list for two straight years.
Davis, a preseason All-MAC West selection, leads the MAC and ranks third in NCAA Division I in assists per game at 7.6 as he has handed out 68 through the first nine games this year ... He ranks sixth in the nation in assist/turnover ratio at 3.8, which is also tops in the MAC ... He tied his career-high with 11 assists in the season-opener against No. 16 Arizona ... He ranks fourth on the team in scoring at 7.6 points per game and has scored in double figures on three occasions this season.
Series History . . .
Friday's game marks the fourth meeting all-time between Ball State and Morehead State ... The Cardinals trail the all-time series by a 2-1 margin as the two teams split a home-and-home series in consecutive seasons in 1974-75 and 1975-76 ... Morehead State took the series edge last season with a 50-48 victory in Worthen Arena January 24, 2011, snapping the Cardinals' seven-game winning streak.
In that game, the Cardinals jumped out to a 10-point halftime lead at 25-15 only to see Morehead State out-score them 35-23 in the second half ... Ball State had two possessions in the final 15 seconds but could not get the game-tying shot to fall ... Forward Jarrod Jones paced the Cardinals with 14 points and 10 rebounds while guard Jauwan Scaife added 12 points ... Morehead State was led by 2011 NBA Draft Pick Kenneth Faried who scored 13 points and grabbed 15 rebounds ... Terrance Hall added eight points for the Eagles.
Coaching Comparison . . .
Ball State is led by fifth-year head coach Billy Taylor ... Taylor has led the Cardinals to 60 wins over the past four-plus seasons, including a 19-win campaign last year which marked the 11th most wins in program history ... The Cardinals have finished either first or second in the Mid-American Conference West Division the past three years and have advanced to the MAC Tournament semifinals two out of the last three years.
Morehead State is led by sixth-year head coach Donnie Tyndall ... Tyndall has a 96-70 record in his career at Morehead State, including a 25-10 mark last season while guiding the Eagles to the NCAA Tournament.
Last Time Out. . .
Ball State saw its six-game winning streak come to an end Monday with a 66-57 loss to IUPUI at Conseco Fieldhouse ... The Cardinals were out-rebounded by a 36-30 margin, including 16 offensive rebounds for the Jaguars who out-scored the Cardinals 17-4 in second chance points.
Ball State was led by senior forward Jarrod Jones who scored a team-high 16 points despite going 5-of-13 from the field but hit all six of his free throws ... Sophomore forward Chris Bond scored a season-high 13 points while grabbing a season-high eight rebounds in the loss ... Classmate Jesse Berry added 10 points off the bench ... IUPUI was led by reigning Summit League Player of the Year Alex Young who scored 22 points, 17 in the second half to lead the Jaguars to victory.
Defensive Prowess . . .
The Cardinals have been one of the top defensive teams in the Mid-American Conference and the country under fifth-year head coach Billy Taylor and this season is no different ... Ball State enters the game leading the MAC and ranking 10th in NCAA Division I in scoring defense holding opponents to a 56.4 point average ... Also, the Cardinals lead the MAC in field goal percentage defense at 35.8 percent, which places them seventh in the nation ... Ball State is 10th in the country and second in the MAC in three-point field goal defense, holding opponents to 26.4 percent.
Last season, Ball State led the MAC and was 64th in the nation in scoring defense at 64.0 points per game while placing third in the league in field goal percentage defense at 42.0 ... Two years ago, the Cardinals also led the MAC in scoring defense and were 43rd in the nation at 62.4 points per game.
Scouting The Cardinals . . .
Ball State enters Friday's game with a 6-3 overall record after having its six-game winning streak snapped Monday ... The Cardinals are averaging 64.7 points per game while holding opponents to a Mid-American Conference low 56.4 points per game ... Ball State is shooting 41.9 percent (196-of-468) from the field and 32.2 percent (57-of-177) from three-point land ... Opponents are being held to 35.8 percent (172-of-480) shooting from the field and 26.4 percent (47-of-178) from long range.
Senior forward Jarrod Jones leads the Cardinals in scoring at 19.6 points per game while also grabbing a team-high 8.7 rebounds per game ... Jones is shooting 56.9 percent (62-of-109) from the field and 87.0 percent (47-of-54) from the free throw line ... Sophomore guard Jesse Berry is second on the team in scoring at 10.8 points per game, despite coming off the bench in all nine games ... Berry is second on the team with 13 three-pointers.
Junior guard Jauwan Scaife is third on the team in scoring at 8.1 points per game and has hit a team-high 17 three-pointers ... Senior Randy Davis leads the team with 68 assists and is averaging 7.6 points per game ... Sophomore forward Chris Bond is second on the team on the glass at 5.0 caroms per game.
Scouting The Eagles . . .
Morehead State enters Friday's game with a 5-7 overall record and is coming off a 64-45 victory at Binghamton ... The Eagles are averaging 65.3 points per game while allowing 64.7 points per game against ... Morehead State is shooting 41.6 percent (263-of-632) from the field and 39.1 percent (92-of-235) from three-point land ... Opponents are shooting 44.9 percent (262-of-584) from the field and 34.2 percent (88-of-257) from long range.
The Eagles are averaging 7.7 three-pointers made per game and have three players with at least 20 made three-pointers ... Terrance Hill leads the way hitting 27-of-64 (42.2%) from long range on his way to a team-high 13.7 points per game ... Ty Proffitt is second on the team in scoring at 9.6 points per game and is third on the team with 22 three-pointers.
Marsell Holden has connected on 25 three-pointers and chips in 8.8 points per game ... Milton Chavis leads the Eagles on the glass at 5.2 rebounds per game.
Jones Scoring Numbers . . .
Senior forward Jarrod Jones leads the Cardinals and is second in the Mid-American Conference in scoring at 19.6 points per game ... Jones ranks 24th in NCAA Division I in scoring this season ... He ranks 27th in the country in field goal percentage at 56.9 percent (62-of-109) and 78th in free throw percentage at 87.0 percent (47-of-54).
Jones has scored at least 20 points in six of the nine games this season, including three straight games for the first time in his career ... He scored 25 points against No. 16 Arizona in the season opener, scored a career-high 26 points against IUPUI and added 23 points against Calumet College ... Currently, has notched three-straight games of 20-plus points with 22 points against UT Martin , 22 at SIU Edwardsville and 21 against Butler ... He has notched 16 games of 20-plus points in his career.
Running The Point . . .
Senior guard Randy Davis leads the Cardinals and the Mid-American Conference at 7.6 assists per game ... Davis currently ranks third in NCAA Division I in assists per game ... Additionally, Davis leads the MAC in assist/turnover ratio at 3.80, which ranks sixth in the nation.
Ball State as a team third in the MAC with 14.9 assists per game... The Cardinals lead the MAC in assist/turnover ratio at 1.20, which is 42nd best in the country.
Climbing The Charts . . .
Senior forward Jarrod Jones currently ranks 12th in Ball State history with 1,358 career points and is sixth all-time with 798 rebounds ... Jones is currently two points shy of 11th place (Skip Mills - 1,360) and 11 points shy of the top 10 (Dan Palombizio -- 1,369) ... Additionally, Jones is tied for fourth all-time with 100 career starts ... Senior guard Randy Davis moved up to sixth all-time in assists with 370, surpassing Patrick Jackson and Peyton Stovall.
Scoring
7. Duane Clemens, 1996-2000 1,585
8. Steve Payne, 1992-95 1,440
9. Peyton Stovall, 2003-08 1,383
10. Dan Palombizio, 1984-86 1,369
11. Skip Mills, 2003-07 1,360
12. Jarrod Jones, 2008-11 1,358
13. Patrick Jackson, 1998-02 1,348
Rebounding
3. Steve Payne, 1992-95 885
4. Theron Smith, 1999-2002 882
5. Bonzi Wells, 1994-98 843
6. Jarrod Jones, 2008-11 798
Game Started
3. Duane Clemens, 1996-2000 109
4. Jarrod Jones, 2008-11 100
Randy Zachary, 1993-97 100
6. Malik Perry, 2007-11 99
7. Scott Nichols, 1986-90 98
Assists
4. Scott Nichols (1986-90) 406
5. Bonzi Wells, 1994-98 386
6. Randy Davis, 2008-11 370
7. Patrick Jackson, 1998-02 349
Peyton Stovall, 2003-08 349
Leading The MAC . . .
Senior forward Jarrod Jones is the Mid-American Conference career active leading scorer with 1,358 points and is the career active rebound leader at 798 boards ... Jones leads the active scoring leaders by 150 points as Ohio's D.J. Cooper is second on the list at 1,211 points while Kent State's Justin Greene is third at 1,206 points ... He also owns a 130-rebound lead as Greene is second on the active list at 662 rebounds ... Miami's Julian Mavunga is third on the list at 626 caroms.
Double-Dipping . . .
Senior forward Jarrod Jones has posted three double-doubles to raise his career total to a Mid-American Conference best 23 double-doubles ... Jones has accomplished the feat this season against Calumet College, Texas Southern and most recently at SIU Edwardsville.
Cardinals On Television . . .
Ball State announced its television package for Mid-American Conference play and the Cardinals can have up to 12 league games broadcasted on the Ball State Sports Network (BSSN), BSU Sports Link, SportsTime Ohio (STO) and ESPNU.
The Ball State Sports Network package for the MAC season includes three men's games, including Jan. 7 vs. Western Michigan, Jan. 21 at Northern Illinois and Feb. 25 at Eastern Michigan ... BSU Sports Link, an immersive learning student program, will produce the men's game Feb. 8 vs. Bowling Green.
The Ball State men's program will have three games guaranteed for SportsTime Ohio broadcasts including Jan. 10 at Toledo, Jan. 24 vs. Akron and Feb. 22 at Western Michigan ... The Cardinals have five games in the ESPNU flex-schedule which allows for a 21-day advance notice of the broadcast ... Men's games on the flex-schedule include Jan. 14 vs. Eastern Michigan, Jan. 28 at Ohio, Feb. 11 at Kent State, Feb. 29 vs. Central Michigan and March 2/3 vs. Northern Illinois.
20-Plus Scorers . . .
Against SIU Edwardsville, sophomore guard Jesse Berry and senior forward Jarrod Jones each scored at least 20 points in the Cardinals' 76-55 victory as Berry posted a career-high 25 points and Jones added 22 points ... It marks the first time this season that the Cardinals have had two players score at least 20 points in a game and the first time a duo has accomplished the feat since March 12, 2009 in the Cardinals' 64-61 Mid-American Conference Tournament victory over Central Michigan ... In that game, Jones scored 20 points while former Cardinal Laron Frazier added a career-high 22 points in the overtime victory.
Home, Sweet Home . . .
The Butler game marked the 287th game all-time for the Cardinals at Worthen Arena since it opened January 15, 1992 (previously named University Arena) ... Ball State owns a 211-76 record all-time at Worthen Arena as it has won 73.5 percent of its games at home ... Last season, the Cardinals posted an 11-3 record at home, including a 5-1 mark during non-conference play ... During its career, the Cardinals have averaged over 10.35 wins a season at home at Worthen Arena.
Lowe's Senior CLASS Award . . .
Senior forward Jarrod Jones has been selected as one of 30 candidates for the 2011-12 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award given to basketball student-athletes who excel on and off the court ... Jones is the first Cardinal to be selected as a candidate since Peyton Stovall was a finalist for the 2007-08 award.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as a NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition ... The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot ... Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, Division I men's coaches and fans who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
Cardinals Sign Four . . .
Ball State head coach Billy Taylor announced the signings of Michael Ramey (Indianapolis, Ind./Southport), Bo Calhoun (South Bend, Ind./Washington), Marcus Posley (Rockford, Ill./Rockford Auburn) and Mading Thok (Boyden, Iowa/Western Christian) to national letters of intent Friday morning during the early signing period.
Ramey, a 6-5 shooting guard, was recently ranked as a Top 25 Shooter in the country for the class of 2012 by ESPN.com after leading the state in three-point shooting as a junior, connecting on 52.4 percent (66-of-126) ... He averaged 19.5 points per game as a junior to earn First Team All-Conference honors.
Calhoun, a 6-6 forward, earned First Team All-Northern Indiana Conference honors last season after averaging 18.0 points and 9.1 rebounds per game ... He has led the Panthers to a 46-22 record during his first three seasons, including a 12-7 mark last season.
Posley, a 6-1 guard Illinois High School Association All-State honors as a junior as he averaged 19.4 points per game and 4.5 assists per contest ... He also picked up All-Northern Illinois Conference and All-Area accolades last season.
Thok, a 7-0 center, is a native of Bor, Sudan ... He averaged 8.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game as a junior while shooting 54.3 percent from the field and 67.6 percent from the free throw line.
Jones Collects MAC Honor . . .
Senior forward Jarrod Jones has been named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Week two times this season ... Jones picked up his first honor Nov. 14 after he tied his career-high with 25 points against No. 16 Arizona while also grabbing nine rebounds ... He connected on 11-of-15 (73.3%) against the nationally ranked Wildcats, including hitting 3-of-3 from three-point land.
Jones picked up his second honor Dec. 12 after leading the Cardinals to wins over SIU Edwardsville and two-time NCAA Tournament finalist Butler to run their winning streak to six straight games ... He averaged 21.5 points and 11.0 rebounds in the two victories while shooting 54.2 percent (13-of-24) from the field and 88.9 percent (16-of-18) from the free throw line ... He scored a team-high 21 points against Butler, including the game-winning basket with 47.2 seconds left to give the Cardinals their first win over Butler since 2003 ... He opened the week by recording his third double-double of the season with 22 points and a season-high 13 rebounds at SIUE.
Cardinals Tabbed Second . . .
Ball State has been picked to finish second in the Mid-American Conference West Division preseason poll as selected by the MAC News Media Association ... The Cardinals were picked to finish second in the MAC West Division with 111 points, including nine first place votes, behind Western Michigan (128/14) ... The Cardinals finished last season with a 19-13 overall record and a 10-6 mark in MAC play, finishing second in the West Division ... The Cardinals returns nine letterwinners, including its top five scorers, from last season's team which posted the 11th most wins in program history.
Rounding out the MAC West Division are Central Michigan (92/1), Toledo (76), Northern Illinois (59) and Eastern Michigan (38) ... Reigning MAC regular season champion Kent State was selected to win the East Division with 132 total points, including 16 first place votes ... Akron was tabbed second with 104 points and eight first place votes followed by Ohio (94), Miami (80), Buffalo (62) and Bowling Green (32).
Kent State was also selected to win the 2012 MAC Tournament in Cleveland, Ohio as it received 12 of the 24 votes ... Akron was second with six votes followed by the Cardinals (3), Western Michigan (2) and Central Michigan (1).
Captains Earn MAC Honors . . .
Ball State senior captains Jarrod Jones and Randy Davis were named to the preseason All-Mid-American Conference West Division teams last week ... The two Cardinals were joined by Western Michigan's Flenard Whitfield and Demetrius Ward along with Central Michigan's Trey Zeigler on the West Division squad.
Jones highlights the MAC West Division preseason team, earning preseason accolades for the third time in his career ... He earned First Team All-MAC and MAC All-Tournament honors last season as a junior when leading the team in scoring at 14.7 points per game and rebounding at 8.4 caroms per game ...He scored double figures in 27 of BSU's 32 games, including five games of 20-plus points last season while posting 11 double-doubles.
Davis earns preseason All-MAC honors for the first time in his career after starting all 32 games last season as the Cardinals' point guard ... He averaged 9.8 points per game while leading the team with 160 assists and 48 steals ... He led the MAC from the free throw line connecting on 87.3 percent (117-of-134) while placing second in assists per game (5.0).
Summer Trip To Canada . . .
Ball State took a nine-day foreign trip to Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada this past August ... The Cardinals posted a 4-0 record on the trip as they picked up wins over Quest University, Trinity Western University, Victoria Select and Vancouver Island University.
The Cardinals averaged 101.8 points per game in the four-game trip as they won by an average margin of 31.5 points per game ... Ball State posted 22.5 assists per game while shooting 49.6 percent from the field as a team.
Nine different Cardinals averaged at least six points per game on the trip ... Junior guard Jauwan Scaife led the team in scoring at 19.5 points per game while hitting 53.3 percent (16-of-30) from long range ... Sophomore Chris Bond added 15.3 points, 7.3 rebounds. 4.0 assists and 3.25 steals per game ... Senior forward Jarrod Jones chipped in 15.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game while senior Randy Davis added 9.5 points and 7.0 assists per game.
Looking Ahead . . .
The Cardinals will be off for the holidays and return to action New Year's Eve as they host Chicago State in the first of three straight home games.
