Ball State University Athletics
Men's Hoops Travels To Akron Saturday Night
February 12, 2011 | Men's Basketball
What's On Tap . . .
Ball State closes out the crossover portion of the Mid-American Conference schedule Saturday evening as it travels to Akron to take on the Zips ... Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. at Rhodes Arena ... The Cardinals enter the game with a 14-9 overall record and a 6-4 mark in MAC play ... Ball State owns a half game lead for the top spot in the MAC West Division over Western Michigan ... Akron enters the game with a 14-10 overall record and a 5-5 mark in MAC play ... The Zips own a 9-2 record this season at home at Rhodes Arena, including a 4-1 mark in league action.
Saturday's game will be televised by Sports Time Ohio and will be picked up by Comcast Indiana airing on channel 81 in the Indianapolis, Fort Wayne and Lafayette markets ... Michael Reghi and Steve Mix will provide the call ... The game will also be broadcast on 104.1 WLBC FM with Morry Mannies and David Eha providing the call.
Cardinals Vs. The MAC East . . .
The 2010-11 season marks the 14th 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 42-50 record against the East Division since the two-division format was implemented in the 1997-98 season.
The Cardinals have a 1-4 record against the East Division so far this season with their lone win coming against Buffalo ... Ball State has only posted a winning record against the MAC East Division three times in 14 years .. The Cardinals posted a 4-2 record last season, a 4-2 record in 2002-03 and a 5-1 mark during the 1997-98 campaign ... Ball State has recorded four .500 records against the East Division but have seven seasons below .500 against the East Division ... So far this season, the MAC West Division owns a 6-23 record as a whole against teams from the MAC East Division ... Only Western Michigan has won more than one game in crossover play as the Broncos are 2-2 heading into Saturday's action.
Ball State is 12-3 during the regular season against Buffalo, 7-4 against Bowling Green, 5-8 against Akron, 6-6 against Ohio, 4-8 against Kent State, 2-6 against
Marshall and 6-15 against Miami since divisional play began.
Series History vs. Akron . . .
Saturday's game marks the 30th meeting all-time between Ball State and Akron ... The Cardinals hold a slim 15-14 lead all-time over the Zips but have dropped six straight in the series ... Ball State last posted a win over Akron March 8, 2004 with a 76-72 victory in Worthen Aren ... The Cardinals also own a 5-8 record all-time in Akron and have dropped four straight on the road against the Zips ... Ball State last won in Akron February 28, 2001 with an 81-62 victory.
Last season, the Cardinals came close to snapping the losing streak to the Zips with a 75-70 overtime loss at Worthen Arena ... Ball State forced the overtime period as forward Jarrod Jones scored with 27.5 seconds remaining in the second half to tie the game ... Akron controlled play late in the overtime period as it posted an 8-0 run to take the lead for good with a key three-pointer from Brett McKnight ... The Zips also hit 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the final minute to seal the victory.
Ball State connected on 48.3 percent (28-of-58) from the field but hit just 27.3 percent (3-of-11) from three-point land ... Jones led three Cardinals in double figures with 16 points and eight rebounds ... Guard Randy Davis chipped in 15 points and seven rebounds while forward Malik Perry added 15 points and six rebounds ... Akron connected on just 35.8 percent (24-of-67) from the field and hit nine three-pointers in the victory ... Anthony Hitchens led the Zips with 17 points while Nikola Cvetinovic posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Scouting Ball State . . .
Ball State enters Saturday's game with a 14-9 overall record and a 6-4 mark in Mid-American Conference play ... The Cardinals are coming off a hard fought 65-64 loss at Bowling Green Wednesday, marking their second straight one-point contest (defeated Buffalo, 72-71) ... Ball State is averaging 67.4 points per game this season while allowing 62.7 points per game against ... The Cardinals are shooting 45.0 percent (515-of-1145) from the field and 33.7 percent (101-of-300) from long range ... Opponents are shooting 41.5 percent (521-of-1254) from the field and 31.1 percent (133-of-427) from long range.
Junior forward Jarrod Jones leads the team in scoring at 14.8 points per game and leads the team on the glass at 8.5 rebounds per game ... Jones is shooting 51.2 percent (129-of-252) from the field this season ... Sophomore guard Jauwan Scaife is second on the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game ... Scaife leads the team with 41 three-pointers and is shooting 39.8 percent from long range.
Junior guard Randy Davis is third on the team in scoring at 10.1 points per game ... Davis leads the Cardinals with 126 assists and leads the team at the charity stripe connecting on 86.8 percent (99-of-114) ... Freshman guard Jesse Berry chips in 8.6 points per game and 33 three-pointers while classmate Chris Bond adds 6.9 points per game ... Senior forward Malik Perry tallies 6.8 points and is second on the team with 5.9 rebounds per game.
Scouting Akron . . .
Akron enters Saturday's game with a 14-10 overall record and a 5-5 mark in Mid-American Conference play ... The Zips have won two straight with wins over Toledo and Western Michigan ... Akron is averaging 69.6 points per game this season and is allowing 65.8 points per game ... The Zips are shooting 42.5 percent (588-of-1385) from the field and 34.8 percent (192-of-552) from three-point land ... Opponents are shooting 42.2 percent (554-of-1314) from the field and 33.8 percent (133-of-394) from deep.
Nikola Cvetinovic leads the team in scoring at 11.8 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 7.0 caroms per game ... Brett McClanahan is second on the team in scoring at 11.0 points per game and leads the team with 57 three-pointers ... Seven-footer Zeke Marshall rounds out the double figure scorers at 10.0 points per game ... Marshall leads the team and the MAC with 57 blocked shots and is shooting 54.2 percent (97-of-179) from the field.
Jones Climbs The Charts . . .
Junior forward Jarrod Jones became the 25th player in Ball State history to reach the 1,000-point scoring mark earlier this season ... Jones is currently 23rd all-time in scoring in BSU history with 1,052 points.
Jones has also led the Cardinals in rebounding since he stepped on campus and leads the team once again this year averaging 8.5 rebounds per game ... Jones has grabbed 645 career rebounds which places him 10th all-time in the BSU history ... He just past Dan Palambizio (620) to move into the top 10 and trails Wilbur Davis by nine rebounds for ninth place all-time ... Ed Butler (1961-64) holds the Ball State career record with 1,231 rebounds.
Last Time Out . . .
Ball State suffered a hard fought 65-64 loss at Bowling Green Wednesday in a battle of 6-3 Mid-American Conference teams ... The Cardinals committed 18 turnovers in the loss against the BGSU pressure and zone action ... Ball State connected on 41.1 percent (23-of-56) from the field but hit just 26.3 percent (5-of-19) from long range, including just two of its final 16 three-point attempts.
Ball State had two players post double-doubles in the victory as junior forward Jarrod Jones and senior forward Malik Perry each accomplished the task ... It marked the first time BSU has had two players with double dips in a game since November 19, 2008 (Jones & Anthony Newell vs. Butler) ... Jones posted his 19th career double-double with a game-high 15 points and 14 rebounds while Perry posted his first of his career with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
The two double-doubles helped the Cardinals hold a 40-32 edge on the glass, including a MAC season-high 14 offensive rebounds ... Freshman guard Tyrae Robinson added a career-high 12 points off the bench, including his first career three-pointer ... Robinson is just the fourth Cardinal this season to tally a three-pointer.
Bond, Chris Bond . . .
Freshman forward Chris Bond has seen his playing time almost quadruple over the past 16 games ... Bond averaged 5.4 minutes per game in the first five games of his career and has averaged 22.5 minutes per game over the last 16 games ... His increased playing time has also seen a jump in his production as he is averaging 8.5 points and 4.8 rebounds over the past 15 games ... Since the DePaul game, Bond is shooting 63.0 percent (58-of-92) from the field ... He scored a career-high 14 points at Miami as he was 6-of-9 from the field while grabbing a team-high eight rebounds.
Clutch Down The Stretch . . .
Ball State has gone to the free throw line more than any other team in the Mid-American Conference and that has been evident in the final five minutes of games ... The Cardinals have converted 131-of-169 (77.5%) in the final five minutes of games ... Conversely, opponents have hit just 86-of-126 (68.3%) ... Junior guard Randy Davis has been especially strong from the line in the closing minutes as he is shooting 88.4 percent (61-of-69) while Jauwan Scaife has hit 18-of-21 (85.7%) and junior Jarrod Jones has connected on 22-of-33 (66.7%).
Turning Up The Defense . . .
Ball State continues its defensive dominance under fourth-year head coach Billy Taylor ... The Cardinals are first in the Mid-American Conference in scoring defense (62.7) and three-point defense (.311) while placing fourth in field goal defense (.415) ... Ball State is currently 45th in the NCAA Division I in scoring defense, 105th in field goal percentage defense and 49th in the nation in three-point field goal defense.
Ball State led the MAC in scoring defense last year (62.4), field goal percentage defense (.400) and three-point percentage defense (.312).
Getting To The Line . . .
Ball State ranks fifth in the Mid-American Conference in free throw percentage connecting on 69.6 percent (419-of-602) ... The Cardinals have been to the line 602 times this season, the most in the MAC and 88 more than second place Ohio (514 in 24 games) ... Ball State goes to the free throw line 26.17 times per game this season, which also leads the MAC ... The Cardinals 26.2 free throw attempts per game rank 11th in all of the NCAA Division I this season.
In MAC play, the Cardinals have connected on 177-of-243 from the line (72.8%) ... The Cardinals' 177 made free throws rank first with Ohio second in the league with 158 free throws made.
Comparing W's vs. L's . . .
Ball State has won 14 games this season by an average of 15.1 points per game while its eight losses have been by an average of 11.6 points per game ... In the 14 wins, Ball State has four different players averaging double figures in Jarrod Jones (16.0), Jauwan Scaife (13.3), Randy Davis (11.1) and Jesse Berry (10.0) ... In its losses, BSU only has one player averaging double figures in Jones at 12.9 points per game ... Scaife is the next highest scorer at 9.2 points per game.
W's -- L's
Scoring Off. 73.3 -- 58.2
Scoring Def. 58.2 -- 69.8
Field Goal % .487 -- .394
Field Goal % Def. .383 -- .468
3-Pt Field Goal % .353 -- .310
3-Pt Field Goal % Def. .276 -- .359
Rebounding Off. 35.2 -- 31.9
Rebounding Def. 32.3 -- 33.2
Assists Per Game 14.9 -- 11.9
Turnover Margin +2.0 -- -1.4
Assist/Turnover Ratio 1.1 -- 0.9
Steals/Game 7.1 4.6
Cardinals In MAC Stats . . .
Ball State are in the top three in eight different Mid-American Conference team statistical categories ... The Cardinals lead the league in scoring defense (62.7) and three-point field goal defense (.311) ... Ball State places second in field goal percentage (.450) and rebounding defense (32.7) ... The Cardinals also rank third in the MAC in scoring margin (+4.7), rebounding margin (+1.3) and defensive rebounds (24.00). Ball State has three players ranked in the top 30 in scoring in the MAC with junior forward Jarrod Jones leading the way ranking ninth in the league (14.8) ... Sophomore guard Jauwan Scaife is 20th (11.7) and junior guard Randy Davis is 26th (10.1).
Davis leads the MAC in free throw percentage (.868) and is second in the MAC in assists at 5.48 per game ... He is also fifth in the league in assist/turnover ratio (1.85) and eighth in steals (1.57) ... Scaife is third in the MAC in free throw percentage at .838, eighth in three-point percentage at .398 and 11th in three-pointers made at 1.78 per game ... Jones is second in the MAC in rebounding at 8.5 boards per game and seventh in field goal percentage at .512.
ESPNU BracketBusters . . .
Ball State will participate in the ninth annual ESPNU BracketBusters event February 19 as it travels to face 2010 NCAA Tournament participant Wofford in Spartansburg, S.C. ... Game is set for 7 p.m. at the Benjamin Johnson Arena.
Home, Sweet Home . . .
The Cardinals have played 283 games all-time at Worthen Arena since it opened January 15, 1992 (previously named University Arena) ... Ball State owns a 205-78 all-time record at Worthen Arena and has won 72.0 percent of its games at home ... The Cardinals have posted an 8-3 record this season at Worthen with wins over Eastern Illinois, Indiana State, Mount St. Joseph, North Carolina A&T, SIU Edwardsville, Western Michigan, Central Michigan and Buffalo ... The Cardinals' 7-0 start to the home season is the best start to a home season since the 2004-05 campaign when the Cardinals opened the year 9-0 at Worthen Arena.
Last season, the Cardinals posted an 11-6 record at home, including a 6-3 mark during non-conference play ... The Cardinals have averaged over 10 wins a season at home at Worthen Arena.
MAC Weekly Honors . . .
Ball State has earned three Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week honors this season ... Junior forward Jarrod Jones was named Jan.10 and Dec. 13 while classmate Randy Davis picked up the accolades Jan. 24
Jones has also earned two MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week honors this season ... He owns a 3.291 GPA in telecommunications and picked up the weekly honors for all sports the weeks of Dec. 6-12 and Dec. 27-Jan. 2
Double Trouble . . .
Junior forward Jarrod Jones leads the Cardinals with eight double-doubles on the season ... Jones has tallied double dips against Eastern Illinois (twice), Indiana State, Alaska-Anchorage, DePaul, SIU Edwardsville, Northern Illinois, Toledo and Bowling Green ... He is second in the Mid-American Conference behind Eastern Michigan's Brandon Bowdry (11) and is 29th in the NCAA Division I ... Jones has posted 19 double-doubles in his career.
Junior guard Randy Davis posted his first career double-double with an 11-point, 11-assist effort against Southern Utah ... Davis becomes the first Cardinal to post a point/assist double-double since 2006 when Maurice Acker posted 15 points and 10 rebounds at Buffalo (1/18/06).
Lending A Helping Hand . . .
Junior guard Randy Davis has tallied 126 assists this season and has only committed 68 turnovers ... His 126 assists are second in the Mid-American Conference this season ... He currently ranks 28th in the NCAA in assists per game at 5.5 and his assist/turnover ratio is 114th in the country (1.94)
He handed out a game-high eight assists against Eastern Illinois ... He followed that up with a nine-assist effort against Indiana State ... He also dished out nine helpers against St. John's in the Great Alaska Shootout before setting a career-high with 11 assists against Southern Utah ... He reached nine assists for the third time this year against Mount St. Joseph.
BSU MAC West Favorites . . .
Ball State was selected as the preseason favorite to win the Mid-American Conference West Division according to the preseason poll conducted by members of the MAC Media News Association ... The Cardinals are under the direction of fourth-year head coach Billy Taylor and are preseason favorites to claim the MAC West Division for the first time since the 2002-03 season.
The Cardinals received 124 total votes, including 12 first place votes, to out-distance second place pick Central Michigan by two votes (122, 8) ... In the East Division, Ohio has been selected as the preseason favorite with 128 total votes and 12 first place selections ... The Bobcats have also been selected to win the 2011 MAC Tournament with 10 of 24 votes.
Last year in MAC play, the Cardinals posted an 8-8 overall record ... Guard Randy Davis had a breakout MAC campaign last year as he led the team in scoring at 13.2 points per game while handing out 55 assists ... He connected on 48.4 percent (31-of-64) from three-point land and 83.6 percent (56-of-67) from the free throw line against conference foes ... Forward Jarrod Jones averaged 10.2 points per game and a team-high 7.5 rebounds per contest in MAC play ... Guard Jauwan Scaife chipped in 10.2 points per game and hit 24-of-65 (36.9%) from long range.
Davis: Cousy Award Candidate . . .
Junior guard Randy Davis has been named one of 66 candidates for the 2011 Bob Cousy Award the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. ... The annual award, named for Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic Bob Cousy, recognizes college basketball's top point guard ... This original list of candidates will be narrowed down to a final 20 in January, the final 10 by February 3 and final five by March 3.
Jones Earns MAC Honors . . .
Junior forward Jarrod Jones was selected as preseason All-Mid-American Conference West Division by the league's head coaches ... Jones earned All-MAC and All-Region accolades last year as he led the team in scoring at 12.2 points per game and rebounding at 7.4 rebounds per contest ... He has led the Cardinals in scoring and rebounding since he stepped on campus after being named MAC Freshman of the Year in the 2008-09 season.
Taylor Names Team Captains . . .
Head coach Billy Taylor has named team co-captains for the 2010-11 season in senior forward Malik Perry and junior guard Randy Davis ... Perry is entering his fourth year with the program and has already played 85 games in his career, with 68 starts ... Davis took over the starting point guard position last season and made 29 starts while averaging 10.3 points per game.
Looking Ahead . . .
Ball State returns to Mid-American Conference West Division play Tuesday night as it hosts Toledo at 7 p.m. ... The Cardinals posted a 70-60 victory over the Rockets in the first meeting.
