Ball State University Athletics
Men's Hoops Travels To Western Michigan Wednesday On BSSN
February 28, 2011 | Men's Basketball
What's On Tap . . .
Ball State wraps up the final road game of the 2010-11 regular season Wednesday night as the Cardinals travel to Kalamazoo, Mich., for a Mid-American Conference showdown against Western Michigan ... Game time is set for 7 p.m. ... The Cardinals and Broncos enter the game tied atop the MAC West Division with a 9-5 league record ... The winner of Wednesday's contest can clinch at least a share of the MAC West Division and if the Cardinals win they will clinch at least the number two seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament ... Western Michigan cannot clinch the number two seed Wednesday as the Cardinals still own the second tiebreaker due to divisional records.
Wednesday's game will be televised by the Ball State Sports Network (BSSN) with Jerry Peirson and Vince Welch providing the call ... Affiliates for the game include WIPB-Muncie, WTTV-Indianapolis (4.2), WTTK-Kokomo (29.2), WNDA-Jeffersonville, Hometown Sports-Hamilton County (tape delay), Comcast Channel 83-Indianapolis/Fort Wayne (tape delay) and WJTS 18-Jasper (tape delay) ... The game will also be broadcast on 104.1 WLBC FM with Morry Mannies and David Eha providing the call.
Jones Named MAC West Player Of The Week . . .
For the third time this season and the sixth time in his career, junior forward Jarrod Jones was named the Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week ... Jones helped the Cardinals to back-to-back MAC victories over Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan, which kept Ball State tied atop the MAC West Division standings with a 9-5 record ... He averaged a double-double of 14.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in the two victories as the Cardinals improved to 8-0 this season against divisional foes.
Jones opened the weekend with his 10th double-double of the season and 20th of his career with 18 points and 14 rebounds against the Eagles ... He followed that performance up with an 11-point, seven-rebound effort at Central Michigan as he helped the Cardinals rally from a 23-point second half deficit ... He gave the Cardinals their first lead of the game at 50-49 after they trailed 42-19 in the second half.
Season Series Sweeps . . .
Ball State entered the 2010-11 season without a season series sweep of any team under head coach Billy Taylor ... The Cardinals last posted a season series sweep in 2004-05 when they took two from both Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan.
So far this season, Ball State has posted four season series sweeps, including three in Mid-American Conference play ... The Cardinals have swept Eastern Illinois in the non-conference as well as MAC West Division foes Toledo, Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan ... The Cardinals' four season series sweeps are the most since the 1997-98 season when Ball State swept five times in Western Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Ohio and Marshall.
17 Wins & Counting . . .
Ball State enters Wednesday's game with a 17-11 overall record marking the Cardinals' first season of at least 17 wins since posting a 23-12 record in 2001-02 ... The Cardinals are also guaranteed of their first winning record since the 2004-05 season (15-14) ... Ball State has now posted three straight seasons of at least 14 wins and the two straight years reaching 15 wins (15-15 in 2009-10).
Additionally, the Cardinals own an 9-5 record in Mid-American Conference play ... The nine MAC wins have already surpassed last year's MAC win total (8-8) ... Ball State has not won more than eight league games in a season since posting a 10-8 record in 2004-05.
Improbable Comeback . . .
Ball State improved to 17-11 overall and 9-5 in Mid-American Conference play with an unbelievable comeback Saturday night at Central Michigan ... The Cardinals rallied from a 23-point second half deficit to post a 65-58 victory over the Chippewas to improve to 8-0 this season against the MAC West Division ... The Cardinals out-scored Central Michigan 46-24 in the second half, including a 46-16 run over the final 17:40 of the game after trailing 42-19 ... Ball State shot a blistering 76.2 percent (16-of-21) from the field in the second half and 66.7 percent (4-of-6) from long range to aid the monstrous comeback ... The Cardinals posted a 19-6 rebounding edge in the second half and only committed three turnovers in the comeback.
Freshman guard Jesse Berry led the comeback as he had a phenomenal second half performance scoring 17 points off the bench ... Berry connected on 6-of-9 from the field and 2-of-4 from three-point land to spark the attack as he was one of four Cardinals in double figures.
Junior guard Randy Davis shook off a tough first half due to foul trouble and added 13 points, 11 of which came in the second half ... Davis scored eight points in the final 3:30 of the game to secure the victory as he nailed two straight three-pointers in the clutch ... Freshman guard Tyrae Robinson added 11 points and six assists off the bench as he shot 3-of-4 from the field and 5-of-8 from the charity stripe ... Junior forward Jarrod Jones rounded out the Cardinals in double figures scoring with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Divisional Records . . .
The Mid-American Conference tiebreakers for the 2011 MAC Tournament have a new twist this season ... The first tiebreaker for tournament seeding is head-to-head matchups while the second tiebreaker is now a team's divisional record ... This marks the first year that divisional record will help decide tournament seeding ... In years past, the second tiebreaker was record against ranked teams (regardless of division) ... Ball State enters Wednesday's game leading the MAC West with a 8-0 divisional record while Western Michigan owns a 6-2 mark against MAC West foes.
MAC Tournament . . .
The 2011 Mid-American Conference Tournament begins Tuesday, March 8 with the first round games at campus sites while the tournament continues in Cleveland, Ohio March 10-12 at the Quicken Loans Arena ... The two division winners and the next two higher ranked teams regardless of division receive first round byes and advance to Cleveland the for the MAC Tournament quarterfinals.
If the season ended today, Ball State would be the number two seed in the tournament as leader in the MAC West Division, edging out WMU due to head-to-head tiebreaker and divisional records ... The seeds would fall as follows:
1.) Miami (10-4)
2.) Ball State (9-5)
3.) Kent State (10-4)
4.) Akron (9-5)
5.) Western Michigan (9-5)
6.) Ohio (8-6)
7.) Bowling Green (7-7)
8.) Buffalo (7-7)
9.) Central Michigan (6-8)
10.) Northern Illinois (4-10)
11.) Eastern Michigan (4-10)
12.) Toledo (1-13)
Series History vs. WMU . . .
Wednesday's game marks the 113th meeting all-time between Ball State and Western Michigan ... The series is tied 56-56 as the teams have split the season series the past two years ... Ball State is just 18-35 all-time against the Broncos in Kalamazoo, including five straight losses at University Arena ... The Cardinals last won in Kalamazoo January 22, 2005 with a 66-65 victory over the Broncos.
The Cardinals took the first meeting of the year as they posted a 72-63 victory over the Broncos January 12 at Worthen Arena ... Three different Cardinals scored in double figures with freshman guard Jesse Berry leading the way with 15 points despite playing just 15 minutes due to foul trouble ... Berry hit 5-of-6 from the field, including four first half three-pointers as he helped ignite Ball State to a 27-5 first half run to take the lead for good as BSU led for the final 28:50 of the contest.
Ball State finished the game shooting 50.0 percent (21-of-42) from the field and 55.6 percent (5-of-9) from three-point land ... The Cardinals dominated the charity stripe once again as they hit 25-of-35 (71.4%) compared to Western Michigan's 14 free throw attempts.
Sophomore guard Jauwan Scaife scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds ... Scaife hit 3-of-8 from the field and was 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the victory ... Junior forward Jarrod Jones chipped in 12 points as he was 5-of-11 form the field and while senior forward Malik Perry added nine points and five rebounds as eight different Cardinals scored at least four points.
Western Michigan was held to just 39.3 percent (24-of-61) shooting from the field and only 25.0 percent (4-of-16) from long range ... The Broncos were led by Flenard Whitfield's 15 points while Matt Stainbrook posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Scouting Ball State . . .
Ball State enters Wednesday's game with a 17-11 overall record and a 9-5 mark in Mid-American Conference play ... The Cardinals have won three straight MAC games and are 8-0 this season against MAC West Division foes ... Ball State is averaging 67.2 points per game this season while allowing 62.6 points per game ... The Cardinals are shooting 44.8 percent (628-of-1402) from the field and 33.7 percent (123-of-365) from long range ... Opponents are shooting 41.4 percent (629-of-1518) from the field and 32.1 percent (167-of-521) from long range.
Junior forward Jarrod Jones leads the Cardinals in scoring at 14.8 points per game and on the glass at 8.4 rebounds per game ... Jones is connecting on 51.5 percent (159-of-309) from the field this season ... Sophomore guard Jauwan Scaife is second on the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game ... Scaife leads the team from long range as he is shooting 40 percent (50-of-125).
Junior guard Randy Davis is third on the team in scoring at 10.1 points per game ... Davis leads the team with 149 assists and is shooting a MAC best 86.9 percent (113-of-130) from the charity stripe ... Freshman guard Jesse Berry chips in 8.0 points per game and is second on the team with 37 three-pointers ... Freshman forward Chris Bond adds 7.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while senior forward Malik Perry adds 5.8 caroms per contest.
Scouting Western Michigan . . .
Western Michigan enters Wednesday's game with a 17-11 overall record and a 9-5 mark in Mid-American Conference play ... The Broncos have won seven of their last nine games, including back-to-back wins over Toledo and Eastern Michigan ... Western Michigan is averaging 72.0 points per game while allowing opponents to score 69.0 points per game ... The Broncos are shooting 44.3 percent (725-of-1636) from the field and 34.5 percent (164-of-476) from three-point land ... Opponents are shooting 43.3 percent (696-of-1607) from the field and 36.3 percent (173-of-476) from long range.
Guard Demetrius Ward leads the Broncos in scoring at 14.6 points per game and leads the team with 56 three-pointers ... Forward Flenard Whitfield is second on the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game and leads the team on the glass at 6.2 rebounds per game ... Juwan Howard Jr. is third on the team at 9.1 points per game while Matt Stainbrook chips in 8.8 points and 6.0 caroms per game ... Mike Douglas leads the team with 141 assists.
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 22nd all-time in scoring in BSU history with 1,127 points ... He just past Jack Cross (1,102) for 22nd all-time and is seven points behind John Lee (1,134) for 21st all-time.
Jones has also led the Cardinals in rebounding since he stepped on campus and leads the team once again this year averaging 8.4 rebounds per game ... Jones has grabbed 685 career rebounds which places him eighth all-time in the BSU history ... He just past Lonnie Jones (678) for sole possession of eighth place ... Ed Butler (1961-64) holds the Ball State career record with 1,231 rebounds.
Bond, Chris Bond . . .
Freshman forward Chris Bond has been steadily on the rise for the Cardinals as the season progresses ... Bond has moved into the starting lineup the past nine games and his play has jumped once again ... He is averaging 10.6 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game in his eight starts ... During that stretch he is shooting 61.3 percent (38-of-62) from the field ... On the season, he is averaging 7.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game ... He is shooting 59.9 percent (82-of-137) from the field on the year which ranks second in the Mid-American Conference.
Converting Freebies . . .
Junior guard Randy Davis leads the Mid-American Conference in free throw percentage at 86.9 percent as he has converted 113-of-130 from the charity stripe ... Davis currently ranks 35th in the NCAA Division I in free throw percentage, trailing Chris Warren at Mississippi (93.7%) ... His 86.9 percent clip is the second highest in a single season in Ball State history trailing Larry Bullington's 1971-72 mark of 88.2 percent (142-of-161).
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 151-of-199 (76.6%) in the final five minutes of games ... Conversely, opponents have hit just 106-of-158 (67.1%) ... Junior guard Randy Davis has been especially strong from the line in the closing minutes as he is shooting 89.2 percent (66-of-74) while Jauwan Scaife has hit 25-of-29 (86.2%) and junior Jarrod Jones has connected on 25-of-39 (64.1%).
Turning Up The Defense . . .
Ball State continues its defensive dominance under fourth-year head coach Billy Taylor ... The Cardinals are second in the Mid-American Conference in scoring defense (62.6), three-point defense (.321) and fourth in field goal defense (.414) ... Ball State is currently 46th in the NCAA Division I in scoring defense, 118th in field goal percentage defense and 58th 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 70.1 percent (504-of-719) ... The Cardinals have been to the line 719 times this season, the most in the MAC and 80 more than second place Ohio (639) ... Ball State goes to the free throw line 25.7 times per game this season, which also leads the MAC ... The Cardinals 25.7 free throw attempts per game ranks 19th in all of the NCAA Division I this season.
In MAC play, the Cardinals have connected on 249-of-343 from the line (72.6%) ... The Cardinals' 324 free throws rank first with Ohio second in the league with305 free throws attempted.
Comparing W's vs. L's . . .
Ball State has won 17 games this season by an average of 14.9 points per game while its 11 losses have been by an average of 11.3 points per game ... In the 17 wins, Ball State has three different players averaging double figures in Jarrod Jones (15.7), Jauwan Scaife (12.9), and Randy Davis (11.0) ... In its losses, BSU only has one player averaging double figures in Jones at 13.5 points per game ... Scaife is the next highest scorer at 9.2 points per game.
W's -- L's
Scoring Off. 72.8 -- 58.6
Scoring Def. 57.9 -- 69.9
Field Goal % .481 -- .399
Field Goal % Def. .388 -- .456
3-Pt Field Goal % .349 -- .316
3-Pt Field Goal % Def. .289 -- .361
Rebounding Off. 35.6 -- 32.5
Rebounding Def. 31.4 -- 33.8
Assists Per Game 14.8 -- 11.8
Turnover Margin +2.1 -- -2.0
Assist/Turnover Ratio 1.1 -- 0.9
Steals/Game 7.3 -- 4.3
Cardinals In MAC Stats . . .
Ball State are in the top three in seven different Mid-American Conference team statistical categories ... The Cardinals lead the league in scoring defense (62.6) ... Ball State places second in field goal percentage (.448), field goal percentage defense (.414), three-point field goal defense (.321) and rebounding defense (32.4) ... The Cardinals also rank third in the MAC rebounding margin (+2.0) and scoring margin (+4.6).
Ball State has three players ranked in the top 30 in scoring in the MAC with junior forward Jarrod Jones leading the way ranking eighth in the league (14.8) ... Sophomore guard Jauwan Scaife is 22nd (11.4) and junior guard Randy Davis is 27th (10.1).
Davis leads the MAC in free throw percentage (.869) and is second in the MAC in assists at 5.32 per game ... He is also fifth in the league in assist/turnover ratio (1.75) and 11th in steals (1.39) ... Freshman Chris Bond is second in the MAC in field goal percentage at 59.9 percent.
Scaife is third in the MAC in free throw percentage at .844, ninth in three-point percentage at .400 and 12th in three-pointers made at 1.79 per game ... Jones is second in the MAC in rebounding at 8.4 boards per game and eighth in field goal percentage at .515.
Five-Finger Discount . . .
The Cardinals forced Mid-American Conference foe Toledo into 24 turnovers as they notched a season-high 15 steals ... Ball State turned the Rockets' miscues into 26 points off turnovers ... The Cardinals' 15 steals are the most since March 4, 2006 against Eastern Michigan ... The 15 steals are the most for a MAC team this season in conference play.
Freshman forward Chris Bond posted a career-high five steals while guard Jauwan Scaife added a career-high four steals.
Home, Sweet Home . . .
The Cardinals have played 285 games all-time at Worthen Arena since it opened January 15, 1992 (previously named University Arena) ... Ball State owns a 207-78 all-time record at Worthen Arena and has won 72.6 percent of its games at home ... The Cardinals have posted an 10-3 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, Buffalo, Toledo and Eastern Michigan ... 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.
Double Trouble . . .
Junior forward Jarrod Jones leads the Cardinals with 10 double-doubles on the season ... Jones has tallied double dips against Eastern Illinois (twice), Indiana State, Alaska-Anchorage, DePaul, SIU Edwardsville, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan ... He is second in the Mid-American Conference behind Eastern Michigan's Brandon Bowdry (13) and is 29th in the NCAA Division I ... Jones has posted 20 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).
Senior Malik Perry posted his first career double-double against Bowling Green with 10 points and 11 rebounds ... Perry combined with Jones for the Cardinals' first multiple double-double game since November 18, 2008 ... That day, Jones and Anthony Newell each recorded double-doubles against Butler.
Freshman forward Chris Bond became the fourth different Cardinal this season to post a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds against Toledo ... The Cardinals are one of just two teams in the MAC that has had four players double dip this season (Central Michigan).
Lending A Helping Hand . . .
Junior guard Randy Davis has tallied 149 assists this season and has only committed 85 turnovers ... His 149 assists are second in the Mid-American Conference this season ... He currently ranks 36th in the NCAA in assists per game at 5.44 and his assist/turnover ratio is 157th in the country (1.75)
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 ... He posted his fourth nine-assist game of the year against Toledo.
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.
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.
Looking Ahead . . .
Ball State closes out the 2010-11 regular season Saturday afternoon as it hosts Northern Illinois at 2 p.m. ... The Cardinals will recognize their senior class prior to the game in Malik Perry and Adrian Tucker.
