Ball State University Athletics
Men's Hoops Heads To Cleveland For MAC Tournament Thursday
March 10, 2011 | Men's Basketball
What's On Tap . . .
Ball State enters the 2011 FirstEnergy Mid-American Conference Tournament as the fourth seed and earned a bye in the first round ... The Cardinals will open tournament play Thursday night as they face fifth-seeded Ohio at 9:30 p.m. at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
Ball State earned the fourth seed courtesy of an 18-12 overall record and a 10-6 mark in MAC play as it finished second in the MAC West Division, a game behind Western Michigan ... Ohio finished just out of the top four and an automatic first round bye as it posted a 17-14 overall record and a 9-7 mark in MAC play to finish in third place in the MAC East Division ... Toledo posted a 4-27 overall record and a 1-15 mark in MAC play to earn the 12th seed as the sixth-place team in the MAC West Division.
MAC Tournament History . . .
Ball State is making its 30th appearance all-time in the Mid-American Conference Tournament this season ... The Cardinals are tied with Miami and Eastern Michigan for the most MAC Tournament appearances ... Ball State is 36-23 all-time in MAC Tournament history, with its 36 victories the most of any team in league history ... The Cardinals have advanced to the MAC Tournament Semifinals 19 times in program history and have made the MAC Tournament Final nine times ... Ball State owns the most MAC Tournament Championships with seven, including titles in 1981, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995 and 2000.
The Cardinals have earned a first-round bye for the second time in the past three years as they were the second seed in the 2009 MAC Tournament ... Ball State has faced 12 different teams in MAC Tournament history ... The Cardinals are 4-0 all-time against Central Michigan, 2-0 against Marshall, 1-0 against Akron, 4-1 against Western Michigan, 3-1 against Kent State, 6-2 against Ohio, 5-2 against Toledo, 5-4 against Miami, 2-2 against Northern Illinois, 3-5 against Eastern Michigan, 1-4 against Bowling Green and 0-2 against Buffalo.
Ball State will player either No. 5 Ohio or No. 12 Toledo in quarterfinal play after the Bobcats and Rockets meet Tuesday night in Athens ... The Cardinals and Bobcats have met eight times in MAC Tournament play with Ball State owning a 6-2 record ... The two teams played last season in a first round contest in Muncie with Ohio taking home an 85-77 overtime victory ... The Cardinals have only met Ohio one time during the MAC's 11 years in Cleveland as Ball State defeated Ohio 70-67 during the 2000 MAC Tournament ... Ball State and Toledo have met seven times in tournament play with the Cardinals owning a 5-2 record against the Rockets ... Ball State last played Toledo in the MAC Tournament in 2000 with a 64-63 victory over the Rockets in the quarterfinal round.
Cardinals All-Time In Cleveland . . .
The 2011 Mid-American Conference Tournament is in its 12th season in Cleveland, Ohio at the Quicken Loans Arena ... Ball State is advancing to Cleveland for the ninth time in tournament history ... The Cardinals own a 6-6 record all-time in the Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena (formerly Gund Arena) ... Ball State won the first ever MAC Tournament in Cleveland, sweeping three games in 2000 to claim the title ... The Cardinals have also posted wins in 2001, 2002 and 2009 in Cleveland.
Series History Vs. Ohio . . .
Ball State and Ohio have met 71 times in program history with the Cardinals trailing the all-time series by a 39-32 margin ... Last year, the Cardinals claimed a 69-67 victory in Athens during the regular season, only to see Ohio post an 85-77 overtime victory in Muncie in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Earlier this year, Ohio posted a 61-60 victory over the Cardinals in Muncie ... Junior forward Jarrod Jones scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench as he hit 10-of-19 from the field ... Junior guard Randy Davis added 11 points and six assists as the Cardinals had just two players reach double figures.
Ball State connected on 47.1 percent (24-of-51) from the field but hit just 50 percent (8-of-16) from the free throw line ... The Cardinals also committed 17 turnovers in the loss ... Ohio connected on just 36.7 percent (18-of-49) from the field but hit 90.5 percent (19-of-21) from the charity stripe.
DeVaughn Washington led three Bobcats in double figures as he scored a team-high 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting form the field ... Nick Kellogg added 11 points while Tommy Freeman chipped in 10 points ... Ivo Baltic grabbed 12 rebounds to give Ohio a 36-30 edge on the glass.
Series History Vs. Toledo . . .
Ball State and Toledo have met 80 times in program history with the Cardinals trailing the all-time series by a 41-39 margin ... Ball State swept the season series this year against the Rockets, including its first win in Toledo since 2002 ... The Cardinals boasted a 70-60 victory over the Rockets on the road before claiming the series sweep with an 83-62 victory in Worthen Arena.
Junior guard Randy Davis averaged 17.0 points and 8.0 assists per game against the Rockets ... Davis scored a season-high 25 points at Toledo as he hit 14-of-14 free throws ... Sophomore guard Jauwan Scaife averaged 15.0 points per game while junior forward Jarrod Jones averaged 13.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in the two contests.
Freshman forward Chris Bond scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the second game of the season series ... Toledo was led by Malcolm Griffin who averaged 19.0 points in the two losses while Reese Holliday chipped in 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds against the Cardinals.
Scouting Ball State . . .
Ball State enters the 2011 Mid-American Conference Tournament as the fourth seed with an 18-12 overall record and a 10-6 league mark ... The Cardinals won three out of their last four games to close out the regular season and finished the year with a 9-1 record against the MAC West Division ... Ball State is averaging 67.3 points per game this season while allowing 63.2 points per game ... The Cardinals are shooting 44.8 percent (675-of-1508) from the field this year and 33.7 percent (136-of-404) from long range ... Opponents are shooting 42.0 percent (684-of-1627) from the field and 32.9 percent (183-of-557) from three-point land.
Junior forward Jarrod Jones leads the team in scoring at 14.6 points per game and leads the team on the glass at 8.4 boards per game ... Jones is connecting on 51.1 percent (168-of-329) from the field this season ... Sophomore guard Jauwan Scaife is second on the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game ... Scaife leads the team with 54 three-pointers and is shooting 40.3 percent (54-of-134) from deep.
Junior guard Randy Davis is third on the team in scoring at 9.8 points per game ... Davis leads the team with 153 assists and 44 steals while also pacing the squad at the charity stripe hitting 87.3 percent (117-of-134) ... Freshman guard Jesse Berry chips in 8.3 points per game and has hit 43 three-pointers while freshman forward Chris Bond adds 7.4 points per game.
Scouting Ohio . . .
Ohio enters the 2011 Mid-American Conference Tournament with a 17-14 overall record and a 9-7 mark as the fifth seed ... The Bobcats will host Toledo Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in Athens with the winner advancing to Cleveland ... Ohio is averaging 74.8 points per game while allowing 73.2 points per game ... The Bobcats are shooting 43.9 percent (795-of-1809) from the field and 36.3 percent (238-of-656) from long range ... Opponents are shooting 44.8 percent (783-of-1748) from the field and 36.0 percent (210-of-583) from three-point land.
Guard D.J. Cooper leads the team in scoring at 16.5 points per game ... Cooper leads the team and the MAC with 230 assists while also posting 71 steals ... Forward DeVaughn Washington is second on the team in scoring at 12.7 points per game and grabs 5.4 rebounds per game.
Guard Tommy Freeman is third on the team in scoring at 11.3 points per game ... Freeman is one of three Bobcats with at least 56 three-pointers as he leads the team with 88 on the year ... Forward Ivo Baltic rounds out the double figure scorers with 11.2 points per game while leading the team with 5.8 rebounds per game.
Scouting Toledo . . .
Toledo enters the Mid-American Conference Tournament as the 12th seed with a 4-27 overall record and a 1-15 mark in league play ... The Rockets have dropped 13 straight games heading into Tuesday's first round game at Ohio ... Toledo is averaging 57.9 points per game while allowing 70.1 points per game ... The Rockets are shooting 40.7 percent (615-of-1510) from the field and 32.4 percent (165-of-510) from three-point land ... Opponents are shooting 45.1 percent (766-of-1697) from the field and 36.1 percent (256-of-710) from long range.
Guard Malcolm Griffin leads the team in scoring at 12.4 points per game ... Griffin leads the team with 120 assists and 42 steals while placing second with 33 three-pointers ... Reese Holliday is second on the team in scoring at 10.5 points per game while leading the team with 6.6 rebounds per game ... Anthony Wright leads the team with 44 three-pointers while Delino Dear adds 8.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
Young Guns . . .
Ball State has relied heavily on its freshman class this season with four freshmen, Jesse Berry, Chris Bond, Tyrae Robinson and Matt Kamieniecki, playing pivotal roles on the team ... All four have played in at least 21 games and each has started a game for the Cardinals.
Berry has played in all 30 games with 10 starts on the year as he averages 8.3 points per game and 23.2 minutes per game ... Berry is second on the team with 43 three-pointers ... He has picked up his play down the stretch averaging 14.3 points per game in the Cardinals final three games of the year ... He connected on 8-of-18 (44.4%) from long range in the three games.
Bond has moved into the starting lineup and has made 11 straight starts entering the Mid-American Conference Tournament ... He is averaging 7.4 points per game and 4.4 rebounds per contest on the year ... In his 11 starts, he is averaging 9.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 59.4 percent (41-of-69) from the field.
Robinson has played in 28 straight games with two starts on the year as the backup point guard ... He averages 17.1 minutes per game and is second on the team with 62 assists ... Kamieniecki has battled through two injuries this season to play in 21 games ... He averages 2.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game for the Cardinals while providing a spark of energy off the bench.
By The Numbers . . .
Ball State owns an 11-3 record at home this season while boasting a 6-8 mark on the road ... The Cardinals are also 13-2 this season when they lead or are tied at half while they are 5-10 when trailing at the break ... Ball State is 12-3 when shooting 45 percent or better from the field and are 15-6 when holding opponents under 70 points ... Additionally, the Cardinals are 12-1 this season when they register six or more steals.
18 Wins & Counting . . .
Ball State enters the Mid-American Conference Tournament with an 18-12 overall record marking the Cardinals' first season of at least 18 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) ... The Cardinals' 18 wins are tied for 13th all-time in program history.
Additionally, the Cardinals posted a 10-6 record in Mid-American Conference play ... The 10 MAC wins 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.
Senior Highlights . . .
Ball State's lone senior, Malik Perry, enters the Mid-American Conference Tournament with 115 career games played and 97 career starts ... Perry ranks ninth all-time in Ball State history in games played, tied with eight other players ... He also ranks 12th all-time in Ball State history with 606 rebounds.
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.
This season, Ball State has posted five season series sweeps, including four in Mid-American Conference play ... The Cardinals swept Eastern Illinois in the non-conference as well as MAC West Division foes Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan and Northern Illinois ... The Cardinals' five 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.
Improbable Comeback . . .
Ball State produced an unbelievable comeback at Central Michigan (Feb. 26) ... The Cardinals rallied from a 23-point second half deficit to post a 65-58 victory over the Chippewas ... 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.
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 21st all-time in scoring in BSU history with 1,151 points ... He just past John Lee (1,134) for 21st all-time and is 13 points out of the top 20 all-time scoring marks.
Jones has also led the Cardinals in rebounding since he stepped on campus and leads the team once again this year averaging 8.3 rebounds per game ... Jones has grabbed 701 career rebounds which places him seventh all-time in the BSU history ... He just past George Bradley (686) for sole possession of seventh place ... Ed Butler (1961-64) holds the Ball State career record with 1,231 rebounds.
Converting Freebies . . .
Junior guard Randy Davis leads the Mid-American Conference in free throw percentage at 87.3 percent as he has converted 117-of-134 from the charity stripe ... Davis currently ranks 29th in the NCAA Division I in free throw percentage, trailing Chris Warren at Mississippi (93.5%) ... His 87.3 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 157-of-209 (75.1%) in the final five minutes of games ... Conversely, opponents have hit just 106-of-159 (66.7%) ... 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%).
Comparing W's vs. L's . . .
Ball State has won 18 games this season by an average of 14.7 points per game while its 12 losses have been by an average of 11.7 points per game ... In the 18 wins, Ball State has four different players averaging double figures in Jarrod Jones (15.6), Jauwan Scaife (13.1), Randy Davis (10.6) and Jesse Berry (10.1) ... In its losses, BSU only has one player averaging double figures in Jones at 13.2 points per game ... Scaife is the next highest scorer at 9.4 points per game.
W's -- L's
Scoring Off. 72.5 -- 59.6
Scoring Def. 57.8 -- 71.3
Field Goal % .481 -- .400
Field Goal % Def. .388 -- .469
3-Pt Field Goal % .352 -- .312
3-Pt Field Goal % Def. .293 -- .374
Rebounding Off. 35.1 -- 32.1
Rebounding Def. 32.2 -- 33.5
Assists Per Game 14.9 -- 11.6
Turnover Margin +2.4 -- -1.6
Assist/Turnover Ratio 1.1 -- 0.9
Steals/Game 7.4 -- 4.3
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 (63.2), third in three-point defense (.329) and third in field goal defense (.420) ... Ball State is currently 52nd in the NCAA Division I in scoring defense, 116th in field goal percentage defense and 97th 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 69.3 percent (534-of-771) ... The Cardinals have been to the line 771 times this season, the most in the MAC and 87 more than second place Ohio (684) ... 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 16th in all of the NCAA Division I this season.
In MAC play, the Cardinals have connected on 279-of-395 from the line (70.6%) ... The Cardinals' 369 free throws attempted rank first with Ohio second in the league with 360 free throws attempted.
Cardinals In MAC Stats . . .
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 (14.6) ... Sophomore guard Jauwan Scaife is 20th (11.6) and junior guard Randy Davis is 29th (9.8).
Davis leads the MAC in free throw percentage (.873) and is second in the MAC in assists at 5.10 per game ... He is also fifth in the league in assist/turnover ratio (1.78) and ninth in steals (1.47) ... Freshman Chris Bond is second in the MAC in field goal percentage at 59.0 percent.
Scaife is fourth in the MAC in free throw percentage at .808, ninth in three-point percentage at .403 and 13th in three-pointers made at 1.80 per game ... Jones is second in the MAC in rebounding at 8.4 boards per game and eighth in field goal percentage at .511.
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 286 games all-time at Worthen Arena since it opened January 15, 1992 (previously named University Arena) ... Ball State owns a 208-78 all-time record at Worthen Arena and has won 72.7 percent of its games at home ... The Cardinals posted an 11-3 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, Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois ... 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 assists 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 153 assists this season and has only committed 86 turnovers ... His 153 assists are second in the Mid-American Conference this season ... He currently ranks 47th in the NCAA in assists per game at 5.11 and his assist/turnover ratio is 143rd in the country (1.78)
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.
Digital Guide Available Online . . .
The 2010-11 Ball State men's basketball digital guide is available online at www.ballstatesports.com ... The guide was produced by the BSU Athletics Media Relations Office and 180 Communications.
