Ball State University Athletics
Men's Hoops Travels To Central Michigan Wednesday
January 16, 2012 | Men's Basketball
What's On Tap . . .
Ball State will play four of its next five games on the road beginning with Wednesday night's contest at Mid-American Conference West Division co-leader Central Michigan ... The Cardinals, Chippewas, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan are all tied atop the MAC West with a 2-1 record through the first three games this season ... Wednesday's game time is set for 7 p.m. at McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant ... The game will be broadcast on 104.1 WLBC FM and online at www.ballstatesports.com with Morry Mannies and Jeff Weller providing the call ... The game will also be video streamed online at www.mac-sports.com.
Road Tripping With The Cardinals . . .
Wednesday's game marks the beginning stretch for the Cardinals in which they play four of their next five games on the road in Mid-American Conference play ... This is the first time since the 2006-07 season in which the Cardinals have faced a road stretch like this in MAC play.
Ball State is one of three league teams this season that will play four road games in a five-game stretch ... Central Michigan is currently in a such stretch as it played at Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois prior to Wednesday's home game ... The Chippewas hit the road for two straight after the game travelling to Western Michigan and Bowling Green ... Kent State also has a similar stretch as it plays at Ohio, Akron Toledo and Central Michigan while only hosting Northern Illinois in a five-game stretch.
Series History . . .
Wednesday's game marks the 84th meeting all-time between Ball State and Cental Michigan ... The Cardinals lead the all-time series by a 53-30 margin, including three straight wins in the series and wins in five out of the last six meetings ... Ball State is 18-24 all-time in Mount Pleasant ... Last season's victory on the road was the first in Mount Pleasant since the 2006-07 season.
Last season, the Cardinals posted a season-series sweep with a 65-58 victory in Mount Pleasant and a 64-55 victory in Muncie ... In the game at Central Michigan, the Cardinals rallied from a 23-point second half deficit to claim the seven-point victory ... Ball State out-scored the Chippewas 46-16 over the final 17:40 of the game as it shot 76.2 percent (16-of-21) from the field and 66.7 percent (4-of-6) from three-point land in the second half ... Guard Jesse Berry scored 17 second half points off the bench as he was 6-of-9 from the field ... Guard Randy Davis added 13 points, 11 in the second half including eight in the final 3:30 of the game ... Guard Tyrae Robinson chipped in 11 points and six assists in the second half off the bench.
The Cardinals posted a 64-55 victory over the Chippewas in Worthen Arena in the first game of the season series last year ... Six players scored at least seven points in the BSU victory with forward Jarrod Jones and Davis pacing the attack with 10 points each ... Berry and Robinson also added nine points apiece ... The Cardinals dominated play at the free throw line as they connected on 30-of-42 (71.4%) from the charity stripe while Central Michigan only hit 3-of-10 (30.%).
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.
Central Michigan is led by sixth-year head coach Ernie Zeigler ... Zeigler owns a 64-90 record during his first five years at the helm of the Chippewas.
Last Time Out . . .
Ball State suffered its first Mid-American Conference loss of the season and saw its 11-game home winning streak come to an end Saturday with a last-second 51-48 loss to Eastern Michigan ... . Eastern Michigan out-scored the Cardinals 12-3 in the final 5:41 of the contest, including the game-winning three-pointer by Antonio Green with 1.5 seconds left in the contest.
Senior forward Jarrod Jones collected his fifth double-double of the season in Saturday's setback, leading all players with 11 rebounds and tying for team-high honors with 11 points ... Also scoring double-figures was senior guard Randy Davis with 11 ... Eastern Michigan was led by Green who finished the game with 11 points, two shy of Quintin Dailey's game-high 13 points.
For the game, the Eastern Michigan defense limited the BSU offense to a 33.3 field goal percentage ... EMU connected for a 47.5 rate of success, including a 57.9 effort in the second half.
Behind The Numbers . . .
Ball State is 7-0 this season when it scores at least 70 points and was 14-4 last season when reaching the 70-point barrier ... The Cardinals are 10-2 this season when leading at the half with their only losses coming at No. 16 Arizona and Saturday against Eastern Michigan ... Last season, the Cardinals were 12-2 when leading at the half ... Ball State is a perfect 8-0 this season when it hands out 15 or more assists ... Last year, the Cardinals were 10-2 when reaching at least 15 assists.
Ball State is 10-2 this season when it hits more free throws in a game than its opponent ... The two exceptions are at IUPUI (17-16) and against EMU (17-8) ... The Cardinals are also 9-3 this season when senior forward Jarrod Jones leads the team in scoring.
Scouting The Cardinals . . .
Ball State enters Wednesday's game with a 10-5 overall record and a 2-1 mark in Mid-American Conference play ... The Cardinals had a four-game winning streak snapped Saturday against Eastern Michigan ... Ball State is averaging 65.9 points per game this season while leading the league in defense allowing just 58.1 points per game ... The Cardinals are shooting 43.3 percent (327-of-755) from the field and 32.5 percent (94-of-289) from three-point land ... Opponents are shooting 37.6 percent (303-of-806) from the field and 28.7 percent (83-of-289) from long range.
Senior forward Jarrod Jones leads the Cardinals in scoring at 17.8 points per game and on the glass at 8.5 rebounds per game ... Jones is shooting 55.6 percent (94-of-169) from the field and 82.0 percent (73-of-89) from the free throw line ... Sophomore guard Jesse Berry is second on the team in scoring at 10.0 points per game and leads the team with 23 three-pointers.
Senior guard Randy Davis leads the team with 90 assists and is third on the team in scoring at 8.5 points per game ... Sophomore forward Chris Bond is second on the team on the glass grabbing 4.7 rebounds per game while chipping in 6.7 points per game.
Scouting The Chippewas . . .
Central Michigan enters Wednesday's game with a 7-9 overall record and a 2-1 mark in Mid-American Conference play ... The Chippewas are coming off a 74-66 loss at Northern Illinois, the first Division I victory for the Huskies this season ... CMU owns a 3-1 record at home this season ... Central Michigan is averaging 64.6 points per game and is allowing 67.2 points per game against ... The Chippewas are shooting 41.5 percent (366-of-881) from the field and 36.1 percent (105-of-291) from three-point land ... Opponents are shooting 41.2 percent (354-of-860) from the field and 35.5 percent (116-of-327) from long range.
Sophomore guard Trey Zeigler leads the team in scoring at 16.4 points per game and on the glass at 6.8 rebounds per game ... Zeigler has taken 56 more shots than any other teammate this season ... Derek Jackson is second on the team in scoring at 11.8 points per game and leads the team with 32 three-pointers.
Freshman Austin McBroom has connected on 48.4 percent (31-of-64) from three-point land this season and is second on the team with 42 assists ... Andre Coimbra is second on the team on the glass at 5.6 rebounds per game.
Cashing In The Freebies . . .
Ball State seniors Randy Davis and Jarrod Jones rank in the top four in the Mid-American Conference this season in free throw percentage, the only team with two players in the top five ... Davis leads the MAC from the line, hitting 89.1 percent (49-of-55), while Jones is fourth in the conference at 82.0 percent (73-of-89).
Davis had a stretch of 26 straight free throws made snapped last game against Toledo ... He posted 22 straight on two different occasions last year ... The Ball State record for consecutive free throws made is 41 set by Larry Bullington in 1971-72.
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 24th in NCAA Division I in scoring defense holding opponents to a 58.1 point per game average ... Also, the Cardinals lead the MAC in field goal percentage defense at 37.6 percent, which places them 11th in the nation ... Ball State is 15th in the country and second in the MAC in three-point field goal defense, holding opponents to 28.7 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.
Jones' Scoring Numbers . . .
Senior forward Jarrod Jones leads the Cardinals and is second in the Mid-American Conference in scoring at 17.8 points per game ... Jones ranks 37th in NCAA Division I in scoring this season ... He ranks 32nd in the country in field goal percentage at 55.6 percent (94-of-169), which is fifth best in the MAC.
Jones has scored at least 20 points in eight of the 15 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 ... He 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 18 games of 20-plus points in his career.
Running The Point . . .
Senior guard Randy Davis leads the Cardinals and is third the Mid-American Conference at 6.0 assists per game ... Davis currently ranks 11th in NCAA Division I in assists per game ... Additionally, Davis leads the MAC in assist/turnover ratio at 3.6, which ranks fourth in the nation.
Ball State as a team is second in the MAC with 14.7 assists per game ... The Cardinals are second in the MAC in assist/turnover ratio at 1.11, which 59th in the country.
Double Figure Wins . . .
Ball State picked up its 10th win of the season last week at Toledo ... This marks the Cardinals fourth straight season with double-figure wins and their 54th season all-time with at least 10 wins ... The Cardinals are off to a 10-4 start for the second straight season ... Last year, Ball State opened the season with a 13-4 record, its best start to a season since 1997-98 (16-3).
Raining Threes . . .
Last week, the Cardinals tied thier season-high with 10 three-pointers as they shot 52.6 percent (10-of-19) beyond the arc ... Earlier this year, the Cardinals hit 10-of-20 (50 percent) against Tennessee-Martin.
The 10 three-pointers are the most in a single game since Ball State connected for 14 three-pointers March 4, 2006 at Eastern Michigan.
Cardinals On ESPNU . . .
The Mid-American Conference announced last week that the Ball State at Ohio game Saturday, January 28 has been chosen for an ESPNU national telecast ... Tip-off is set for 11 a.m. at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio.
Home, Sweet Home . . .
Saturday's game marked the 291st game all-time for the Cardinals at Worthen Arena since it opened January 15, 1992 (previously named University Arena) ... Ball State owns a 214-77 record all-time at Worthen Arena as it has won 73.5 percent of its games at home ... The Cardinals are 7-1 so far this season at home with wins over IUPUI, Calumet College, Texas Southern, Butler, Chicago State, Florida A&M and Western Michigan.
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.
The Cardinals had their 11-game winning streak snapped Saturday ... The streak dated back to last season with their last loss coming January 29, 2011 to Ohio (61-60) ... The Cardinals' 11-game home winning streak is the seventh longest such streak in program history ... The program record is 26-straight home victories from February 28, 1996 through February 11, 1998.
Winning Streaks In Home Games
1. 26, (2-28-96 to 2-11-98)
2. 24, (1-31-81 to 12-21-82)
3. 15, (12-13-56 to 12-19-57)
15, (1-25-89 to 1-31-90)
5. 13, (1-23-48 to 12-2-49)
6. 12, (12-11-37 to 1-6-39)
7. 11, (2-5-11 to 1-7-12)
Climbing The Charts . . .
Senior forward Jarrod Jones moved into eighth place in Ball State history with 1,449 career points and is fifth all-time with 848 rebounds ... Jones recently surpassed Steve Payne on the all-time scoring list and Bonzi Wells on the all-time rebounding list ... Additionally, Jones fourth all-time with 105 career starts ... Senior guard Randy Davis moved up to fifth all-time in assists with 393, surpassing Bonzi Wells.
Scoring
6. Theron Smith, 1999-02 1,599
7. Duane Clemens, 1996-00 1,585
8. Jarrod Jones, 2008-11 1,449
9. Steve Payne, 1992-95 1,440
10. Peyton Stovall, 2003-08 1,383
11. Dan Palombizio, 1984-86 1,369
Rebounding
3. Steve Payne, 1992-95 885
4. Theron Smith, 1999-2002 882
5. Jarrod Jones, 2008-11 848
6. Bonzi Wells, 1994-98 843
Game Started
3. Duane Clemens, 1996-2000 109
4. Jarrod Jones, 2008-11 106
5. Randy Zachary, 1993-97 100
6. Malik Perry, 2007-11 99
7. Scott Nichols, 1986-90 98
Assists
2. Chris Shelton (1982-86) 481
3. Mike Spicer (1988-92) 430
4. Scott Nichols (1986-90) 406
5. Randy Davis, 2008-11 393
6. Bonzi Wells, 1994-98 386
Leading The MAC . . .
Senior forward Jarrod Jones is the Mid-American Conference career active leading scorer with 1,449 points and is the career active rebound leader at 848 boards ... Jones leads the active scoring leaders by 138 points as Kent State's Justin Greene is second at 1,311 points and Ohio's D.J. Cooper is third on the list at 1,289 points ... He also owns a 149-rebound lead as Greene is second on the active list at 699 rebounds ... Miami's Julian Mavunga is third on the list at 678 caroms.
Jones' Weekly Honors . . .
Senior forward Jarrod Jones has been named the Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week four times this season ... Jones is the only play in the MAC this season to earn multiple honors and has now garnered weekly accolades 10 times in his career.
Jones picked up his most recent honor last week after leading the Cardinals to two victories, including a 78-69 win over preseason MAC West Division favorite Western Michigan ... He averaged 17.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in the two victories.
Jones has picked up MAC West Player of the Week honors this season Nov. 14, Dec. 12 and Jan. 2.
Double-Dipping . . .
Senior forward Jarrod Jones has posted five double-doubles to raise his career total to 26 double-doubles ... Jones has accomplished the feat this season against Calumet College, Texas Southern, SIU Edwardsville, Florida A&M and Eastern Michigan.
Jones Earns Pre-MAC Honor . . .
Senior forward Jarrod Jones was named one of five All-Mid-American Conference selections by CollegeHoops.net for his play in the pre-conference schedule ... Jones ranks second in the MAC in scoring at 18.1 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game ... He has earned MAC West Player of the Week honors three times this season, the only player in the league to win multiple honors.
Joining Jones on the pre-conference team is Miami's Julian Mavunga, Ohio's D. J. Cooper, Buffalo's Javon McCrea and Toledo's Rian Pearson.
Davis - 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
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.
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).
Looking Ahead . . .
The Cardinals continue their road way Saturday evening as they travel to DeKalb, Ill., to take on Northern Illinois ... Game time is set for 8 p.m. (ET) and will be broadcast on the Ball State Sports Network (BSSN).
