Ball State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Hosts Florida A&M Wednesday Night
January 03, 2012 | Men's Basketball
What's On Tap . . .
Ball State closes out the pre-conference portion of the 2011-12 schedule Wednesday night as it hosts Florida A&M ... Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Worthen Arena ... The game is the final tune-up before the Cardinals' Mid-American Conference opener against Western Michigan Saturday.
Wednesday's game will be broadcast on 104.1 WLBC FM and online at www.ballstatesports.com with Morry Mannies and David Eha providing the game ... The game will also be video streamed online at www.ballstatesports.com.
Jones Picks Up Third MAC Weekly Honor . . .
Senior forward Jarrod Jones picked up his third Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week honor Monday after scoring 17 points and grabbing six rebounds against Chicago State ... Jones is the only player in the MAC this season to win multiple weekly honors as he has three of the first eight awards ... . He connected on 6-of-7 from the field (.857) and 5-of-8 (.625) from the charity stripe to lead the Cardinals to the 28-point victory.
Jones leads the Cardinals and is second in the MAC in scoring at 18.1 points per game ... He also ranks second in the league on the glass at 8.2 rebounds per game, third in field goal percentage at .582 and fifth in free throw percentage at .825 ... He has scored in double figures in nine of the first 11 games this season, including six games of at least 20-plus points.
The Billy Taylor Show . . .
The Ball State Sports Network will produce and air The Billy Taylor Show once again this season on WIPB-TV in Muncie and online at www.ballstatesports.com ... The six-show season begins January 3 from 6-6:30 p.m. in high-definition on WIPB-TV ... The show dates also including January 17, January 31, February 14, February 21 and February 28 ... All shows will be at 6 p.m. ... Kevin Lee will host the show for the third straight season.
Series History . . .
Wednesday's game marks the second meeting all-time between Ball State and Florida A&M ... The Cardinals won the only previous meeting December 3, 1988 with a 76-52 victory over the Rattlers in Muncie.
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.
Florida A&M is led by first-year head coach and elum Clemon Johnson.
Home, Sweet Home . . .
Wednesday's game marks the 289th game all-time for the Cardinals at Worthen Arena since it opened January 15, 1992 (previously named University Arena) ... Ball State owns a 212-76 record all-time at Worthen Arena as it has won 73.6 percent of its games at home ... The Cardinals are 5-0 so far this season at home with wins over IUPUI, Calumet College, Texas Southern, Butler and Chicago State ... 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.
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.
Davis, a preseason All-MAC West selection, leads the MAC and ranks fifth in NCAA Division I in assists per game at 7.1 as he has handed out 78 through the first 11 games this year ... He ranks fourth in the nation in assist/turnover ratio at 4.11, 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 fifth on the team in scoring at 7.2 points per game and has scored in double figures on three occasions this season.
Last Time Out. . .
Ball State returned to its winning ways with an 86-58 victory over Chicago State New Year's Eve ... The Cardinals scored a season-high 86 points as they connected on 51.9 percent (27-of-52) from the field and hit 26-of-38 (68.4%) from the free throw line.
Ball State had five players score in double figures in the victory with senior forward Jarrod Jones leading the way with 17 points ... Sophomore Tyrae Robinson made his first start of the season and scored 13 points while handing out five assists ... Sophomore Matt Kamieniecki scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds ... Redshirt sophomore Tyler Koch added 11 points and sophomore Jesse Berry rounded out the double figures scorers with 10 points off the bench.
Robinson's Welcome Back . . .
Sophomore Tyrae Robinson sat out the first nine games of the season due to academic reasons but has returned the past two games with strong results ... Robinson saw his first action of the season against Morehead State and a scored a career-high 14 points in 22 minutes off the bench ... He hit a career-high three three-pointers in the loss ... His previous career-high was 12 points posted at Bowling Green (2/9/11) ... Prior to last game, Robinson had only hit three three-pointers in his first 30 career games (3-of-13).
He followed that effort up with 13 points against Chicago State along with five assists.
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 15th in NCAA Division I in scoring defense holding opponents to a 57.1 point per game average ... Also, the Cardinals lead the MAC in field goal percentage defense at 36.3 percent, which places them seventh in the nation ... Ball State is 19th in the country and second in the MAC in three-point field goal defense, holding opponents to 27.5 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 Wednesday's game with a 7-4 overall record, including a 5-0 mark at home at Worthen Arena ... The Cardinals are averaging 65.6 points per game this season while holding opponents to a league-best 57.1 points per game ... Ball State is shooting 43.0 percent (240-of-558) from the field and 32.1 percent (71-of-221) from three-point land ... Opponents are shooting 36.3 percent (211-of-582) from the field and just 27.5 percent (60-of-218) from long range.
Senior forward Jarrod Jones leads the team in scoring at 18.1 points per game and on the glass at 8.2 rebounds per game ... Sophomore guard Tyrae Robinson is second on the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game through two games this season.
Sophomore guard Jesse Berry rounds out the Cardinals' double figure scorers at 10.1 points per game and is tied for second on the team with 15 three-pointers ... Junior Jauwan Scaife leads the team with 20 three-pointers while redshirt sophomore Tyler Koch has hit 15 long range shots ... Sophomores Chris Bond and Matt Kamieniecki rank second and third in rebounding at 4.6 and 4.5 rebounds per game, respectively.
Scouting The Rattlers . . .
Florida A&M enters Wednesday's game with a 2-12 record and have dropped five straight games ... The Rattlers are averaging 64.7 points per game while allowing 76.9 points per game against ... Florida A&M is shooting 39.2 percent (341-of-871) from the field and 30.7 percent (69-of-225) from three-point land ... Opponents are shooting 46.4 percent (370-of-797) from the field and 37.1 percent (89-of-240) from long range.
Amin Stevens leads the team in scoring at 16.5 points per game having only played the last two games of the season ... Reggie Lewis is second on the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game and is second on the team with 18 three-pointers ... Avery Moore leads the team with 30 long range shots and is third on the team in scoring at 11.1 points per game.
Yannick Crowder rounds out the Rattlers in double figures scoring at 10.3 points per game while leading the team on the glass at 6.9 caroms per game.
Jones' Scoring Numbers . . .
Senior forward Jarrod Jones leads the Cardinals and is second in the Mid-American Conference in scoring at 18.1 points per game ... Jones ranks 55th in NCAA Division I in scoring this season ... He ranks 21st in the country in field goal percentage at 58.2 percent (71-of-122) and 116th in free throw percentage at 82.5 percent (52-of-63).
Jones has scored at least 20 points in six of the 11 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 7.1 assists per game ... Davis currently ranks fifth in NCAA Division I in assists per game ... Additionally, Davis leads the MAC in assist/turnover ratio at 4.11, which ranks fourth in the nation.
Ball State as a team third in the MAC with 14.6 assists per game ... The Cardinals are second in the MAC in assist/turnover ratio at 1.1, which 86th is 42nd best in the country.
Climbing The Charts . . .
Senior forward Jarrod Jones moved into 10th place in Ball State history with 1,381 career points and is sixth all-time with 810 rebounds ... Jones just passed Dan Palombizio (1,369) to move into the top 10 and needs just three points to surpass Peyton Stovall ... Additionally, Jones fourth all-time with 102 career starts ... Senior guard Randy Davis moved up to sixth all-time in assists with 380
Scoring
7. Duane Clemens, 1996-00 1,585
8. Steve Payne, 1992-95 1,440
9. Peyton Stovall, 2003-08 1,383
10. Jarrod Jones, 2008-11 1,381
11. Dan Palombizio, 1984-86 1,369
12. Skip Mills, 2003-07 1,360
Rebounding
3. Steve Payne, 1992-95 885
4. Theron Smith, 1999-2002 882
5. Bonzi Wells, 1994-98 843
6. Jarrod Jones, 2008-11 810
Game Started
3. Duane Clemens, 1996-2000 109
4. Jarrod Jones, 2008-11 103
5. 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, 2008-11 380
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 1,381 points and is the career active rebound leader at 810 boards ... Jones leads the active scoring leaders by 132 points as Kent State's Justin Greene is second at 1,249 points and Ohio's D.J. Cooper is third on the list at 1,246 points ... He also owns a 126-rebound lead as Greene is second on the active list at 684 rebounds ... Miami's Julian Mavunga is third on the list at 654 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.
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).
Looking Ahead . . .
The Cardinals open Mid-American Conference play Saturday afternoon as they host preseason MAC West Division favorite Western Michigan ... Game time is set for 2 p.m. at Worthen Arena and the game will be televised by the Ball State Sports Network.
