Ball State University Athletics
MBB Welcomes James Madison Wednesday Night
December 16, 2014 | Men's Basketball
Ball State vs. James Madison
Wednesday, Dec. 17; 7 p.m.
Worthen Arena (Muncie, Ind.)
Video: Ball State All Access
Radio: 104.1 WLBC
The Ball State men's basketball team continues its non-conference slate Wednesday when James Madison visits Worthen Arena.
The Dukes (6-3) promise to challenge the Cardinals (3-4) with their offensive balance. James Madison enters the game with six players averaging at last 9.0 points per game and none averaging more than Jackson Kent at 11.7 per night.
Both teams are coming off road losses Wednesday night. Ball State fought tooth-and-nail with a 10-2 Valparaiso team before coming up just short in a 65-62 defeat. James Madison dropped a 70-58 decision at East Carolina.
Ball State made headlines early in the season with its offense, but it has made strides on the defensive end over the first month. The Cardinals have not allowed more than 65 points in any of their past four games and are coming off a performance in which they limited a good shooting Valpo team to 36.2 percent from the floor.
Zavier Turner scored 13 points against the Crusaders and has reached double figures in all five games he has played. He and Sean Sellers are now tied for the team lead in scoring at 14.6 points per game.
Wednesday's game is the second in a home-and-home series that saw Ball State visit James Madison last season. The Dukes prevailed 73-68 in that first meeting.
Following Wednesday's game, Ball State will fly West for a Saturday matchup at San Diego State. The Aztecs are ranked 17th in the country and will mark the second ranked opponent this year for the Cardinals. The other was Utah in the season opener.
Taking Care of the Ball
• Ball State has limited its turnovers to an average of 11.5 per game over the past four games.
• Turnovers were an Achilles heel last season for Ball State, which averaged 16.8 giveaways per game.
• The Cardinals continued to struggle with turnovers through the first three games this season, averaging more than 18 giveaways per game through the first three contests, but they haven't committed more than 13 turnovers in any of the past four games.
Dialed in from Deep
• Ball State ranks first in the MAC and sixth in the country in 3-point percentage (.430).
• Sean Sellers leads Ball State and the MAC in 3-point percentage at .625 (15 for 24). His percentage would rank second in the nation, but he currently falls short of the attempts minimum.
• The Cardinals have knocked down double-digit 3-pointers in three of their first seven games.
• The Cardinals' 14 treys against Grambling State were the most for the program since the 2006 season and two shy of the school record.
• Ball State's 61 treys this season are the most for the program through seven games since the 2001-02 team made 76 in its first seven games. That team went on to set a school record with 310 made 3-pointers on the season.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State men's basketball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateMBB and @coachjwhit on Twitter.
