Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Akron
MBB Hosts Akron on #PackTheNestSaturday
January 29, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Ball State (13-7, 4-3 MAC)
vs. Akron (16-4, 5-2 MAC)
Saturday, Jan. 30 (1 p.m.)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch (ESPN3) | Listen (WLBC) | Live Stats
Promotions: #PackTheNestSaturday … Frisbee Dogs at Halftime … Face painters and balloon artists on concourse … Basketball Alumni Day
A Look at the Cardinals
• Ball State returns home after two straight road games to host preseason Mid-American Conference East Division favorite Akron. The Zips are second in the MAC East, while the Cardinals are tied for second in the MAC West.
• The Cardinals have made major strides in year three under head coach James Whitford. They have already surpassed their win total from the previous two years combined (12) and matched their league win total from that span (four).
• Ball State sits at No. 168 out of 351 Division I teams in the Ken Pomeroy rankings. The Cardinals have been as high as No. 144 this season, marking their highest rating since January 2012. BSU has only finished a season better than its current ranking once in the past decade (No. 166 in 2011).
• Akron is No. 90 in the Pomeroy rankings, marking the second-highest rated team Ball State has played this season behind only Valparaiso. The Crusaders were No. 23 (and still are) when the Cardinals defeated them Nov. 28 in Muncie.
• Ball State ranked as the top 3-point shooting team during MAC play until a 4-for-18 performance Tuesday at Buffalo. The Cardinals still rank third in the league at 39.3 percent. Their 66 treys during conference play are second only to Akron's 79.
• The Cardinals rank as the top assist team in the MAC with 16.0 per game during conference play. BSU has assisted on 63.7 percent (109 of 171) of its made field goals in league action.
Double-Double Man
• Senior forward Bo Calhoun is coming off back-to-back double-doubles.
• He logged 14 points and a career-high 14 rebounds last Saturday at Eastern Michigan and followed that performance with 11 points and 12 boards Tuesday at Buffalo.
• Calhoun now owns four double-doubles this season and seven for his career.
#SuitsAndSneakers
• The Ball State coaching staff will be wearing tennis shoes Saturday in Support of Coaches versus Cancer's Suits and Sneakers Week.
• Ball State and Akron share a common loss to pancreatic cancer in former Zips director of basketball operations Dan Peters.
• Peters, a longtime college basketball head coach and assistant, was the father of Ball State assistant Danny Peters and a mentor to Cardinals head coach James Whitford.
• Dan Peters passed away in October 2014 after a nearly two-year battle.
