Men’s Basketball Visits Alabama Friday on SEC Network

Friday, November 18

Tuscaloosa, AL

8:00 PM CT (9:00 ET)

Ball State University

Alabama

Photo by: Ball State University Creative Services

Men’s Basketball Visits Alabama Friday on SEC Network

November 17, 2016 | Men's Basketball

Game Notes

Cardinals and Tide set to meet for first time as BSU begins road trip

Game 3
Ball State (1-1, 0-0 MAC)
at Alabama (1-1 (0-0 SEC)
Friday, Nov. 18 (8 p.m. CT/9 ET)
Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Coleman Coliseum)
TV (SEC Network, ESPN3) | Listen (WLBC) | Live Stats

A Look at the Cardinals
• Ball State plays the first of four straight games away from home Friday when it visits Southeastern Conference opponent Alabama for the first-ever meeting between the teams. The Cardinals are in the midst of a busy stretch that will see them play seven times in the season's first 19 days.

• Alabama has split its first two games of the season at home, defeating Coastal Carolina (70-53) and falling to Dayton (77-72). The Crimson Tide is in its second year under head coach Avery Johnson, coming off an 18-15 season and an NIT appearance in 2015-16.

• Friday's game is the second of four games Ball State will play as part of the Men Who Speak Up Main Event. The Cardinals' season-opening win at Saint Louis was also part of the event. Following the Alabama game, BSU will travel to Las Vegas for the remaining two games versus Coppin State (Nov. 21) and Southern Utah (Nov. 23) at the MGM Grand.

• The Cardinals suffered their first loss with an 80-74 overtime defeat Tuesday against long-time rival Indiana State. The loss dropped BSU 12 spots to No. 123 in the Ken Pomeroy ratings. The Cardinals reached as high as No. 127 last season and finished at No. 155 for their best year-end rating since 2004-05.

• Ball State features two of the top three scorers in the Mid-American Conference through two games in sophomore point guard Tayler Persons (23.5 ppg, 2nd) and senior forward Franko House (22.0 ppg, 3rd). Both have topped the 20-point mark in both games. Persons is seeing his first action for the Cardinals after sitting out last season as a transfer from Northern Kentucky.

• House, a preseason All-MAC selection, matched his career-high with 23 points in the opener at Saint Louis and set a career-high with 14 rebounds Tuesday against Indiana State. He is averaging a double-double through two games (22.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg) and is 41 points away from becoming the 29th 1,000-point scorer in program history.

Last Time in Tuscaloosa
• Ball State has played once previously in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
• The Cardinals played their first-ever NCAA Tournament game in 1981 at Coleman Coliseum, then known as Memorial Coliseum.
• Ball State, under head coach Steve Yoder, lost 93-90 to Boston College despite 26 points from Ray McCallum and 23 from Al Gooden.
• It was the first of seven NCAA Tournament appearances to this point for the Cardinals at the Division I level.

Ball State vs. SEC
• Ball State has played nine previous games against SEC teams but none since 2004 versus Kentucky.
• The Cardinals are 4-5 all-time against the conference, including a 4-2 mark against teams from the Western Division.
• Ball State has played LSU (1-0), Ole Miss (1-0), Auburn (1-1), Mississippi State (1-1), Kentucky (0-1), South Carolina (0-1) and Tennessee (0-1).

Pick your Poison
• Ball State has proven 3-point shooters throughout its lineup.
• The Cardinals feature three players with career 3-point shooting percentages of at least 38 percent -- Sean Sellers (41.4), Francis Kiapway (40.5) and Ryan Weber (38.2). All three have at least 250 attempts in their careers.
• Through two games this season, two other players are leading the Cardinals from beyond the arc -- Franko House (71.4%, 5 for 7) and Tayler Persons (62.5%, 5 for 8).
• House went 4 for 4 from 3-point range in the opener at Saint Louis, becoming the first Ball State post player to make four 3's in a game since Theron Smith against USF in the 2002 NIT.