Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Central Michigan
Men's Hoops Visits CMU in First-Place Battle
February 12, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Game 25
Ball State (15-9, 6-5 MAC)
at Central Michigan (13-11, 6-5 MAC)
Saturday, Feb. 13 (4:30 p.m.)
Mount Pleasant, Mich. (McGuirk Arena)
Watch (ESPN3) | Listen (WLBC) | Live Stats
A Look at the Cardinals  Â
• Ball State visits Central Michigan in a matchup of first-place teams in the Mid-American Conference West Division. The Cardinals and Chippewas are part of a three-way tie with Toledo for the top spot.
• At 6-5 in MAC play, Ball State is off to its best 11-game MAC start since 2010-11 (also 6-5). At 15-9 overall, BSU has posted its best record through 24 games since 2001-02 (16-8).
• Ball State has been balanced offensively all season but especially in conference play, with five players averaging double-figure scoring in the league: Ryan Weber (11.0), Jeremie Tyler (10.7), Bo Calhoun (10.5), Francis Kiapway (10.4) and Franko House (10.0).
• The Cardinals' 205 3-pointers this season already rank as the fourth most in program history. The team is on pace to finish the regular season with 265 treys, which would rank second behind only the 310 made by the 2001-02 team ... The Cardinals rank 33rd nationally at 38.4 percent from 3-point range.
• BSU ranks as the third-most improved team in the country in terms of its record from last year to this year. The Cardinals are 15-9 this year after going 7-23 a year ago. Only Tennessee State (5-26 to 17-7) and UALR (13-18 to 21-3) have made bigger turnarounds this year (source: NCAA).
• Ball State sits at No. 162 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 not finished a season better than its current ranking since 2005 (No. 105).
Rebounding Tells Story ... MaybeÂ
• Ball State has outrebounded 14 of its 24 opponents this season.
• The Cardinals are 12-3 when they have more rebounds than their opponent and 3-6 when they have fewer.
• The script has flipped in the past three games. Ball State defeated Bowling Green and Western Michigan despite being outrebounded by both (35-25 vs. BGSU and 41-34 vs. WMU). The Cardinals then lost to Ohio despite winning the battle of the boards 31-30.
Road SuccessÂ
• Ball State has won three of its past four road games and owns and 3-2 record away from home in conference play.
• The Cardinals' three league road wins are tied for the second most in the MAC.
• Akron, Buffalo and Toledo are 4-2 in MAC road games, while Ball State, Bowling Green and Kent State are all 3-2.
• The last time Ball State won four league road games was during the 2010-11 season when the Cardinals were 4-4 away from home.
