Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Toledo
MAC West Leading Men's Hoops Visits Toledo Tuesday
February 22, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Game 28
Ball State (18-9, 9-5 MAC)
at Toledo (16-11, 7-7 MAC)
Tuesday, Feb. 23 (8 p.m.)
Savage Arena (Toledo, Ohio)
Watch (ESPN3) | Listen (WLBC) | Live Stats
A Look at the Cardinals  Â
• Ball State visits Toledo for the second meeting between the teams this season. The Cardinals have won five of their past six games overall and five of their past six on the road. BSU defeated Toledo 87-69 in Muncie on Jan. 6 in the Mid-American Conference opener.
• The Cardinals hold a two-game lead in the MAC West Division at 9-5 in league play with four games left. Toledo is one of three teams in the division tied for second at 7-7, along with Northern Illinois and Central Michigan.
• Ball State is chasing its first West Division championship since 2009 (co-champions with Central Michigan and Western Michigan) and its first outright division title since 2002 ... The Cardinals are 6-0 against the MAC West Division this season. Each of the team's final four league games will be played against West Division foes.
• Ball State ranks No. 139 out of 351 Division I teams in the Ken Pomeroy rankings and has been as high as No. 136 this season. BSU has not finished a season better than its current Pomeroy ranking since 2005 (No. 105).
• Ball State's 18-9 record is its best through 27 games since the 2001-02 season (also 18-9). The Cardinals' 9-5 league mark is its best through 14 games since 2010-11 (also 9-5). This is the latest in a season BSU has led the MAC West Division since the 2009-10 campaign.
• BSU is the third-most improved team in the country in terms of its record from last year to this year. The Cardinals are 18-9 this season after going 7-23 a year ago. Only Tennessee State (5-26 to 19-8) and UALR (13-18 to 24-3) have made bigger turnarounds (source: NCAA).
With a Win ...Â
• With a win Tuesday at Toledo, BSU would ...
-- Maintain a two-game lead in the MAC West Division race.
-- Improve to 10-5 in MAC play for the first time since the 2001-02 season and improve to 19-9 overall for their best record through 28 games since 1999-2000 (20-8).
-- Improve to 7-0 this season against the MAC West Division.
-- Sweep the season series from Toledo for the first time since 2011.
If the Tournament Started TodayÂ
• If the MAC Tournament began today, Ball State (9-5 MAC) would be the No. 4 seed behind No. 1 Akron (10-4), No. 2 Ohio (9-5) and No. 3 Kent State (9-5).
• The top four seeds receive byes to the quarterfinals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, while seeds 5-12 will play first-round games on campus sites.
Road SuccessÂ
• Ball State has won five of its past six road games, and the Cardinals own the best road record in the MAC at 5-2.
• Ball State has reached five league road wins for the first time since the 2000-01 season. That year's team was 7-2 in MAC road games.
A Helping HandÂ
• Ball State and Toledo are tied for first in the MAC with 15.0 assists per game during conference play.
• BSU has assisted on 61.6 percent (210 of 341) of its made field goals in league action.
• It has been a balanced effort distributing the ball, as junior forward Franko House leads the Cardinals at 2.9 assists per game in league play.
• House had a career-high nine assists Feb. 6 against Western Michigan, marking the most by a Ball State player since Randy Davis had 10 at Central Michigan on Jan. 18, 2012.
