Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
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Western Michigan
MBB Welcomes MAC West Rival WMU Saturday
February 05, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Game 23
Ball State (14-8, 5-4 MAC)
vs. Western Michigan (9-13, 3-6 MAC)
Saturday, Feb. 6 (2 p.m.)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch (ESPN3) | Listen (WLBC) | Live Stats
A Look at the Cardinals
• Ball State returns home after its third road win in four tries thanks to a 72-64 victory Tuesday at Bowling Green. The Cardinals will host Western Michigan in the second meeting for the teams this season. BSU was a 74-64 winner Jan. 12 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
• Ball State currently ranks as the second-most improved team in the country in terms of its record from last year to this year. The Cardinals are 14-8 this year after going 7-23 a year ago. Only Tennessee State (5-26 to 15-6) has made a bigger turnaround this year (source: NCAA).
• Ball State sits at No. 155 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).
• Ball State has been balanced offensively all season but especially in Mid-American Conference play. Five players are averaging at least 9.9 points per game in league action, led by Ryan Weber at 11.3.
• The Cardinals have made major strides in year three under head coach James Whitford. They have already surpassed their overall win total from the previous two years combined (12) and their league win total from that span (four).
• Ball State has shot at least 37 percent from the 3-point line in eight of its nine MAC games. During that stretch, the Cardinals have climbed from outside the top 100 nationally in 3-point shooting percentage to No. 37 at 38.1 percent for the year.
Last Month vs. WMU
• Ball State has already played Western Michigan once this season, winning 74-64 on the road Jan. 12.
• Ryan Weber led all scorers in that game, hitting his first nine shots from the floor on the way to a career-high 26 points.
• Franko House (15 points) and Jeremie Tyler (11) also scored in double figures for the Cardinals, who led by as many as 20 points in the second half.
• Western Michigan's top scorers, Thomas Wilder and Tucker Haymond, combined for 35 points, but Ball State held them to 9-for-26 shooting from the floor.
BSU-NIU Picked for TV
• Ball State's home game versus Northern Illinois, originally scheduled for Feb. 20, has been moved to Friday, Feb. 19 for television.
• The game will tip at 6:30 p.m. and will be carried by CBS Sports Network. It will no longer appear on ESPN3.
Road Success
• 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.
• Buffalo is 4-2 in MAC road games, while Ball State, Akron, Bowling Green and Kent State all have three league road wins.
A Helping Hand
• Ball State ranks as the top assist team in the MAC with 16.2 per game during conference play.
• BSU has assisted on 66.1 percent (146 of 221) of its made field goals in league action.
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