Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Tennessee State
Men's Hoops Opens CIT Tuesday at Tennessee State
March 14, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Game 33
CIT First Round
Ball State (19-13) at Tennessee State (20-10)
Tuesday, March 15 (7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET)
Nashville. Tenn. (Gentry Center)
Watch (CollegeInsider.com) | Listen (WLBC) | Live Stats
A Look at the CardinalsÂ
• Ball State opens the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament on the road Tuesday at Tennessee State. The Cardinals are making their first postseason appearance since 2002 and their 12th all-time at the Division I level.
• Ball State shared the Mid-American Conference West Division championship for the first time since 2009. The Cardinals were the No. 6 seed in the MAC Tournament and lost in the first round to Miami.
• Ball State ranks No. 156 out of 351 Division I teams in the Ken Pomeroy rankings and has been as high as No. 127. BSU has not finished a season better than its current Pomeroy ranking since 2005 (No. 105).
• BSU is the fifth-most improved team in the country in terms of its record from last year to this year (source: NCAA). The Cardinals are 19-13 this season after going 7-23 a year ago. Tennessee State (5-26 to 20-10) ranks first on that list.
• The Cardinals' 275 3-pointers this season rank as the second most in program history.
• Ball State has been balanced offensively all season but was especially so in conference play, with five players averaging double-figure scoring in the league: Franko House (12.5), Bo Calhoun (10.9), Ryan Weber (10.4), Jeremie Tyler (10.2) and Francis Kiapway (10.1).
About the CIT
• The 2016 CIT field includes 26 teams and 13 first-round matchups. Opponents for future rounds will be determined at the conclusion of previous round games.
• The three highest rated teams (based on Ken Pomeroy) after the conclusion of round one will receive a bye in the second round and advance to the quarterfinals.
All-Time vs. Tennessee StateÂ
• Ball State and Tennessee State will be meeting for the third time in history and the first time since the 2006-07 season.
• The teams met in a 2006 ESPN Bracket Buster game in Muncie and then played a return game in Nashville the following season. Tennessee State won both meetings.
Franko House Named All-MACÂ
• Junior forward Franko House was named to the All-MAC Second Team and the MAC All-Defensive Team.
• Of the 20 players in the league selected to an all-conference team, House was the only to also be named to the all-defensive team.
Whitford One of Top CoachesÂ
• Akron's Keith Dambrot was named the MAC Coach of the Year, but he and Ball State coach James Whitford had the same number of first-place votes (14).
• Dambrot narrowly edged Whitford on total points in the voting, 111-110.
