Men's Hoops Hosts WMU Saturday to Open #Worthen25 Doubleheader

Game 21
Ball State (13-7, 4-3 MAC) vs. Western Michigan (6-13, 2-5 MAC)
Saturday, Jan. 28 (1 p.m.)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch (ESPN3) | Listen (WLBC) | Live Stats

Opening Tip
• Ball State enters Saturday's matchup versus Western Michigan with wins in four of its past five games and tied atop the MAC West Division standings with three other teams (Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois and Toledo).

• Saturday marks the first of two meetings between the teams, who will play again Feb. 25 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Ball State won both meetings last season, posting a 74-64 victory on the road and 75-71 win in overtime at home.

• Ball State will be celebrating 25 Years of Worthen Arena with Saturday's men's/women's doubleheader. Originally University Arena, the facility opened in January 1992. It was re-named in honor of former Ball State President John E. Worthen in 2000.

• Ball State and Western Michigan will be meeting for the 126th time in a series the Broncos lead by a razor-thin margin, 63-62. Indiana State (131 meetings) is the only opponent the Cardinals have played more often in school history.

• Ball State is coming off an 88-80 victory Tuesday at MAC West preseason favorite Eastern Michigan. Franko House led the way with 17 points, as the Cardinals placed six scorers in double figures for the second time in the past four games. Taking it back one game further, BSU has had a total of 26 double-figure scorers over the past five games (more than five per game).

• The Cardinals lead the MAC in scoring offense during conference play at 85.4 points per game. BSU has scored at least 85 points in five of its seven conference games.

• Western Michigan enters Saturday's contest with losses in its past three outings, including a 90-80 defeat to overall league leader Akron earlier this week. Thomas Wilder leads the Broncos in scoring at 17.6 points per game.

From the Charity Stripe
• Since the start of conference play, Ball State has been the best free throw shooting team in the MAC at 77.8 percent.
• Five Cardinals are shooting at least 80 percent from the line in league play: Jeremie Tyler (1.000, 8-8); Ryan Weber (.895, 17-19); Francis Kiapway (.850, 17-20); Franko House (.844, 27-32); and Sean Sellers (.800, 8-10).
• Weber, Kiapway and House rank as the top three foul shooters in the league, individually, during MAC play (Tyler does not have enough attempts to qualify).

Impressive Offensive Numbers
• Ball State is on pace to have its best offensive season in decades, statistically.
• The Cardinals' 79.7 points-per-game scoring average is on pace to be the highest since 1973-74 (84.4).
• The team's .467 field goal percentage is on pace to be the best since 1997-98 (.470).

#Worthen25
Saturday's doubleheader will feature commemorative programs, customized cups and specially priced items at the concession stands, a student T-shirt giveaway and free cupcakes for fans courtesy of Gigi's Cupcakes while supplies last. Fans will want to be in their seats before the games start to see a video highlighting memorable games, concerts and events from the past 25 years.

Five championship basketball teams will be honored throughout the day – the 1980-81 men's team, the 1981-82 men's team, the 1985-86 men's team, the 2001-02 men's team and the 2006-07 women's team. Old uniforms, programs and other artifacts from the past 25 years will be on display on the concourse as well.

Men's Hoops Hosts WMU Saturday to Open #Worthen25 Doubleheader

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Players Mentioned

Franko House

Francis Kiapway

Sean Sellers

Jeremie Tyler

Ryan Weber