Top Teams Clash in MAC Battle Saturday at Worthen

Game 15
Ball State (10-4, 1-0 MAC) vs. Buffalo (9-5, 1-0 MAC)
Saturday, Jan. 6 (2 p.m.)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch (ESPN3) | Listen (WLBC) | Live Stats

About the Cardinals
• Ball State hosts Buffalo in a matchup of two of the top teams in the Mid-American Conference. Buffalo was picked as the preseason East Division favorite, while Ball State has shared the West Division championship two years in a row. The teams are the highest rated of any in the league by Ken Pomeroy with the Cardinals at No. 106 and the Bulls at No. 120.

• The Cardinals own the seventh-longest active winning streak in the country with victories in their past nine games. It's the longest streak for the program since winning 10 consecutive games during the 1999-2000 season.

• Ball State is No. 21 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. The team's No. 106 rating by Ken Pomeroy is its highest since finishing the 2004-05 season at No. 96.

• Ball State is 8-0 at home this season after defeating Eastern Michigan in Tuesday's league opener. BSU has won 10 straight at home dating back to last season.

• Junior center Trey Moses recorded his third double-double in the past four games in Tuesday's win. He has recorded 10 or more rebounds in all four of those games and is averaging 11.3 points and 11.0 rebounds during that stretch.

• Ball State has not allowed more than 65 points in any of the past four games. The Cardinals are surrendering just 58.8 points per game during that time.

Scouting Buffalo
• Buffalo opened MAC play Tuesday with a 104-94 home victory over Toledo.
• The Bulls lead the league in scoring offense (82.7), assists per game (16.0) and offensive rebounds per game (13.4).
• Buffalo features the league's top scorer in junior guard CJ Massinburg, who averages 20.1 points per game to lead five Bulls averaging double figures.
• He was recently joined in the backcourt by Wes Clark, a senior transfer from Missouri who became eligible at the semester break. Clark is averaging 21.0 points and 6.3 assists through four games.
• The Bulls are in their third season under head coach Nate Oats, who led them to the second of back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances in 2016. He was an assistant the previous year.
• Buffalo tied for second in the MAC East last year with an 11-7 league mark and was voted the preseason favorite to win the East this year.

Series History
• Ball State leads the all-time series 15-14 and holds an 8-4 advantage in Muncie.
• The teams split two meetings last season with each winning on the other's home floor. The Cardinals were 92-77 winners in Buffalo, and the Bulls were 96-69 winners in Muncie.
• Tayler Persons averaged 16.0 points per game last year against Buffalo, while Trey Moses pulled down 10.5 rebounds per game.

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Players Mentioned

Trey Moses

Tayler Persons