Men’s Basketball Starts Challenging Stretch Saturday at Purdue on BTN

Game 2
Ball State (1-0) at Purdue (1-0)
Saturday, Nov. 10 (8 p.m.)
West Lafayette, Ind. (Mackey Arena)
Watch: Big Ten Network | Listen: 96.7/104.9 | Live Stats

Setting the Stage
• Ball State visits No. 24/22 Purdue for the first meeting between the teams in the James Whitford era. The most recent matchup came in 2012, with the Boilermakers winning 66-56 in Mackey Arena. Both teams are coming off season-opening wins, with Ball State defeating Indiana State, 86-69, behind 21 points from Tahjai Teague, and Purdue beating Fairfield, 90-57, behind 30 points from preseason All-American Carsen Edwards.

• Saturday's contest is likely the first of two straight against ranked opponents for Ball State. The Cardinals open the Charleston Classic next week against current No. 15/17 Virginia Tech. BSU's last matchup against a top-25 team came Dec. 5 of last season when the Cardinals knocked off No. 9/8 Notre Dame, 80-77, in South Bend on a game-winning 3-pointer from Tayler Persons.

What's Trending
• Purdue is one of at least three NCAA tournament teams from last season Ball State will see in non-conference play. The Boilermakers reached the Sweet 16 a year ago. The Cardinals will also play Virginia Tech (First Round) and Loyola Chicago (Final Four).

• Saturday's matchup pits the only two Indiana teams to go unbeaten against the state last year. Ball State went 4-0 with wins over Notre Dame, Valparaiso, Indiana State and IUPUI. Purdue was 5-0 with wins over Butler (twice), Indiana, Valparaiso and IUPUI.

• Tahjai Teague's 21-point performance in the season opener marked his 10th straight game in double figures dating back to last season. He has scored 20 or more six times in the past 13 games.

• With a career-high-tying four blocks in just 11 minutes against Indiana State, Trey Moses became the sixth player in Ball State history to surpass 100 career blocks.

Matchup of Top-100 Teams
• Ball State and Purdue both enter Saturday's contest rated among the top 100 in the nation by Ken Pomeroy. Purdue is No. 16, while Ball State checks in at No. 100 after climbing 10 spots with its opening victory over Indiana State.

This marks the first time since the 2004-05 season Ball State has cracked the top 100 in Pomeroy's rating system. The Cardinals ended that year at No. 96.

Looking for First Win at Purdue
• Ball State is in search of its first win over Purdue in West Lafayette. The Cardinals' two victories over the Boilermakers came at home -- 1988 in Irving Gym -- and on a neutral court -- 1999 in Indianapolis.

In the 1999 game, Theron Smith led the Cardinals with 16 points and 11 rebounds in a 72-52 victory at what was then called Conseco Fieldhouse. Lonnie Jones had 13 points and 10 boards.

That 1999 victory is Ball State's most recent over a Big Ten opponent. The last time the Cardinals defeated a Big Ten foe on the road was in 1998 at Michigan.

Quite a Debut
• Redshirt sophomore forward Brachen Hazen scored 15 points on 6-for-6 shooting and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds in the season-opening win over Indiana State.

It was Hazen's first regular season game with Ball State after sitting out last season as a transfer, and it was his first extensive action since his senior year of high school (2015-16). He played just 42 minutes over 14 games as a freshman at Arkansas.

Men’s Basketball Starts Challenging Stretch Saturday at Purdue on BTN

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Players Mentioned

Brachen Hazen

Trey Moses

Tayler Persons

Tahjai Teague