Cardinals Look to Bounce Back against One of MAC’s Hottest Teams

Game 17
Ball State 10-6 (1-2 MAC) at Bowling Green (11-5, 3-0 MAC)
Tuesday, Jan. 15 (7 p.m.)
Bowling Green, Ohio (Stroh Center)
Watch: ESPN+ | Listen: 96.7/104.9 | Live Stats

Setting the Stage
• Ball State will play five of its next seven games on the road, starting with Tuesday's contest at Bowling Green in the only scheduled meeting between the teams. The Cardinals won last year's matchup in Muncie on Tayler Persons' third game-winning 3-pointer of the season in the final seconds.

• Ball State had won 10 of 11 games before suffering home losses last week to Eastern Michigan (double overtime) and Ohio. Bowling Green remained unbeaten in MAC play Saturday with an overtime road win at Central Michigan behind 30 points from East Division Co-Player of the Week Justin Turner. Ball State enters Tuesday's game second in the MAC in field goal percentage at 49.8 percent, while Bowling Green leads the league in field goal defense at 39.9 percent.

About the Matchup
• Ball State comes in rated among the top 100 by the major power ranking systems, including a high mark of 81st in ESPN's BPI. Bowling Green is rising quickly and comes in rated No. 128 in the NCAA's NET rankings.

• Ball State is 4-2 in true road games this year, including a 79-64 win at Toledo in the MAC opener. The Rockets came into that game ranked third in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll and riding a 10-game winning streak ... Bowling Green is a perfect 8-0 at home.

• Ball State faces a Bowling Green team playing as well as anyone in the league lately. The Falcons are tied for the MAC East Division lead with Buffalo at 3-0 and have outscored their league opponents by an average of 17 points per game. They are on a seven-game winning streak dating back to non-conference play and have not lost since Dec. 5 at Cleveland State. Bowling Green features the MAC's leading scorer in conference play in guard Justin Turner at 23.3 points per game. The Falcons are the top rebounding team in the country at 44.6 per game and are outrebounding their opponents by an average more than 10 boards. Demajeo Wiggins leads the way on the glass, ranking second in the country with 12.2 rebounds per game.

What's Trending
• Ball State struggled to its worst offensive performance of the season Saturday against Ohio. The Cardinals' 35.4 percent shooting mark was nearly seven percentage points lower than their previous worst (42.3 versus Virginia Tech). BSU's 1-for-12 effort from beyond the arc and five total assists were also its lowest marks of the season.

• Despite Saturday's performance, Ball State still ranks 17th nationally in team field goal percentage at 49.9 percent. The Cardinals feature the two most efficient players in the MAC in Tahjai Teague, who is 20th nationally at 63.3 percent, and K.J. Walton, who is 52nd at 56.3 percent ... Teague had a streak of 11 straight double figure scoring game snapped against Ohio.

Schedule Note
• Ball State's Feb. 2 game with Kent State has been selected for television on CBS Sports Network. Tipoff time has been moved up to noon at Worthen Arena.

Cardinals Look to Bounce Back against One of MAC’s Hottest Teams

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Players Mentioned

Tayler Persons

Tahjai Teague

K.J. Walton