MAC Contenders Clash When Cardinals Visit Rockets Friday in League Opener

Game 14
Ball State (9-4, 0-0 MAC) at Toledo (12-1, 0-0 MAC)
Friday, Jan. 4 (7 p.m.)
Toledo, Ohio (Savage Arena)
TV: CBS Sports Network | Listen: 96.7/104.9 | Live Stats

Setting the Stage
• Ball State opens Mid-American Conference play at Toledo in a matchup of two of the league's top teams. The Cardinals enter MAC play with wins in eight of their past nine games, including the last three in a row. They closed non-conference play by setting a Worthen Arena scoring record and placing a remarkable eight scorers in double figures in a 116-57 victory over Delaware State.

• Toledo comes in riding a 10-game winning streak. The Rockets are 7-0 at home and most recently dispatched of a quality Penn team, 77-45. They are receiving votes in both the AP and Coaches' polls. Toledo won the MAC West Division championship last year, while Ball State shared the title in each of the two previous seasons. The Cardinals have won the past four meetings in the series.

About the Matchup
• Friday's matchup pits two top-75 teams, according to ESPN's BPI rankings. Toledo is No. 51, while Ball State is No. 73. Only Buffalo at No. 25 is higher among MAC teams.

• While the BPI is still relatively young, Ball State's Ken Pomeroy rating of No. 78 marks the best the Cardinals have been in that metric since at least the 2004-05 season. The Cardinals have not finished a season better than No. 96 since ending the 2001-02 season at No. 55. BSU has climbed more than 30 spots in the KenPom ratings since the season opened.

• Ball State faces a Toledo team that rates among the top 60 in the country in both scoring offense (33rd) and scoring defense (53rd). A year ago during their MAC West championship season, the Rockets were 234th nationally in scoring defense. A pair of seniors leads the way in scoring for Toledo in Jaelan Sanford (17.8 ppg) and Nate Navigato (13.6), while sophomore forward Willie Jackson averages a double-double with 11.1 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Navigato is the MAC leader in 3-point shooting at 53.2 percent. In total, five Rockets average double-figure scoring.

• Ball State has swept the season series from Toledo in each of the past two seasons, winning four straight over the Rockets. The Cardinals have not trailed in any of the past three meetings with Toledo, including both matchups last season when the Rockets won the MAC West Division. BSU outscored Toledo 174-134 over the two meetings last season.

What's Trending
• Ball State closed non-conference play with its two best offensive performances of the season. The Cardinals' offensive efficiency ratings against Howard (145.5) and Delaware State (146.2) raised BSU to 40th nationally for the season in adjusted offensive efficiency (110.3), according to Ken Pomeroy.

• In last week's 116-57 victory over Delaware State, Ball State set school records for most points scored in Worthen Arena, most points scored against a Division I opponent and largest margin of victory (59) over a D-I opponent. The Cardinals' eight double-figure scorers were the most in the program's D-I history. A ninth player had eight points.

• Ball State broke open the Delaware State game with an early 31-0 run. It is, unofficially, the biggest run of the season by one Division I team against another (based on SID responses). Auburn is the only team with a bigger run, but its 35-0 spurt came against Division II Mississippi College.

• Ball State ranks sixth nationally in team field goal percentage at 51.3 percent. The Cardinals feature the two most efficient players in the MAC in Tahjai Teague (64.9 percent) and K.J. Walton (59.7 percent). That duo ranks 20th and 34th in the nation, respectively.

MAC Contenders Clash When Cardinals Visit Rockets Friday in League Opener

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Players Mentioned

Tahjai Teague

K.J. Walton