Reflecting on the win over Defiance as the competition ramps up for BSU
Game 2
Ball State (1-0, 0-0 MAC) at Evansville (0-0, 0-0 MVC)
Saturday, Nov. 9 (6 p.m. CT/7 ET)
Evansville, Ind. (Ford Center)
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No public exhibition games. A season opener against Defiance College that saw Ball State win by 44 points. Six new players, and returning players seeing new roles. What should we make of the Cardinals heading into a road examination Saturday at Evansville?
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"The biggest thing was getting out there and playing for the first time under the lights," BSU head coach James Whitford said of the opening win. "There are always nerves early. We always play one non-DI game, and we wanted to put it first to get those nerves out of the way."
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Whitford had six players who had never worn a Ball State uniform in a real game before this week. Those six combined for 97 minutes of floor action against Defiance.
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"They all play a pretty big role and will play a lot under any circumstances in any games," Whitford said. "So it was important to get them comfortable playing under the lights. My hope was that it would go like it did – we would play well and everyone would get a lot of minutes."
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After a couple days to re-watch and digest Tuesday's game, Whitford said he saw plenty of good things from his own team. The Cardinals also should benefit down the road from defending some of the offensive actions Defiance ran.Â
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"The biggest thing was the way they played their offense," Whitford said. "Their offensive patterns were very similar to what some of the teams in our league run. There are things we don't guard in practice, so that's why it's important to get that experience."Â
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After evaluating the performance, Whitford was especially pleased with how the Cardinals defended. Defiance had 16 points at halftime and ended up shooting 29 percent for the game.
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"There were a couple scouting-specific things we wanted to take away," he said. "For all that stuff, for me, it's a trial run. Can you get it right with the lights on? We defended their patterns and pick-and-rolls properly."
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Offensively, Kyle Mallers led the way with 12 points on four 3-pointers. Whitford said it's important for the veteran player to stroke it confidently from the perimeter.Â
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"He was great; I thought he took good shots, and we want him to be aggressive," Whitford said. "He's a great shooter, and he also made a huge difference for us defensively."
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Kyle Mallers hit 3-pointers on three straight possessions early in the second half against Defiance.
Ball State's first true test comes Saturday at Evansville, a place where the Cardinals have not had much success historically. BSU split two meetings with the Aces last season, including an 89-77 loss at the Ford Center that saw the Cardinals lead by 17 at one juncture.
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Defending better as a team and getting back in transition will be keys to flipping the script this year. It will also be important for the Cardinals to keep their emotions in check in a hostile environment.
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"Evansville is going to be a hard test," Whitford said. "They had four guys sitting out last year who are very talented. And it might be the biggest crowd we face on our non-conference schedule. They've had a good program for a long time."
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