Cardinals Looking to Get on Track versus IUPUI

Game 9
Ball State (4-4, 0-0 MAC) vs. IUPUI (2-7, 0-0 Horizon)
Saturday, Dec. 7 (1 p.m.)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch: ESPN+ | Listen: 96.7/104.9 | Live Stats | Tickets

Setting the Stage
• Ball State closes out a five-game homestand Saturday against IUPUI. The Cardinals, breaking for final exams, will not play again until Dec. 18 at Georgia Tech and will not play another home game until the Jan. 3 MAC opener against Toledo.

• Ball State is looking to snap a two-game losing skid with a third straight win over IUPUI. The Cardinals defeated the Jaguars 85-75 last season at Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis. BSU is coming off a 70-58 setback against Loyola Chicago despite a career-high 24 points from junior guard Ishmael El-Amin. IUPUI visits Worthen Arena with losses in five straight games and coming off a 56-51 defeat Wednesday at Morehead State.

The Matchup
• Ball State and IUPUI are meeting for the sixth straight year and the ninth time in the past nine seasons (two meetings in 2011, none in 2013). The teams have split the eight previous matchups during that stretch, although the Cardinals have won the past two.

• IUPUI earned a decisive 70-53 victory at South Florida of the American Athletic Conference before sliding to losses in its past five. Jaguars leading scorer Marcus Burk went for 26 points in that game. Burk paces IUPUI for the season at 21.2 points per game and ranks second in the Horizon League behind Detroit's Antoine Davis (24.9). Jaylen Minnett (12.6) gives the Jaguars a second double-figure scorer.

• Ball State and IUPUI have faced two common opponents in Evansville and Loyola Chicago. The Purple Aces defeated the Cardinals 79-75 in the season opener in Evansville and beat the Jaguars 70-64 in Indianapolis. The Ramblers defeated BSU 70-58 in Muncie and beat IUPUI 85-62 in Chicago.

• IUPUI is the third and final Horizon League opponent on Ball State's schedule. The Cardinals defeated the league's preseason No. 3 pick UIC 67-48 on the road. BSU fell to the league's preseason No. 2 pick Northern Kentucky 59-57 after hitting only nine of 26 free throws.

• Saturday will mark BSU assistant coach Matt Crenshaw's second game on this side of the series. Crenshaw starred for the Jaguars in the early 2000s and spent 11 years on the IUPUI coaching staff before coming to Muncie.

What's Trending
• Ishmael El-Amin has scored career highs in back-to-back games with 21 points against Western Illinois and 24 versus Loyola Chicago. He also had a career-best six rebounds against the Ramblers. El-Amin has made 24 of his past 41 from the field (.585), 12 of his past 19 from 3-point range (.632) and 12 of his past 13 from the free throw line (.923).

• El-Amin has reached double figures in seven straight and is BSU's top scorer for the season at 15.1 points per game. The junior guard is averaging nearly 10 points more than his career average of 5.6 entering the season.

• Ball State features the MAC's top two shooters in terms of 3-point percentage in Kyle Mallers (.511) and El-Amin (.489). Mallers ranks 10th nationally, while El-Amin is 17th. Mallers hit eight 3's against Howard to tie the school record set by Dennis Trammell against Marshall in 2005.

• Ball State has played the past three games without guard K.J. Walton who sustained an ankle injury late against Northern Kentucky. The fifth-year senior averaged 10.6 points and 7.0 rebounds through the season's first five games.

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Players Mentioned

Ishmael El-Amin

Kyle Mallers

K.J. Walton