Men's Hoops Returns to Worthen for Friday MAC Opener with Toledo

Friday, January 3

Muncie, Ind.

7:00 PM ET

Ball State University

Toledo

Buy Tickets

Photo by: Courtney Metzger, Hawaii Media Source

Men's Hoops Returns to Worthen for Friday MAC Opener with Toledo

January 01, 2020 | Men's Basketball

Game Notes

Cardinals set to battle preseason MAC West favorite on CBS Sports Network

Game 14
Ball State (7-6, 0-0 MAC) vs. Toledo (8-5, 0-0 MAC)
Friday, Jan. 3 (7 p.m. ET)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch: CBS Sports Network | Listen: 96.7/104.9 | Live Stats | Tickets | Game Card

Take a Kid to the Game: With one paid adult ticket purchased, two kids eighth grade and under will receive a complimentary ticket.

Setting the Stage
• Ball State opens MAC play against preseason West Division favorite Toledo in the first of back-to-back home games. The Cardinals will welcome defending league champion Buffalo to Worthen Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 7. The Rockets, the reigning West Division champions, got off to an 8-2 start this season before dropping their final three non-conference games.

• Ball State wrapped up non-conference play by going 2-2 on a week-long road swing from Atlanta to Honolulu for the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. The Cardinals won a non-bracketed game in a rout at Georgia Tech. They fell to No. 22 Washington and UTEP in Hawaii before rebounding to close the event with a win over Portland. BSU is set for its first home game since a 102-54 victory Dec. 7 over IUPUI.

The Matchup
• Ball State and Toledo will meet in the MAC opener for the second straight year. The Cardinals won last year's opener 79-64 in Toledo behind 21 points from Tayler Persons and 20 points and 12 rebounds from Tahjai Teague. The Rockets returned the favor later in the season in Muncie, defeating BSU 80-72 in the second meeting.

• The Cardinals had won five in a row over Toledo before the Rockets' victory last February in Muncie. BSU has won six of the eight meetings over the past four seasons, going 3-1 in both Muncie and Toledo.

• Over six career matchups against Toledo, BSU fifth-year senior forward Tahjai Teague is averaging 14.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game with three double-doubles.

• Ball State and Toledo have combined to claim the past four MAC West Division championships, with BSU sharing the title in 2015-16 and 2016-17 and the Rockets winning the crown in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

• Toledo returned three starters from last year's MAC West Division championship team. The Rockets feature four players averaging double-figure scoring, led by Marreon Jackson at 17.0 points per game. UT's Willie Jackson leads the MAC and ranks third nationally in rebounding at 12.2 boards per game, while big man Luke Knapke averages 16.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Knapke leads all MAC players in blocks with 2.7 per game.

What's Trending
• The Cardinals are one of five MAC teams in the top 125 of the Ken Pomeroy ratings, checking in at No. 110. Toledo is five spots ahead at No. 105. The NCAA NET rankings have BSU at No. 121 and Toledo at No. 148.

• Junior guard Ishmael El-Amin led Ball State in scoring during non-conference play at 14.5 points per game, nearly nine full points better than his career average entering the season (5.6). He reached double figures in 11 of the 13 non-league contests after posting eight double-figure games through his first two years.

• Ishmael El-Amin is the reigning MAC West Division Player of the Week, marking the second straight week and fourth time this season a BSU player has earned the honor. Tahjai Teague (twice) and Kyle Mallers (once) were also honored during non-conference play.

• In addition to ranking second on the team in scoring (13.7 ppg), Tahjai Teague leads Ball State in rebounding (7.9 rpg), steals (1.5 spg), blocks (1.3 bpg) and field goal percentage (.521). He ranks among the top 10 in the MAC in each of those four categories.

• BSU started a freshman backcourt over its final five non-conference games with redshirt freshman Jarron Coleman at point guard and true freshman Luke Bumbalough at shooting guard. Coleman averaged 12.8 points during that stretch with a career-high 20 in his first point guard start against IUPUI. Bumbalough averaged 9.0 points over those five games and dropped 14 in the non-league finale against Portland.

• Senior forward Kyle Mallers fought through an injured ankle that knocked him out of the UTEP game to appear in his 111th consecutive contest for BSU in the non-conference finale against Portland. Mallers has never missed a game in his BSU career.