Saturday, January 18
Muncie, Ind.
1:00 PM ET
Ball State University
vs
Miami
Photo by: Ball State Athletics
Cardinals Carrying MAC’s Most Efficient Defense into Saturday Matchup with Miami
January 17, 2020 | Men's Basketball
Veteran BSU players lead the way for top defensive team in Whitford’s tenure
Game 18
Ball State (10-7, 3-1 MAC) vs. Miami (8-9, 1-3 MAC)
Saturday, Jan. 18 (1 p.m. ET)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch: ESPN+ | Listen: 96.7/104.9 | Live Stats | Tickets
Advanced statistics are playing an ever-important role in how college basketball teams are evaluated. James Whitford pays close attention to the numbers, and the number crunching is saying this is the best defensive team Whitford has had in his seven years in Muncie.
The Cardinals (10-7, 3-1 MAC) are having their best defensive season across the board since Whitford has been at the helm. Ball State is allowing 61.6 points per game, 10 fewer points per game than last year and the lowest mark of Whitford's BSU tenure. But that doesn't tell the entire story, as the Cardinals are improved across all defensive efficiency numbers.
20/20 Vision On Defense
According to notable basketball website KenPom.com, this year's squad is 57th in the country (first among MAC teams) in defensive efficiency, which measures defensive performance per 100 possessions. That strong ranking, simply, means Ball State is hard to score against. The Cardinals limit their opponents' efficiency while also keeping the number of attempts to a minimum.
"That's the ultimate rating. It encompasses everything all together," Whitford said of the defensive efficiency rating. "The other thing we're pretty good at is we don't give up a lot of 3-point attempts. Our 2-point defense is good, but if you hold a team to 32 percent on 3's and most of their shots are from there, that's a problem. We don't give up a ton of 3-point attempts, and metrics tell you the thing you have the greatest control over is how many 3-pointers your opponent takes."
For reference, Ball State has attempted 469 shots from beyond the arc this season. The Cardinals' opponents? Only 312.
Whitford points to his veteran leaders as to why the Cardinals are playing the type of defense that has helped the team win four of their last five games.
"We have older guys who are really bought in," the head coach said. "Every one of our older guys is really committed on the defensive end. Our guys take pride in their defense, and it carries over from the top down to the younger guys. We don't take possessions off on that end of the floor."
Last year, K.J. Walton gave the Cardinals a lockdown defender against opposing point guards. The athletic senior from Indianapolis has missed a significant portion of the year due to injury, but at full strength, he'll be able to take the Cardinals to an even higher level defensively.
"K.J.'s our best on-ball defender," senior Kyle Mallers said. "Having him do what he did last year – guarding the other team's best player – we can get even better defensively than we were earlier in the year."
"We have some gifted defenders," Whitford said. "Tahjai and K.J. are exceptional defenders, and Tahjai could be defensive player of the year in our conference. Kyle is a good defender physically, he's tough as nails, and he takes pride in it."
Mallers, who could be characterized as a wing and 'stretch 4' who guards multiple positions and makes his mark on the perimeter, says that versatility is a key factor in the Cardinals' success.
"We're pretty quick and everyone can guard different positions," Mallers said. "Our bigs can guard smaller guys, and our guards have done a good job defending ball screens. I just think we have versatility on defense."
Of course, guarding your man is just the first part. An important part of defense is finishing the possession with a stop. And the Cardinals have been rebounding the ball with the grit and toughness Cardinals fans love to see.
"Defensive rebounding is a huge part of defense. We're rebounding better defensively this year," Whitford said. "It's a collective mindset from our older players. We may make some mistakes, but it's never from a lack of effort."
Ball State (10-7, 3-1 MAC) vs. Miami (8-9, 1-3 MAC)
Saturday, Jan. 18 (1 p.m. ET)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch: ESPN+ | Listen: 96.7/104.9 | Live Stats | Tickets
Advanced statistics are playing an ever-important role in how college basketball teams are evaluated. James Whitford pays close attention to the numbers, and the number crunching is saying this is the best defensive team Whitford has had in his seven years in Muncie.
The Cardinals (10-7, 3-1 MAC) are having their best defensive season across the board since Whitford has been at the helm. Ball State is allowing 61.6 points per game, 10 fewer points per game than last year and the lowest mark of Whitford's BSU tenure. But that doesn't tell the entire story, as the Cardinals are improved across all defensive efficiency numbers.
20/20 Vision On Defense
| Season | PPG Allowed | FG% Allowed | 3FG% Allowed | Defensive Efficiency |
| 2019-20 | 61.9 | .399 | .339 | 57 |
| 2018-19 | 71.6 | .415 | .318 | 72 |
| 2017-18 | 73.8 | .425 | .361 | 141 |
| 2016-17 | 75.5 | .422 | .356 | 188 |
| 2015-16 | 66.8 | .405 | .348 | 130 |
| 2014-15 | 69.0 | .460 | .356 | 247 |
| 2013-14 | 73.8 | .460 | .332 | 259 |
According to notable basketball website KenPom.com, this year's squad is 57th in the country (first among MAC teams) in defensive efficiency, which measures defensive performance per 100 possessions. That strong ranking, simply, means Ball State is hard to score against. The Cardinals limit their opponents' efficiency while also keeping the number of attempts to a minimum.
"That's the ultimate rating. It encompasses everything all together," Whitford said of the defensive efficiency rating. "The other thing we're pretty good at is we don't give up a lot of 3-point attempts. Our 2-point defense is good, but if you hold a team to 32 percent on 3's and most of their shots are from there, that's a problem. We don't give up a ton of 3-point attempts, and metrics tell you the thing you have the greatest control over is how many 3-pointers your opponent takes."
For reference, Ball State has attempted 469 shots from beyond the arc this season. The Cardinals' opponents? Only 312.
Whitford points to his veteran leaders as to why the Cardinals are playing the type of defense that has helped the team win four of their last five games.
"We have older guys who are really bought in," the head coach said. "Every one of our older guys is really committed on the defensive end. Our guys take pride in their defense, and it carries over from the top down to the younger guys. We don't take possessions off on that end of the floor."
Last year, K.J. Walton gave the Cardinals a lockdown defender against opposing point guards. The athletic senior from Indianapolis has missed a significant portion of the year due to injury, but at full strength, he'll be able to take the Cardinals to an even higher level defensively.
"K.J.'s our best on-ball defender," senior Kyle Mallers said. "Having him do what he did last year – guarding the other team's best player – we can get even better defensively than we were earlier in the year."
"We have some gifted defenders," Whitford said. "Tahjai and K.J. are exceptional defenders, and Tahjai could be defensive player of the year in our conference. Kyle is a good defender physically, he's tough as nails, and he takes pride in it."
Mallers, who could be characterized as a wing and 'stretch 4' who guards multiple positions and makes his mark on the perimeter, says that versatility is a key factor in the Cardinals' success.
"We're pretty quick and everyone can guard different positions," Mallers said. "Our bigs can guard smaller guys, and our guards have done a good job defending ball screens. I just think we have versatility on defense."
Of course, guarding your man is just the first part. An important part of defense is finishing the possession with a stop. And the Cardinals have been rebounding the ball with the grit and toughness Cardinals fans love to see.
"Defensive rebounding is a huge part of defense. We're rebounding better defensively this year," Whitford said. "It's a collective mindset from our older players. We may make some mistakes, but it's never from a lack of effort."
Players Mentioned
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