MAC's Top Offense, Defense Clash Saturday when BSU visits Central Michigan

Game 19
Ball State (11-7, 4-1 MAC) at Central Michigan (10-8, 3-2 MAC)
Saturday, Jan. 25 (4:30 p.m. ET)
Mount Pleasant, Mich. (McGuirk Arena)
Watch: ESPN3 | Listen: 96.7/104.9 | Live Stats

Setting the Stage
• Ball State returns to action after an open week with a visit to Central Michigan for a matchup of the top two teams in the MAC West Division standings. The Cardinals are one of three teams with only one MAC loss, joining Akron and Bowling Green from the East Division.

• Ball State is coming off a 71-62 victory over Miami, winning for the fifth time in the past six games and running its league record to 4-1 for the first time since 2012. A win at Central Michigan would make the Cardinals 6-1 in MAC play for the first time since 2011. CMU is coming off its first home loss of the season, an 86-67 setback against defending league champion Buffalo. The Chippewas, like the Cardinals, are 2-0 against West Division competition.

The Matchup
• Ball State and Central Michigan split their two meetings last season with each team winning on the other's home floor. K.J. Walton led the way with 24 points in BSU's 83-72 victory at McGuirk Arena last January. The Cardinals have won three of their past four visits to Mount Pleasant.

• Saturday's meeting is the first of two between the MAC West Division rivals who will battle again March 3 in Ball State's final regular season home game.

• The matchup pits Central Michigan's MAC-leading scoring offense (82.9 ppg) against Ball State's league-best scoring defense (61.1 ppg). The Chippewas are one of the fastest-playing teams in the country, ranking 11th nationally in Ken Pomeroy's adjusted tempo metric.

• Ball State ranks 27th nationally and second in the MAC behind only Akron with 9.5 made 3-pointers per game. Central Michigan is allowing 9.6 treys per game to its opponents, the most of any team in the league.

• Central Michigan features four players averaging double-figure scoring, led by Kevin McKay at 15.4 points per game. McKay leads the league in field goal percentage at 66.4 percent from the floor but has missed the past three games with an injury. He had 17 points and 19 rebounds in CMU's win last season in Muncie. David DiLeo (14.1 ppg), Dallas Morgan (13.2) and Rob Montgomery (11.0) are the other top offensive threats for the Chippewas.

What's Trending
• BSU head coach James Whitford recorded his 100th career win last Saturday against Miami, becoming the third coach in program history to reach the mark. Jim Hinga (154 wins from 1954-68) is the winningest coach in program history, followed by Ray McCallum (126 wins from 1993-2000).

• Tahjai Teague is the reigning MAC West Division Player of the Week for the second week in a row and the fourth time this season. The only other BSU players to win the award four times in a season were Jarrod Jones (2011-12) and Bonzi Wells (1997-98). Wells did when the league gave out one overall weekly award before the implementation of divisional awards.

• Ball State managed to defeat Miami the last time out despite the RedHawks hitting 11-of-19 from 3-point range, matching the most 3's surrendered by the Cardinals this season. BSU has allowed only 331 3-point attempts this season (18.4 per game), the fewest of any team in the MAC.

• Nearly 40 percent of Ball State's offensive production (39.8 percent) comes from the 3-point line. That ranks 13th among all teams in the country.

• Ishmael El-Amin leads the MAC and ranks seventh nationally in 3-point shooting at 46.4 percent. He is shooting 50 percent in MAC play.

MAC's Top Offense, Defense Clash Saturday when BSU visits Central Michigan

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Players Mentioned

Ishmael El-Amin

Tahjai Teague

K.J. Walton