Cardinals Put 3-0 MAC Home Record on the Line Saturday versus Ohio

Game 21
Ball State (11-9, 4-3 MAC) vs. Ohio (10-11, 2-6 MAC)
Saturday, Feb. 1 (1 p.m. ET)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch: ESPN3 | Listen: 96.7/104.9 | Live Stats | Tickets

Setting the Stage
• After playing four of its past five games on the road, Ball State is home Saturday to host Ohio from the MAC East Division in the only scheduled meeting between the teams this season. The Cardinals have played only three league home games so far but have won them all. Ball State is looking to bounce back from a pair of tough road losses last week, falling to Central Michigan and to MAC overall leader and preseason league favorite Bowling Green.

• Both of Ohio's MAC wins have come over Eastern Michigan. The Bobcats, however, have suffered a variety of close losses recently, including a three-point setback at Buffalo and a pair of two-point defeats last week against Akron and at Northern Illinois.

The Matchup
• Ohio swept two meetings from BSU last year, winning 70-52 in Muncie and 78-74 in Athens. Only four current members of the Bobcats' roster, however, have ever appeared in a game against the Cardinals.

• Ohio is in its first season under head coach Jeff Boals who will be coaching inside Worthen Arena for the second time in three seasons. Boals brought his Stony Brook team to Muncie on Nov. 17, 2017 for a game Ball State won 87-76 behind 29 points from Tayler Persons.

• Saturday's game features two of the top 3-point shooters in the MAC. BSU junior Ishmael El-Amin ranks third in the league at 43.1 percent from deep despite a pair of 1-for-6 performances last week. Ohio's Jordan Dartis ranks sixth among all active players in the country with 289 career 3's. The fifth-year senior is shooting 36.7 percent from beyond the arc this season.

• Ohio features the MAC's top assist man in Jason Preston. The sophomore guard ranks fourth in the country at 7.5 assists per game. He leads the nation in total assists with 158. Preston logged eight assists without a turnover in the Bobcats' victory last season in Muncie.

• Jason Preston also leads Ohio in scoring (16.1 ppg) and steals (1.6 spg) while ranking third on the team in rebounding (6.1 rpg). Ben Vander Plas (15.5 ppg) and Jordan Dartis (13.4 ppg) give the Bobcats two more double-figure scorers. Vander Plas is averaging a team-high 18.3 points per game in conference play, including a 28-point performance at Buffalo.

What's Trending
• Ball State has been an improved 3-point shooting team this year, but the Cardinals struggled from beyond the arc on the road last week. Over its games at Central Michigan and Bowling Green, BSU hit only 10-of-46 (.217) from 3-point range. The Cardinals had their worst long-range performance of the year at Bowling Green, making just 5-of-27 (.185).

• Despite the poor shooting performances, Ball State had chances in both games. The Cardinals were within two points at the 4-minute mark against Central Michigan before the Chippewas seized control with a 9-1 run. BSU then led Bowling Green by four at the 4-minute mark before a 12-0 run put the Falcons in charge.

• Tahjai Teague is averaging a double-double in conference play at 17.3 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. Toledo's Willie Jackson and Eastern Michigan's Boubacar Toure are the only other MAC players averaging double-doubles in league play.

• Tahjai Teague passed Jarrod Jones (2008-12) last week for third on Ball State's career blocked shots list (118). Teague ranks seventh in school history in rebounds (849) and steals (149).

• Redshirt freshman Kani Acree has earned a larger role as the season has progressed. He has become a key rotation player lately and is averaging 6.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in 18.4 minutes over the past four games.

Cardinals Put 3-0 MAC Home Record on the Line Saturday versus Ohio

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Players Mentioned

Kani Acree

Ishmael El-Amin

Tayler Persons

Tahjai Teague