Cardinals Take Win Streak To Indiana State

Saturday, December 19

Terre Haute, IN

1 p.m.

Ball State University

Indiana State

December 18, 2020 | Men's Basketball

By: Ball State Athletics

Ball State (3-2) at Indiana State (1-2)
Date	Saturday, Dec. 19
Time	1 p.m. ET
Location	Hulman Center - Terre Haute, Ind.
Live Video	ESPN 3 (Luke Martin, Matt Renn) (Watch)
Radio	Ball State Network 96.7 / 104.9 (Joel Godett, David Eha) (Listen)
Tickets	NONE AVAILABLE
Game Notes	Ball State \| Indiana State
Live Stats	Live Stats
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram

In most years, a basketball season is divided into three segments: the non-conference early portion, league play that runs from about New Year's until March, then finally the conference tournament. As this year's schedule has been a moving target for teams all over the country, some things (and rivalries) continue to stay the same. The Ball State men's basketball team will take a three-game win streak into a Saturday matchup against Indiana State in what is the 135th meeting between the two schools.

The Cardinals defeated a Missouri Valley opponent last Saturday at home, a 16-point win over Illinois State. Saturday's game is the last non-conference outing for BSU, which opens league play for good on December 22. Each game is important in a shortened season and next Tuesday the Cardinals have a shot at going 2-0 on the road in conference play. However, a long-time rivalry is the next challenge. The Cardinals and Indiana State have played each year since 2009.

Head coach James Whitford said Ball State needs to do a good job on Indiana State's post players and continue to stress good transition defense.

"Boy, are they good," Whitford said. "LaRavia strikes you as a guy who can be a special player. And Tre Williams is very good. They have a talented group and they're explosive in transition."

Brachen Hazen has been a force in the frontcourt for BSU, posting his first career double-double in the win over Illinois State.

Ball State and Indiana State both have strong and experienced backcourts. BSU's combo of K.J. Walton and Ishmael El-Amin is the top scoring 1-2 punch in the MAC. Tyreke Key and Cooper Neese combine for 25.4 points per game.

BSU has won three in a row for ISU and four of the last six meetings. Saturday sets up a key game at Western Michigan, which will be a 2 p.m. tip on Tuesday, Dec. 22.

K.J. Walton scores against Indiana State — *K.J. Walton had 16 points and nine rebounds in last year's win over Indiana State at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.*

The Starting 5 - Saturday's Top Storylines

1. LONG-TIME RIVALRY RENEWED
Warren G. Harding was the President of the United States when Ball State and Indiana State decided to start playing Basket-Ball against each other. Since then, there have only been eight seasons in which Ball State and the Sycamores have not played (most recently 2008-09) and Saturday is the 135th meeting in the series. The two teams played twice a year from 1951-75 and have faced each other at least once every year since 1948 except for the 2008-09 season. The Sycamores lead the all-time series 73-61 but Ball State has won the last three meetings, including a 69-55 win at Bankers Life Fieldhouse last year.

2. TOP SCORING DUO IN THE LEAGUE
It was clear coming into the season Ball State's strength would lie in its experienced backcourt - and that has been true. K.J. Walton and Ishmael El-Amin form the top scoring duo in the conference with a combined 37.2 points per game. No other duo averages more than 36.4 points. Walton has scored double figures in every game this season and 18+ points four times. El-Amin scored 20 points a week ago vs. Illinois State and had 22 in the overtime win at Northern Illinois. Walton and El-Amin together account for 50.7% of BSU's scoring.

3. COMING IN ON A WIN STREAK...AND OUR BEST OUTING
Ball State enters Saturday's game coming off its best effort of the young season. The Cardinals shot 56% in the first half and built a comfortable lead for much of the game to defeat Illinois State 82-66. Eight different Cardinals scored between 20 and six points as the team moved the ball sharply and appeared to be achieving the team's goals of incremental improvement throughout the season. The win over Illinois State was the team's third victory in a row, following wins at Northern Illinois and at home over UIC.

4. NOT PLAYING WITH A FULL DECK OF CARDS
Ball State has been bitten by the injury bug in the preseason. Notably, 2020 MAC Freshman of the Year Jarron Coleman is out after having foot surgery in October. Transfer Reggie Jones, who scored 723 career points at Western Michigan and Tulsa, is also out with a lower body injury. Additionally, many players have missed practice time for various reasons in a very disjointed offseason.

5. BIG GAME ON A QUICK TURNAROUND
Following Saturday's game at Indiana State, the Cardinals won't have much time for holiday shopping. They'll have to quickly turn around and travel to Western Michigan for the last game of 2020 and a very important conference game that leads into a 11-day break. The Western Michigan game is extremely important, as it would give Ball State a 2-0 conference record with two road wins before January 1.