Cardinals Looking to Carry Home Success on the Road to Kent State

Game 22
Ball State (12-9, 5-3 MAC) at Kent State (16-6, 6-3 MAC)
Tuesday, Feb. 4 (7 p.m. ET)
Kent, Ohio (M.A.C. Center)
Watch: ESPN+ | Listen: 96.7/104.9 | Live Stats

Setting the Stage
• Ball State visits Kent State for its third straight game against the MAC East Division and the only scheduled meeting between the teams this season. The Cardinals split a pair of contests last week, falling to league leader Bowling Green on the road and then defeating Ohio at home. Tuesday's game is the first of two on the road this week for BSU. The Cardinals visit Western Michigan on Saturday.

• Kent State won its first three MAC games of the season, then lost three in a row and is now riding another three-game winning streak. The Golden Flashes most recently defeated rival Akron 68-67 to move into a tie with the Zips for second place in the East Division. They are also the only league team to defeat Bowling Green so far this year, having knocked off the Falcons in the opening conference game.

The Matchup
• Ball State and Kent State are separated by just eight spots in the NCAA's NET rankings with the Golden Flashes at No. 105 and the Cardinals at No. 113. Only five spots separate KSU (102) and BSU (107) in ESPN's BPI.

• Kent State won the only meeting between the teams last season with an 83-80 overtime victory in Muncie. A K.J. Walton 3-pointer sent the game to overtime, and Ball State clung to a one-point lead as the clock ticked down in the extra period. But Antonio Williams collected his own 20-foot heave off the backboard and laid it in to put Kent State on top with 2.9 seconds to play.

• Ball State is seeking its first road victory over Kent State since 1999. The Golden Flashes have won the past 11 meetings in Kent. The most recent of those was an 88-80 overtime decision in January 2018. Tayler Persons forced overtime with a 3-pointer, but Kent State outscored the Cardinals 17-9 in the extra period.

• Tuesday's game features two of the top 3-point shooters in the MAC. BSU junior Ishmael El-Amin ranks third in the league at 42.4 percent from deep. Kent State's Troy Simons ranks just behind him at 41 percent. Simons leads the MAC in 3-pointers made (68) and attempted (166).

• Kent State leads the MAC in field goal percentage, shooting 45.6 percent as a team. The Golden Flashes feature four players averaging at least 12 points per game -- Danny Pippen (14.3), Antonio Williams (14.1), Troy Simons (13.4) and Anthony Roberts (12.1).

What's Trending
• Fifth-year senior Tahjai Teague was named the MAC West Division Co-Player of the Week on Monday, sharing the award with Eugene German of Northern Illinois. It was the fifth time this season Teague won the award, marking the most ever by a Ball State player in one season. Jarrod Jones (2011-12) and Bonzi Wells (1997-98) previously won it four times in a season. Wells did it when the league gave out one overall weekly award before the implementation of divisional awards. Teague averaged 21.0 points and 9.5 rebounds last week.

• Ball State improved to 4-0 at home in conference play with Saturday's win over Ohio behind Teague's 24 points. The Cardinals have won their league home games by an average of 11.3 points, highlighted by a 20-point victory over Buffalo. BSU is seeking its second MAC road win.

• Redshirt freshman Jarron Coleman matched his career-high with nine rebounds against Ohio. He ranks second on the team with 5.3 rebounds in conference play from his point guard position.

• Tahjai Teague is averaging a double-double in conference play at 18.1 points and 10.6 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.

Cardinals Looking to Carry Home Success on the Road to Kent State

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Players Mentioned

Jarron Coleman

Ishmael El-Amin

Tayler Persons

Tahjai Teague

K.J. Walton