Cardinals Ready for Jersey Mike’s Classic

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team returns to the hardwood for the Jersey Mike's Classic in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Thursday. The Cardinals open the tournament against FIU on Thursday, followed by a game with Weber State on Friday, and conclude the classic with a matchup with UMass on Sunday.

This will mark the third time Ball State has played in an early-season tournament under the direction of Head Coach James Whitford. In 2018, the Cardinals played in the Charleston Classic in Charleston, S.C. BSU produced a 1-2 record, with a win against Appalachian State and losses against Virginia Tech and Alabama. Ball State finished the 2019 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic with a 1-2 record. While in Hawaii, BSU defeated Portland, but fell to Washington and UTEP.

Luke Bumbalough leads the Cardinals entering the Jersey Mike's Classic with 14.5 points per game and has a team-high nine assists. Jalen Windham is second on the team averaging 13.0 points per game and leads the team with a 53.8 percentage from 3-point range. Payton Sparks continues to be a force on the glass and has a team-high 8.5 rebounds per game. Sparks is third on the squad with 9.5 points per game. Tyler Cochran is second on the team with 6.0 rebounds per game. Cochran, Sparks, and Demarius Jacobs are tied for the team lead with 2 steals each.

Thursday will mark the third meeting between the Cardinals and Panthers. Ball State has won the previous meetings against FIU, including a 105-50 victory on Jan. 13, 1990, in Worthen Arena. The Cardinals won the first ever meeting 89-66 on Dec. 7, 1988. BSU and FIU are scheduled for an 8 p.m. tip on Thursday.

The Panthers are led by Daniel Parrish with 15.0 points per game. Tevin Brewer is averaging 14.0 points game and leads the team with six 3-pointers. Denver Jones is the final Panther averaging double digits, with 10.0 points per game. Eric Lovett leads FIU on the boards and is averaging 7.0 rebounds per game.

Weber State won the only meeting between the two squads at the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, on Nov. 23, 2002. The Wildcats knocked off the Cardinals 72-67. Ball State and Weber State are slated for a 5:30 p.m. start time on Friday.

Coming into the Jersey Mike's Classic the Wildcats are led by Koby McEwen with 18.5 points per game and he has a team-high seven 3-pointers. JJ Overton is second on the team with 13.0 points per game. Seikou Sisoho Jawara is averaging 12.5 points per game. Dillon Jones and Cody Carlson round out the double-digit scorers for Weber State with 11.0 and 10.0 points per game, respectively. Jones has been dominant on the glass and is averaging 12.0 rebounds per game.

Ball State and UMass will meet for the first time in program history on Sunday. Tip for Sunday is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

Trent Buttrick leads UMass with 15.3 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game, and is tied for the team lead in 3-pointers with seven. Noah Fernandes is second on the squad with an average of 12.7 points per game. C.J. Kelly and Rich Kelly are averaging 12.5 and 12.0 points per game, respectively. Rich Kelly is tied for the team lead with seven 3-pointers made.

All games for the Cardinals during the Jersey Mike's Classic can be seen on the CBS Sports Network. All of BSU's games are on Woof Boom Radio's 96.7 FM, 102.9 FM, 104.9 FM, WLBC HD2, and the stream of 967BlakeFM.com as well as WERKFM.net.

Tale of the Tape
Ball State CATEGORY FIU
72.0 .............................. POINTS PER GAME................................. 81.0
75.5 .......................... OPP. POINTS PER GAME............................ 53.0
.429 ........................ FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE............................484
.471 .................... OPP. FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE..................... .328
.407 ................. 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE.................. .407
.302 ............. OPP. 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE............. .206
.542 ....................... FREE THROW PERCENTAGE........................ .600
37.0 ........................... REBOUNDS PER GAME.............................. 40.0
+0.5 .......................... REBOUNDING MARGIN............................... +3.0
14.5 .............................. ASSISTS PER GAME................................ 18.0
14.0 .......................... TURNOVERS PER GAME............................ 14.5
-3.5.............................. TURNOVER MARGIN................................. +2.0
6.0 ................................ STEALS PER GAME................................. 10.0
0.5 ................................ BLOCKS PER GAME.................................. 7.5

Follow the Cardinals
Twitter
Instagram

*For tickets call 1-888-BSU-TICKET or 765-285-1474, or click here.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Luke Bumbalough

Tyler Cochran

Demarius Jacobs

Payton Sparks

Jalen Windham