Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
University at Buffalo
WBB Wraps Up Its Third Game In Five Days At Buffalo Wednesday
January 25, 2022 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 26 | Buffalo, N.Y. | Alumni Arena | 7 p.m. ET
Watch: ESPN+ | Listen: Muncie Sports Station (102.9 FM/1340 AM) | Live Stats
Game Notes: Ball State | Buffalo
Opening Tip:
- Wednesday's game against Buffalo will mark the 33rd time in program history the two schools have met, with the Cardinals leading the all-time series, 18-14.
- Ball State and Buffalo split their two-game series last season with each team winning on the others home court. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic these two teams played each other back-to-back last season. The Cardinals defeated the Bulls in Alumni Arena by a score of 76-63 on Feb. 17, 2020 and then fell to Buffalo three days later at home 76-83 on Feb. 20, 2020.
- Brady Sallee owns an 8-7 (.533) ledger when coaching against the Bulls from 2012-13 until present.
- Ball State and Buffalo's first-ever meeting was on Jan. 30 at Buffalo in 1998-99. The Bulls won that meeting 71-63 and would go onto win the next two over the Cardinals. Ball State's first-ever victory over Buffalo was in Worthen Arena on Feb. 9 by a score of 72-59.
- Ball State has won three of the last four contests from 2019-20 until present.
- The Cardinals are looking to extend their win streak to three when they travel to Buffalo. Ball State is coming off back-to-back wins over Central Michigan (57-45) and Miami (67-64).
- Buffalo has lost two in row suffering setbacks at Toledo (66-75) and at Ohio (66-68). Prior to that, the Bulls had won five in row.
Sallee Is Hot In January:
It may be cold outside but the Cardinals tend to get hot in the month of January under 10th-year head coach Brady Sallee. Sallee owns an overall record of 51-28 (.645) in the month of January dating back to his first season in 2012-13.
Loving Latimer:
Ball State women's basketball graduate student Chyna Latimer joined the Cardinals this season after transferring from the University of Delaware. Unfortunately, with the loss of Anna Clephane due to an injury she sustained against Kent State, Latimer stepped up and took a starting role at Eastern Michigan on Jan. 12. Latimer definitely wasn't shy as she led the team with a 17-point performance while helping Ball State defeat Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti by a score of 83-73. She then matched that performance with 17 points at Akron (1/15/22). Latimer recently recorded a personal best 18 points vs. Toledo (1/19/22) and her first career double-double against Miami after scoring 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds(1/24/22).
This year, the Cardinals are forgoing "traditional" positions and using their own such as backs, crashers, and keys, to bring a sense of team unity. That system proved to be the lift Ball State needed, especially with so many new faces on the court. BSU started the season 2-0 for the first time since 2017.
Eight Is Enough:
The Cardinals proved themselves yet again when faced with adversity BSU rises to the occasion and that is what happened again Monday night in Worthen Arena. Ball State found out early morning on Monday that they would be short-handed against their MAC rival RedHawks. But that didn't stop them as Ball State led almost the entire contest and were able to hold onto the 67-64 victory over Miami on Jan. 24, 2022. With the win, Brady Sallee improved his overall record against Miami to 11-1 since his first season in 2012-13.
Ball Control:
In the Cardinals last 12 contests Ball State has been able limit its turnovers against its opponents. Against Purdue Fort Wayne, the Cardinals only committed 12 turnovers and then mimicked that type of performance against Pitt with a season low nine miscues. Currently the Cardinals assist/turnover ratio is 1.11 which is good for a national ranking of 42 and are leading the MAC in that category.
In The Nation In 3's:
The Cardinals currently rank 16th in the nation among its Division I peers in 3-point field goals per game 8.9). Ball State also ranks in the top-50 in 3-point field goal attempts coming in at 13 with 504 and 17th in the nation for total 3-pointers made with 161.
Scouting Buffalo:
- Dyaisha Fair leads the Bulls and ranks sixth in the nation in scoring at 22.9 points per game. Summer Hemphill is averaging just under a double-double with 15.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game while Woolley has scored in double figures in 10 of the last 11 games and is averaging 10.5 points per game. Buffalo is distributing the basketball at an excellent clip, averaging 15.7 assists per game and a 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio, both ranking in the top 50 nationally while also ranking 37th with a +4.4 turnover margin. That leads to a potent offense which ranks 23rd in the nation in scoring (76.6 ppg). The Bulls are ranked 62nd in the latest NET rankings. They are also ranked 14th in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
- The Bulls were named the preseason favorite to win the 2022 Mid-American Conference Tournament as the Bulls received five votes in the poll voted on by the league's 12 head coaches.
- Since Legette-Jack took over in the 2012-13 season,the Bulls hold an 90-36 (.714) record at home across 126 contests.
Up Next:
After today's contest, the Cardinals will remain on the road when they play at Ohio on Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. ET. Ball State will then return home on Feb. 5 in a rematch against Bowling Green at 1 p.m. ET in Worthen Arena.
