Saturday, January 8
Ypsilanti, Mich.
3:30 p.m.
Ball State University
at
Eastern Michigan
Photo by: BSU Photo Services
Cardinals Travel to Michigan for First Time for a MAC Contest with the Eagles
January 06, 2022 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team is scheduled to be back in action on Saturday for an afternoon Mid-American Conference matchup at Eastern Michigan. The Cardinals enter Saturday with a 6-7 overall record and are 1-1 in MAC play, while the Eagles boast a 6-6 overall mark and are 1-0 in conference action. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. tip.
For just the second time in the James Whitford era, a set of brothers will face each other on the hardwood. The first meeting between brothers was Jeremie Tyler and Jerome Campbell, of IU Kokomo, in 2015. This weekend Basheer and Yusuf Jihad are slated for a brotherly showdown. This will be the first time that Basheer and Yusuf have played against each other in an organized contest.
The Cardinals are coming off a tough last-second loss to Kent State. Tyler Cochran finished with a team-high 23 points, which were the most for him in a BSU uniform. Demarius Jacobs recorded the most points of his Cardinal career with 16. With his 12 points, Payton Sparks has recorded double digits in three straight and four of the last five games. Cochran and Sparks tied for a game-high nine rebounds. Miryne Thomas notched a team-best four assists and he added nine points. On the defensive end, Sparks, Jaylin Sellers, and Basheer Jihad each produced a blocked shot. Cochran, Sparks, and Mickey Pearson Jr. picked up one steal each.
Luke Bumbalough paces the Cardinals with 12.4 points per game, while Cochran (11.1) and Sparks (10.5) close out the double-digit scores. Sparks continues to be a force on the glass and has a team-best 6.2 rebounds per game. Cochran is second on the team in rebounds with 5.4 a game, while Thomas is third with 5.0 a contest. Basheer Jihad and Thomas lead the way in blocked shots with six each, while Sparks is third with five. Cochran has team-high 26 steals, which is tied for 44th in the country, and is tied for 55th in the NCAA with 2.00 steals per game. Bumbalough and Jacobs are tied for second with 10 steals each. Bumbalough (43), Cochran (31), and Jacobs (28), are the top three in assists.
Ball State leads the series against Eastern Michigan, 64-45. The Cardinals are on a four-game winning streak against the Eagles, including a 100-65 victory on March 2, 2021. In games played in Ypsilanti, BSU is 32-21.
EMU is led by Noah Farrakhan with 17.9 points per game, which is fifth in the MAC. Monty Scott (14.6) and Bryce McBride (12.6) round out the scorers in double figures. Nate Scott leads the Eagles in rebounding with 5.5 per game, while Colin Golson Jr. is second with 5.3. Nate Scott and Mo Njie are the shot blockers with 11 and 10, respectively. Monty Scott and Darion Spottsville are tied for first on the squad with 16 steals apiece. Monty Scott has a team-best 34 assists, while Spottsville and Farrakhan are tied for second with 22.
All of BSU's games are presented on the Ball State Gainbridge Radio Network as well as 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
Cardinal fans join the movement inside Worthen Arena and enjoy three or more games at a special price! Starting at just $27 for three men's games and $21 for three women's games or mix and match! Click here for more details.
Follow the Cardinals
Twitter
Instagram
*For tickets call 1-888-BSU-TICKET or 765-285-1474, or click here.
For just the second time in the James Whitford era, a set of brothers will face each other on the hardwood. The first meeting between brothers was Jeremie Tyler and Jerome Campbell, of IU Kokomo, in 2015. This weekend Basheer and Yusuf Jihad are slated for a brotherly showdown. This will be the first time that Basheer and Yusuf have played against each other in an organized contest.
The Cardinals are coming off a tough last-second loss to Kent State. Tyler Cochran finished with a team-high 23 points, which were the most for him in a BSU uniform. Demarius Jacobs recorded the most points of his Cardinal career with 16. With his 12 points, Payton Sparks has recorded double digits in three straight and four of the last five games. Cochran and Sparks tied for a game-high nine rebounds. Miryne Thomas notched a team-best four assists and he added nine points. On the defensive end, Sparks, Jaylin Sellers, and Basheer Jihad each produced a blocked shot. Cochran, Sparks, and Mickey Pearson Jr. picked up one steal each.
Luke Bumbalough paces the Cardinals with 12.4 points per game, while Cochran (11.1) and Sparks (10.5) close out the double-digit scores. Sparks continues to be a force on the glass and has a team-best 6.2 rebounds per game. Cochran is second on the team in rebounds with 5.4 a game, while Thomas is third with 5.0 a contest. Basheer Jihad and Thomas lead the way in blocked shots with six each, while Sparks is third with five. Cochran has team-high 26 steals, which is tied for 44th in the country, and is tied for 55th in the NCAA with 2.00 steals per game. Bumbalough and Jacobs are tied for second with 10 steals each. Bumbalough (43), Cochran (31), and Jacobs (28), are the top three in assists.
Ball State leads the series against Eastern Michigan, 64-45. The Cardinals are on a four-game winning streak against the Eagles, including a 100-65 victory on March 2, 2021. In games played in Ypsilanti, BSU is 32-21.
EMU is led by Noah Farrakhan with 17.9 points per game, which is fifth in the MAC. Monty Scott (14.6) and Bryce McBride (12.6) round out the scorers in double figures. Nate Scott leads the Eagles in rebounding with 5.5 per game, while Colin Golson Jr. is second with 5.3. Nate Scott and Mo Njie are the shot blockers with 11 and 10, respectively. Monty Scott and Darion Spottsville are tied for first on the squad with 16 steals apiece. Monty Scott has a team-best 34 assists, while Spottsville and Farrakhan are tied for second with 22.
All of BSU's games are presented on the Ball State Gainbridge Radio Network as well as 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
| BSU | Category | EMU |
| 74.2 | POINTS PER GAME | 73.1 |
| 77.2 | OPP. POINTS PER GAME | 77.0 |
| .439 | FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .431 |
| .451 | OPP. FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .428 |
| .366 | 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .321 |
| .372 | OPP. 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .321 |
| .680 | FREE THROW PERCENTAGE | .690 |
| 35.2 | REBOUNDS PER GAME | 36.6 |
| -1.7 | REBOUNDING MARGIN | -4.3 |
| 13.8 | ASSISTS PER GAME | 9.8 |
| 14.2 | TURNOVERS PER GAME | 14.7 |
| -1.5 | TURNOVER MARGIN | -0.4 |
| 6.5 | STEALS PER GAME | 7.0 |
| 2.2 | BLOCKS PER GAME | 3.6 |
Cardinal fans join the movement inside Worthen Arena and enjoy three or more games at a special price! Starting at just $27 for three men's games and $21 for three women's games or mix and match! Click here for more details.
Follow the Cardinals
*For tickets call 1-888-BSU-TICKET or 765-285-1474, or click here.
Players Mentioned
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