Ball State University Athletics
Photo by: Chad Smith
Ball State Returns to Worthen for Saturday Matchup with Evansville
December 09, 2022 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of Worthen Arena on Saturday for a contest against Evansville. The Cardinals and Aces are scheduled for a 2 p.m. jump.
BSU students, be among the first 350 in The Nest and receive a free hot dog, a slice of pizza, a fountain drink, or a beer. Arrive early, cheer loud, and enjoy responsibly.
For your halftime entertainment, the Cardinals are proud to present an artist that has been featured internationally with his amazing display of acrobatics, balance & athleticism, Simon & Lyric Arestov's Rolla Bolla.
Last Time Out
Ball State improved to 5-4 on the season behind a 76-59 victory over Eastern Illinois. For the second-straight game, the Cardinals finished the game with five players in double figures. Mickey Pearson Jr. led the way with 20 points and added a game-high nine boards. He collected one of the team's five steals. Payton Sparks notched a 12-point game to go along with his four rebounds, one block, and one steal. Jarron Coleman has scored double figures in eight-consecutive games with his 11-point performance. He tied his career best with a game-high eight assists and tallied one steal. Demarius Jacobs recorded his eighth game of the season in double figures behind a 10-point effort. Jacobs collected five assists and brought down three rebounds. Jalen Windham finished with 10 points, his seventh game of the season in double figures.
Spark Plug
Sparks continues to lead the team in points per game and rebounds per game with 14.4 and 7.9, respectively. He leads the team shooting 61.2 percent from the field, which is 36th in the NCAA and best in the MAC. He is tied for 32nd in the nation with 3.44 offensive rebounds per game, which is third in the conference. His 7.9 boards per game is fourth in the MAC. Sparks has recorded three double-doubles on the season, which is tied for 36th in the country and second in the conference. Sparks is second on the team with eight blocks to go along with his 21 assists and six steals.
Spreading the Love
The Cardinals have four players averaging double-digit points after nine games of the season. Coleman is second on the squad in scoring and rebounding with 12.7 points per contest and 5.3 boards per game. He leads the squad with 32 assists and is second on the team with 13 steals. Coleman has added five blocks. Sellers is third on the team with 12.3 points per game. He is shooting 55.0 percent from 3-point range. Sellers has brought down 4.4 rebounds a game to go along with his five steals and four assists. Jacobs closes out the double-digit scorers with 12.2 points a contest. He is second on the team with 30 assists and has a team-high 15 steals. Jacobs is averaging 3.9 rebounds per game. Windham is just outside of double figures with 9.9 points a game and is shooting 41.5 percent from long range. He has added 13 assists, 12 steals, and one blocked shot. As a team, Ball State has an effective field percentage of 55.4 percent, which is 50th in the NCAA and best in the MAC.
Taking Advantage at the Free-Throw Line
As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 24.0 free throws per game, which is 19th in the NCAA and leads the MAC. Ball State is averaging 16.6 free-throws made per contest, which is 25th in the nation and leads the conference. Sparks is tied for 16th in the nation with 64 free-throw attempts, which leads the MAC.
Block Party
Ball State continues to be strong on the defensive end of the court. As a unit, the Cardinals lead the MAC with 3.8 blocks per game. Jacobs is tied for 83rd in the nation and leads the MAC with 13 blocks. His 1.44 blocks per game is tied for 93rd in the country and leads the conference.
Series History with Evansville
Saturday will be the 56th meeting between the Cardinals and Aces. Evansville has the series lead 40-15. The Aces have won four of the last five meetings, including the last meeting, 79-75, on November 9, 2019, in Evansville. Ball State is 12-17 against Evansville in Muncie and are 0-2 inside Worthen Arena.
Scouting the Aces
Evansville enters the game with a 3-8 record. Kenny Strawbridge Jr. has a team-best 15.8 points per game. He is sixth in the NCAA with 164 field-goal attempts. He is second on the team with 29 assists. Strawbridge is averaging 3.5 rebounds per game. He has notched nine steals and added one block. Yacine Toumi is second on the team with 10.8 points per contest and is second on the squad with 5.4 rebounds per contest. He has produced 13 assists, eight steals, and two blocks. Marvin Coleman leads the team with 6.2 rebounds per game, has a team-high 30 assists, and paces the team with 14 steals. He has added 6.5 points a game. Preston Phillips has a team-high six blocks.
Tale of the Tape
All of BSU's games are presented on the Ball State Gainbridge Radio Network on Woof Boom stations 96.7 FM, 102.9 FM, 104.9 FM, WLBC HD2, and the stream of 967BlakeFM.com as well as WERKFM.net.
For general and season ticket information, please click here or call 1-888-BSU-TICKET (756-285-1474).
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BSU students, be among the first 350 in The Nest and receive a free hot dog, a slice of pizza, a fountain drink, or a beer. Arrive early, cheer loud, and enjoy responsibly.
For your halftime entertainment, the Cardinals are proud to present an artist that has been featured internationally with his amazing display of acrobatics, balance & athleticism, Simon & Lyric Arestov's Rolla Bolla.
Last Time Out
Ball State improved to 5-4 on the season behind a 76-59 victory over Eastern Illinois. For the second-straight game, the Cardinals finished the game with five players in double figures. Mickey Pearson Jr. led the way with 20 points and added a game-high nine boards. He collected one of the team's five steals. Payton Sparks notched a 12-point game to go along with his four rebounds, one block, and one steal. Jarron Coleman has scored double figures in eight-consecutive games with his 11-point performance. He tied his career best with a game-high eight assists and tallied one steal. Demarius Jacobs recorded his eighth game of the season in double figures behind a 10-point effort. Jacobs collected five assists and brought down three rebounds. Jalen Windham finished with 10 points, his seventh game of the season in double figures.
Spark Plug
Sparks continues to lead the team in points per game and rebounds per game with 14.4 and 7.9, respectively. He leads the team shooting 61.2 percent from the field, which is 36th in the NCAA and best in the MAC. He is tied for 32nd in the nation with 3.44 offensive rebounds per game, which is third in the conference. His 7.9 boards per game is fourth in the MAC. Sparks has recorded three double-doubles on the season, which is tied for 36th in the country and second in the conference. Sparks is second on the team with eight blocks to go along with his 21 assists and six steals.
Spreading the Love
The Cardinals have four players averaging double-digit points after nine games of the season. Coleman is second on the squad in scoring and rebounding with 12.7 points per contest and 5.3 boards per game. He leads the squad with 32 assists and is second on the team with 13 steals. Coleman has added five blocks. Sellers is third on the team with 12.3 points per game. He is shooting 55.0 percent from 3-point range. Sellers has brought down 4.4 rebounds a game to go along with his five steals and four assists. Jacobs closes out the double-digit scorers with 12.2 points a contest. He is second on the team with 30 assists and has a team-high 15 steals. Jacobs is averaging 3.9 rebounds per game. Windham is just outside of double figures with 9.9 points a game and is shooting 41.5 percent from long range. He has added 13 assists, 12 steals, and one blocked shot. As a team, Ball State has an effective field percentage of 55.4 percent, which is 50th in the NCAA and best in the MAC.
Taking Advantage at the Free-Throw Line
As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 24.0 free throws per game, which is 19th in the NCAA and leads the MAC. Ball State is averaging 16.6 free-throws made per contest, which is 25th in the nation and leads the conference. Sparks is tied for 16th in the nation with 64 free-throw attempts, which leads the MAC.
Block Party
Ball State continues to be strong on the defensive end of the court. As a unit, the Cardinals lead the MAC with 3.8 blocks per game. Jacobs is tied for 83rd in the nation and leads the MAC with 13 blocks. His 1.44 blocks per game is tied for 93rd in the country and leads the conference.
Series History with Evansville
Saturday will be the 56th meeting between the Cardinals and Aces. Evansville has the series lead 40-15. The Aces have won four of the last five meetings, including the last meeting, 79-75, on November 9, 2019, in Evansville. Ball State is 12-17 against Evansville in Muncie and are 0-2 inside Worthen Arena.
Scouting the Aces
Evansville enters the game with a 3-8 record. Kenny Strawbridge Jr. has a team-best 15.8 points per game. He is sixth in the NCAA with 164 field-goal attempts. He is second on the team with 29 assists. Strawbridge is averaging 3.5 rebounds per game. He has notched nine steals and added one block. Yacine Toumi is second on the team with 10.8 points per contest and is second on the squad with 5.4 rebounds per contest. He has produced 13 assists, eight steals, and two blocks. Marvin Coleman leads the team with 6.2 rebounds per game, has a team-high 30 assists, and paces the team with 14 steals. He has added 6.5 points a game. Preston Phillips has a team-high six blocks.
Tale of the Tape
| BSU | Category | UE |
| 77.2 | POINTS PER GAME | 60.4 |
| 66.8 | OPP. POINTS PER GAME | 69.7 |
| .491 | FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .382 |
| .427 | OPP. FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .453 |
| .378 | 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .271 |
| .354 | OPP. 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .363 |
| .690 | FREE THROW PERCENTAGE | .639 |
| 35.8 | REBOUNDS PER GAME | 33.9 |
| 4.8 | REBOUNDING MARGIN | -3.4 |
| 13.9 | ASSISTS PER GAME | 10.1 |
| 13.0 | TURNOVERS PER GAME | 11.7 |
| 0.7 | TURNOVER MARGIN | 1.8 |
| 7.1 | STEALS PER GAME | 6.5 |
| 3.8 | BLOCKS PER GAME | 1.8 |
All of BSU's games are presented on the Ball State Gainbridge Radio Network on Woof Boom stations 96.7 FM, 102.9 FM, 104.9 FM, WLBC HD2, and the stream of 967BlakeFM.com as well as WERKFM.net.
For general and season ticket information, please click here or call 1-888-BSU-TICKET (756-285-1474).
Follow the Cardinals
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