Women's Basketball Takes On Top-Seeded Toledo In MAC Tourney Semifinals Friday

Friday, March 11

Cleveland, Ohio

10 a.m.

Ball State University

University of Toledo

Photo by: Jeff Harwell

Women's Basketball Takes On Top-Seeded Toledo In MAC Tourney Semifinals Friday

March 08, 2022 | Women's Basketball

This is the first meeting between the Cardinals and the Rockets in the MAC Tournament since the 2019 season

QUICK FACTS | No. 5 Seed Head Coach: Brady Sallee | 10th Season | Record at Ball State: 182-130 (.581) Overall Career Record: 318-239 (.568) | Location: Muncie, Ind.

QUICK FACTS | No. 1 Seed Head Coach: Tricia Cullop | 14th Season | Record at Toledo: 293-156 (.652) Overall Career Record: 416-266 (.609) | Location: Toledo, Ohio

Note: Ball State and Toledo have never met in the Mid-American Conference Tournament semifinals.

Opening Tip:

- A Ball State win will advance the Cardinals to the championship game of the Mid-American Conference Tournament Saturday for the first time since the 2014 season. That year Ball State fell to No. 3 Akron, 79-68.

- The No. 5 seed has never won the MAC Tournament since the tournaments induction in 1982.

- Toledo holds a 6-0 advantage over the Cardinals at the Mid-American Conference Tournament. The last time these two teams met was in 2019 when Ball State was the No. 11 seed and played at No. 6 seed Toledo in the first round. That year the Cardinals fell to the Rockets, 67-63.

- This marks the third meeting between Ball State and Toledo this season. The Rockets won the two-game series against the Cardinals with Toledo winning by slim margins in both contests, defeating Ball State 58-55 in Muncie on Jan. 19 and then earned a 69-66 victory in Toledo on Feb. 19.

Ball State vs. Toledo (MAC Tournament)

1981-82 No. 9 Toledo def. No. 8 Ball State, 61-60 (First Round)

1991-92 No. 1 Toledo def. No. 8 Ball State, 107-50 (Quarterfinals)

1999-2000 No. 3 Toledo def. No. 6 Ball State, 81-55 (Quarterfinals)

2007-08 No. 5 Toledo def. No. 1 Ball State 65-60 (Quarterfinals)

2009-10 No. 2 Toledo def. No. 7 Ball State, 67-56 (Quarterfinals)

2018-19 No. 6 Toledo def. No. 11 Ball State, 67-63 (First Round)

- This marks the 32nd appearance for the Cardinals in the Mid-American Conference Tournament in program history. Ball State has advanced to Cleveland 20 out of the past 22 seasons. The Cardinals are 20-30 all-time in MAC Tournament play and have advanced to the MAC Tournament finals on five occasions. Ball State defeated Bowling Green in 2009 in the MAC Tournament Championship game. This is the eighth time in current head coach Brady Sallee's tenure the Cardinals have punched their ticket to the MAC Tournament in Cleveland.

Lowest Seed To Win The MAC Tournament:

- The lowest seed to ever win the Mid-American Conference Tournament was No. 8 Buffalo in 2016. That year the Bulls knocked off No. 2 Central Michigan 73-71 in overtime.

Backs, Crashers & Keys:
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.

When BSU Scores 80+ We Win:
When the Cardinals score 80+ points this season it results in a victory for Ball State. The Cardinals are 6-0 when the reach the 80 point plateau with wins over Milwaukee (84-75 OT), Purdue Fort Wayne (86-58), Utah State (81-55), Bellarmine (84-63), Northern Illinois (83-82 OT) and Eastern Michigan (83-73)Ohio (84-74), Bowling Green (91-80) and Eastern Michigan (92-58).

So Close To Victory:
In seven of the Cardinals eight losses in Mid-American Conference play they were by very slim margins so slim that those seven losses were lost by seven or less points. Ball State barely lost to Kent State (51-54), Akron (76-83), Toledo (55-58), Kent State (61-64), Buffalo (62-67), Toledo (66-69) and Northern Illinois (72-77).

Last Time They Met:

- No. 7 Buffalo 69, No. 2 Ball State 65 (2017 MAC Quarterfinals)

- No. 6 Toledo 67, No. 11 Ball State 63 (2019 MAC First Round)

- No. 3 Akron 79, No .5 Ball State 68 (2014 MAC Championship)

Lucky No. 5:
The last time the Cardinals were the No. 5 seed was in 2014 when Ball State became postseason eligible by winning seven of their final eight games en route to advancing to the MAC Tournament championship game for the first time since winning it all in 2009. In the semifinals of the MAC Tournament, Ball State scored a thrilling 73-55 win over 25th-ranked Bowling Green. The Cardinals then lost to No. 3 seed Akron 79-68 in the title game. That year Ball State also played in the postseason WNIT.

Ball State OT In MAC Tourney:
Ball State has gone to overtime twice in the Mid-American Conference Tournament. The first time was in 1997 where the Cardinals lost in overtime by a score of 81-76 to Bowling Green. It also happened in 2001 when Ball State lost 91-88 in OT to Miami.