Ball State Hosts Miami for Saturday Showdown

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team returns to Worthen Arena for a Mid-American Conference showdown with Miami presented by LifeStream Services. The Cardinals and RedHawks are scheduled for a 2 p.m. tip, following the Ball State versus the Miami women's basketball game.

BSU students, be among the first 400 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. Vouchers will be passed out at the conclusion of the women's game.

Last Time Out
Ball State suffered its first MAC loss on the road against Ohio, 76-71. Jarron Coleman recorded his 15th-straight game in double figures with a 17-point effort. He added a team-high four assists with two steals and two rebounds. Jalen Windham produced 13 points along with four rebounds and one assist. Payton Sparks finished in double figures with 12. He brought down a team-high eight rebounds. Sparks dished out one assist and had one steal.

Boogie on Down
Coleman has a team-best 14.4 points per game. He leads the team with 36 made 3-pointers and is shooting 36.7 percent from behind the arc. He leads the team with 52 assists and is second in steals with 22. Coleman has added nine blocks, which is tied for third on the squad.

Sensational Sellers
Sellers is second on the team with 13.8 points per game. He is shooting 53.1 percent from 3-point range, which leads the team. He is fourth on the team with 4.5 rebounds per game. He has produced a field-goal percentage of 50.0 on the season. Sellers has collected 13 assists, 12 steals and six blocks. He has notched four games with 20 or more points for the season.

Spark Plug
Sparks paces the team with 7.9 rebounds per game, which is tied for 88th in the country and fourth in the conference. His 3.31 offensive rebounds per contest have him ranked 26th in the nation and third in the MAC. He is third on the team averaging 13.1 points per game. He is shooting 61.5 percent from the field, which leads the team. He has four double-doubles on the season, which is tied for 81st in the country and is tied for third in the MAC. He is third on the team with 32 assists, second on the team with 13 blocks, and has added eight steals.

Spreading the Love
The Cardinals have four players averaging double-digit points. Demarius Jacobs closes out the double-digit scorers with 12.3 points a contest. He has a team-high 27 blocks, which is tied for 59th in the NCAA and most in the MAC lead. His 1.69 blocks per contest is 59th in the nation and first in the conference. He second on the team in assists with 49 and paves the team in steals with 23. He is averaging 3.8 boards per contest. Mickey Pearson Jr. is second on the squad with 5.1 rebounds per contest and is averaging 6.8 points a game. Pearson is third on the team shooting 53.6 from the field.

Taking Advantage at the Free-Throw Line
As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 25.5 free throws per game, which is seventh in the NCAA and leads the MAC. Ball State is averaging 17.6 free-throws made per contest, which is 14th in the nation and leads the conference. Sparks is seventh in the nation with 124 free-throw attempts, which leads in the MAC. The Cardinals are one of 23 teams in the NCAA that have made more free throws than their opponents have attempted.

Effective Shooting
The Cardinals are currently shooting 48.1 percent from the field, which is tied for 35th in the NCAA and is second in the MAC. Ball State has been effective from behind the arc with a combined 37.9 percent from 3-point range, which is tied for 35th in the country and second in the MAC.

Series History with the RedHawks
Ball State and Miami will meet for the 109th time on Saturday. The RedHawks hold a 67-41 series advantage. The Cardinals won last season's matchup 81-64 in Muncie. Ball State is 26-25 all-time in Muncie and is 13-11 inside Worthen Arena.

Scouting Miami
As a unit, the RedHawks are fourth in the NCAA shooting 80.8 percent from the free-throw line. Mekhi Lairy is shooting 91.4 percent from the free-throw line, which is 11th in the NCAA and second in the MAC. Lairy leads the squad with 17.5 points per game, 23 steals, and 69 assists. He is averaging 3.1 boards a game and has four blocks. Morgan Safford is second on the team with 14.9 points a game and has a team-best 5.8 rebounds per game. He has added 20 assists, 17 steals, and four blocks. Anderson Mirambeaux rounds out the double-digit scorers with 12.8 points a contest. He is second on the team with 5.6 rebounds a game. He has tallied 39 assists, a team-high 17 blocks, and has added 10 steals.

Tale of the Tape

BSU	Category	MU
76.6	POINTS PER GAME	75.4
67.4	OPP. POINTS PER GAME	74.3
.481	FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.442
.420	OPP. FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.462
.379	3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.353
.360	OPP. 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.353
.691	FREE THROW PERCENTAGE	.808
35.9	REBOUNDS PER GAME	33.1
4.0	REBOUNDING MARGIN	-1.2
12.8	ASSISTS PER GAME	14.2
12.8	TURNOVERS PER GAME	15.1
-0.2	TURNOVER MARGIN	0.5
6.3	STEALS PER GAME	7.3
4.6	BLOCKS PER GAME	3.4

MAC Conference Standings
1. Kent State – 13-3 (3-0)
2. Ball State – 11-5 (2-1)
3. Akron – 10-6 (2-1)
4. Bowling Green – 8-8 (2-1)
5. Buffalo – 8-8 (2-1)
6. Toledo – 10-6 (1-2)
7. Ohio – 9-7 (1-2)
8. Miami – 7-9 (1-2)
9. Central Michigan – 6-10 (1-2)
10. Northern Illinois – 5-11 (1-2)
11. Western Michigan – 5-11 (1-2)
12. Eastern Michigan – 4-12 (1-2)

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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Players Mentioned

Jarron Coleman

Demarius Jacobs

Mickey Pearson Jr.

Payton Sparks

Jalen Windham