Cardinals Flock to DeKalb for Matchup with Huskies

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 28, for a road contest with Northern Illinois. The Cardinals (13-7, 4-3 MAC) look to bounce back against the Huskies (8-12, 4-3 MAC) at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Last Time Out
The Cardinals are coming off a 91-65 loss to the Buffalo Bulls. Jarron Coleman tied a career high with seven made 3-pointers on his way to a 27-point effort, the fourth time of the season and second in the last three contests. He added a game-high three steals to go along with four rebounds and two assists. Jaylin Sellers was the only other player in double figures for the Cardinals with 10 points. He brought down three rebounds, had two assists, and tied a team-high two blocks.

Boogie on Down
Coleman is averaging a team-high 14.8 points per game. He leads the team with 47 made 3-pointers and is shooting 37.9 percent from behind the arc. He leads the team with 67 assists and in steals with 30. Coleman has added nine blocks, which is tied for fourth on the squad. He has compiled four games of 20 or more points.

Sensational Sellers
Sellers is second on the team with 13.3 points per game. He is shooting 47.0 percent from 3-point range, which leads the team. He is fourth on the team with 4.0 rebounds per game. He has produced a field-goal percentage of 48.3 on the season. Sellers has collected 16 assists, 15 steals and 10 blocks. He has notched four games with 20 or more points for the season.

Spark Plug
Payton Sparks leads the team with 7.7 rebounds per game, which is tied for 111th in the country and fourth in the conference. His 3.00 offensive rebounds per contest have him tied for 48th in the nation and third in the MAC. He is third on the team averaging 12.6 points per game. He is shooting 60.4 percent from the field, which leads the team. He has five double-doubles on the season, which is tied for 77th in the country and tied for third in the MAC. He is third on the team with 38 assists, second on the team with 18 blocks, and has added eight steals.

Spreading the Love
The Cardinals have four players averaging double-digit points. Demarius Jacobs rounds out the double-digit scorers with 12.0 points a contest. He has a team-high 31 blocks, which is tied for 68th in the NCAA and most in the MAC. His 1.55 blocks per contest is 71st in the nation and first in the conference. He second on the team in assists with 65 and is second on the team in steals with 27. He is averaging 3.8 boards per contest. Mickey Pearson Jr. is second on the squad with 5.2 rebounds per contest and is averaging 6.8 points a game. Pearson is shooting 50.0 from the field.

Taking Advantage at the Free-Throw Line
As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 24.8 free throws per game, which is tied for fifth in the NCAA and leads the MAC. Ball State is averaging 16.9 free-throws made per contest, which is tied for 16th in the nation and leads the conference. Sparks is sixth in the nation with 149 free-throw attempts, which leads in the MAC. The Cardinals are one of 15 teams in the NCAA that have made more free throws than their opponents have attempted.

Effective Shooting
The Cardinals are currently shooting 46.8 percent from the field, which is tied for 60th in the NCAA and is third in the MAC. Ball State has been effective from behind the arc with a combined 37.1 percent from 3-point range, which is 45th in the country and second in the MAC.

Series History with the Huskies
Saturday will be the 100th meeting between the Cardinals and Huskies. Ball State holds a 59-40 advantage in the series. NIU won the last meeting, 64-58, in Muncie, but BSU won the meeting in DeKalb, 74-67. The Cardinals are 22-25 against NIU on the road. Ball State has won five of the last six meetings.

Scouting NIU
Keshawn Williams leads NIU with 17.9 points per game and is second on the team with 4.7 rebounds a game. He has tallied 36 assists, 11 steals, and three blocks. David Coit is second on the team averaging 15.7 points a game. He is second on the squad with 51 assists and is tied for the team lead with 31 steals. Zarique Nutter paces the team with 5.1 rebounds per game and is averaging 11.2 points a contest. He has added 13 assists, 13 steals, and four blocks. Kaleb Thornton leads the Huskies with 74 assists and is tied for the team lead with 31 steals. Anthony Crump paces the team with 11 blocks.

Tale of the Tape

BSU	Category	NIU
75.1	POINTS PER GAME	70.4
69.3	OPP. POINTS PER GAME	75.3
.468	FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.450
.433	OPP. FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.456
.371	3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.345
.369	OPP. 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.339
.681	FREE THROW PERCENTAGE	.671
35.4	REBOUNDS PER GAME	32.9
2.2	REBOUNDING MARGIN	-4.1
12.6	ASSISTS PER GAME	11.1
12.5	TURNOVERS PER GAME	15.2
-0.1	TURNOVER MARGIN	-1.1
6.2	STEALS PER GAME	7.2
4.4	BLOCKS PER GAME	2.6

MAC Conference Standings
1. Kent State – 16-4 (6-1)
2. Akron – 14-6 (6-1)
3. Toledo – 14-6 (5-2)
4. Ball State – 13-7 (4-3)
5. Bowling Green – 10-10 (4-3)
6. Buffalo – 10-10 (4-3)
7. Northern Illinois – 8-12 (4-3)
8. Ohio – 11-9 (3-4)
9. Central Michigan – 7-13 (2-5)
10. Western Michigan – 6-14 (2-5)
11. Miami – 7-13 (1-6)
12. Eastern Michigan – 4-16 (1-6)

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.

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Players Mentioned

Jarron Coleman

Demarius Jacobs

Mickey Pearson Jr.

Jaylin Sellers

Payton Sparks