Ball State Eyes MAC Showdown at Bowling Green

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team is returns to the road for a Mid-American Conference matchup with Bowling Green on Monday, Jan. 31. The Cardinals (14-7, 5-3 MAC) and the Falcons (10-11, 4-4 MAC) are scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip.

Last Time Out
Ball State is coming off an 87-69 road win against Northern Illinois. Jarron Coleman led the Cardinals and tied for a game-high 20 points. He added a game-high six assists, four rebounds and two steals. Demarius Jacobs tallied 16 points to go along with seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Mickey Pearson Jr. finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, and one block. Payton Sparks finished with a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with nine points.

Boogie on Down
Coleman is averaging a team-high 15.0 points per game. He leads the team with 51 made 3-pointers and is shooting 38.1 percent from behind the arc. He leads the team with 73 assists and in steals with 32. Coleman has added nine blocks. He has compiled five games of 20 or more points, including back-to-back games.

Sensational Sellers
Jaylin Sellers is second on the team with 13.1 points per game. He is shooting 47.1 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 17 assists, 16 steals and 10 blocks. He has notched four games with 20 or more points for the season.

Spark Plug
Sparks leads the team with 7.8 rebounds per game, which is tied for 98th in the country and fourth in the conference. His 3.14 offensive rebounds per contest have him ranked 37th in the nation and third in the MAC. He is third on the team averaging 12.4 points per game. He is shooting 59.6 percent from the field, which leads the team. He has five double-doubles on the season, which is tied for 89th in the country and tied for fourth in the MAC. He is third on the team with 39 assists, second on the team with 18 blocks, and has added nine steals.

Spreading the Love
The Cardinals have four players averaging double-digit points. Jacobs rounds out the double-digit scorers with 12.1 points a contest. He has a team-high 31 blocks, which is tied for 73rd in the NCAA and most in the MAC. His 1.48 blocks per contest is 77th in the nation and first in the conference. He second on the team in assists with 69 and is second on the team in steals with 29. He is averaging 3.9 boards per contest. Mickey Pearson Jr. is second on the squad with 5.3 rebounds per contest and is averaging 6.9 points a game. Pearson is shooting 49.0 percent from the field.

Taking Advantage at the Free-Throw Line
As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 24.7 free throws per game, which is tied for seventh in the NCAA and leads the MAC. Ball State is averaging 16.7 free-throws made per contest, which is 15th in the nation and leads the conference. Sparks is seventh in the nation with 155 free-throw attempts, which leads in the MAC.

Effective Shooting
The Cardinals are currently shooting 46.7 percent from the field, which is tied for 62nd in the NCAA and is second in the MAC. Ball State has been effective from behind the arc with a combined 37.7 percent from 3-point range, which is 31st in the country and second in the MAC.

Series History with the Falcons
Ball State and Bowling Green will meet for the 93rd time on Tuesday. The Falcons have a 53-39 record against the Cardinals. BSU is 13-32 at BGSU, but the Cardinals won the meeting last season in Bowling Green 91-82, on Feb. 19. Ball State has won two straight against Bowling Green.

Scouting Bowling Green
Leon Ayers III leads the team with 18.8 points per game and has a team-high 22 steals. His 18.8 points per contest is third in the MAC. He has added 4.3 rebounds per game, 70 assists, and eight blocks. Samari Curtis is second on the team averaging 12.1 points a game. He is fifth in the NCAA with a 93.0 free-throw percentage, which leads the MAC. Curtis paces the team with 90 assists. He has added 3.4 rebounds per contest, 18 steals, and four blocks. Rashaun Agee has a team-best 6.4 rebounds per game and is averaging 11.0 points a game. He has a team-high 29 blocks with 13 assists and 10 steals. Kaden Metheny rounds out the double-digit scorers with 10.9 a contest. He has 3.0 rebounds per game along with 46 assists and 20 steals.

Tale of the Tape

BSU	Category	BG
75.6	POINTS PER GAME	78.1
69.3	OPP. POINTS PER GAME	77.0
.467	FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.459
.434	OPP. FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.450
.377	3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.354
.369	OPP. 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.347
.676	FREE THROW PERCENTAGE	.754
35.7	REBOUNDS PER GAME	37.2
2.7	REBOUNDING MARGIN	2.6
12.7	ASSISTS PER GAME	14.7
12.3	TURNOVERS PER GAME	12.0
0.3	TURNOVER MARGIN	-0.9
6.3	STEALS PER GAME	5.7
4.3	BLOCKS PER GAME	3.4

MAC Conference Standings
1. Kent State – 17-4 (7-1)
2. Akron – 15-6 (7-1)
3. Toledo – 15-6 (6-2)
4. Ball State – 14-7 (5-3)
5. Bowling Green – 10-11 (4-4)
6. Buffalo – 10-11 (4-4)
7. Northern Illinois – 8-13 (4-4)
8. Ohio – 11-10 (3-5)
9. Central Michigan – 8-13 (3-5)
10. Western Michigan – 6-15 (2-6)
11. Eastern Michigan – 5-16 (2-6)
12. Miami – 7-14 (1-7)

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
Twitter
Instagram

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jarron Coleman

Demarius Jacobs

Mickey Pearson Jr.

Jaylin Sellers

Payton Sparks