Final Home Game of 2023 Set for Sunday

The Ball State men's basketball team hosts SIUE at 2 p.m. on Sunday in its final home game of the nonconference season.

The Cardinals (7-2) are looking to clinch their fourth straight season being undefeated in home nonconference game when they meet the Cougars (6-4). Ball State owns a 4-0 record against SIU-Edwardsville in the series history, having most recently taken a 76-55 decision on Dec. 6, 2011 in Worthen Arena.

Basheer Jihad produced a career-best 26 points and added 10 rebounds and three blocks to lead the Cardinals to a 68-65 win at Detroit Mercy on Tuesday night. The double-double was the third of the year for the junior forward, who was making a homecoming as a North Farmington High School product. Ball State recorded its initial road win of the season with the narrow victory.

SIUE, of the Ohio Valley Conference, most recently topped Green Bay 78-69 on Tuesday, but has struggled on the road, dropping all four of its true away games. The Cougars beat common opponent Detroit Mercy 81-67 on Nov. 25.

The Cardinals have won 18 non-MAC games in a row at Worthen Arena.

Ball State recorded a 20-12 record (11-7 Mid-American Conference) in 2022-23 to earn the No. 4 seed in the MAC Tournament. Head coach Michael Lewis enters his second season leading the Cardinals after recent stops as an assistant at UCLA, Nebraska and Butler.

Juniors Mickey Pearson Jr. and Jihad headline the returners, as they averaged 7.7 points and 5.5 rebounds and 7.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, respectively, in 2022-23. Three transfers and five true freshmen bolster Ball State's 2023-24 team.

SCOUTING SIUE: The Cougars went 19-14 (9-9 OVC) last season in head coach Brian Barone's 4^th leading the program. SIUE made the jump to Division I from Division II in 2008-09 and became an Ohio Valley Conference member in 2010-11.

The Cougars lead the league and rank No. 53 nationally in both 3-point shooting (37.3 percent) and fewest turnovers per game (10.4) while being second in the OVC in blocks per game (4.8).

Junior guard Damarco Minor, at just 6-foot tall, ranks No. 6 in Division I in defensive rebounds per game (8.0), No. 17 in total rebounds (91) and No. 42 in rebounds per game (9.1) while putting up a league-leading three double-double so far this year. Redshirt junior guard Ray'Sean Taylor paces the Ohio Valley in total 3-pointers made (27, No. 29 nationally) and ranks third in the conference in 3-point percentage (41.5).

CARDINAL DIRECTIONS

Jihad leads the Cardinals in scoring (18.4 points per game) and rebounding (7.1) averages. The junior forward out of Detroit has led the Cardinals in scoring seven games so far, scoring in double-figures eight times, including four games with 20+ points. The big man's total points (166) rank second in the Mid-American Conference, while his scoring average is fourth.
The Cardinals lead the MAC in scoring defense (64.2 points per game), rebounding margin (+6.4) and fewest fouls committed per game (13.0), which ranks fifth nationally. Ball State holds a +11.6 scoring margin (second in the MAC).
Ball State's 20 wins last year were its most since 2016-17 when that team won 21. This season's Cardinals will look for back-to-back 20-win schedules for the first time since that 2016-17 season.
The Cardinals are a young group, as the roster includes only one senior or graduate student (Ethan Brittain-Watts). Ball State returns only 21.5 percent of minutes played and 19.6 percent of points scored from last year's team.
Brittain-Watts (Boston University), Jalin Anderson (Loyola Marymount) and Davion Bailey (Southeastern CC) form Ball State's trio of transfers.
Joey Brown (Indianapolis), Zane Doughty (Indianapolis), Mason Jones (Valparaiso, Ind.), Trent Middleton Jr. (Philadelphia) and Jurica Zagorsak (Zadar, Croatia) are the Cardinals' quintet of true freshmen.
Ball State recently signed forward Jai Anthoni Bearden (Phoenix, Ariz.) and guard Jermarhi "Fatt" Hill (Bessemer, Ala.) to national letters of intent to form the Cardinals' 2024 recruiting class.

BANKING ON BASHEER: Junior forward Basheer Jihad leads the team in scoring (18.4 points per game), rebounding (7.1 per game) and field goal percentage (52.3) among Cardinals averaging at least
four field goal attempts this season. Jihad has established or tied career highs in scoring four times already this season, including in Tuesday's win at Detorit (26 points).

The Detroit native's scoring average has doubled over last year (7.1), while his rebounding average has nearly double (3.6). Jihad started only one game in his first two seasons at Ball State, but has been a mainstay in the starting lineup as an upperclassman now.

JALIN JAMS: Anderson, a transfer out of Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, leads the Ball State backcourt in scoring (14.2 points per game) and the team in assists (4.0 per game) as the Cardinals' lead guard.

The Jackson, Tenn., native boasts Ball State's highest offensive output (29 points against Old Dominion) so far and is on pace to set career bests for points, rebounds, assists and steals.

EMERGENCE OF BIG BEN: Redshirt junior center Ben Hendriks has started each of the last five games, totaling career-highs of 11 points and seven rebounds in the Dec. 2 win over Bellarmine.

Hendriks already surpassed his career-bests for points (42), blocks (eight), assists (six) and steals (three) in a season through the schedule's first nine games. The big man has seen increased playing time over the last five contests, averaging 20.7 minutes per game after playing 6.8 per in the first five games.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jihad was named the Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Co-Player of the Week, along with Ohio's Elmore James, for his performances against Little Rock and Bellarmine in the preceding week.

Jihad went for a career-best 25 points at the Trojans on Nov. 28 before putting up a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double in the triumph over the Knights.

MUNCIE MAGIC: The Cardinals will look for an unblemished home nonconference slate for the fourth straight season on Sunday against the Cougars.

Ball State has won 18 consecutive nonconference contests at Worthen Arena, with its last loss being on Dec. 3, 2019 to Loyola (Chicago).

1,300 WINS: The Ball State men's basketball team recorded win No. 1,300 in program history with the Dec. 2 decision against Bellarmine. The Cardinals are the tenth current MAC men's basketball team to reach that milestone.

MAC Program Wins (as of Dec. 4, 2023)
Akron - 1,697
Ball State - 1,300
Buffalo - 1,279
Bowling Green - 1,452
Central Michigan - 1,356
Eastern Michigan - 1,292
Kent State - 1,332
Miami (OH) - 1,436
Northern Illinois - 1,315
Ohio - 1,614
Toledo - 1,551
Western Michigan - 1,372

Up Next
Ball State takes a break for Finals Week before an intrastate showdown with Indiana State on Saturday at 1:45 p.m. in Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis as part of the Indy Classic.

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Players Mentioned

Jalin Anderson

Davion Bailey

Ethan Brittain-Watts

Joey Brown

Zane Doughty

Ben Hendriks

Basheer Jihad

Mason Jones

Trent Middleton Jr.

Jurica Zagorsak