Ball State Hosts Northern Illinois on Tuesday

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team is back inside Worthen Arena for a game against Northern Illinois on Tuesday, Feb. 14. The Cardinals (18-7, 9-3 MAC) and Huskies (11-14, 7-5 MAC) are slated for a 7 p.m. tip. Tuesday's game is sponsored by ScreenBroidery.

BSU students, be among the first 500 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.

During Tuesday's game, one lucky couple will receive a $100 gift card to the 1925 PubHouse and one night at the Courtyard by Marriott Muncie.

Head Coach Michael Lewis is the first, first-year head coach to produce a seven-game winning streak. Ball State started 16-7 overall, which is the best start since the 1999-2000 season. The 17-7 record is the best start since the Cardinals started 1997-98 with a 21-7 record. He is the second coach in BSU history to win the regular season opener and the MAC opener in their first season as a head coach. He joins Rick Majerus in achieving the feat.

Last Time Out
Ball State is coming off a 93-72 victory against Bowling Green. Payton Sparks produced a team-high 18 points for his 18th game in double figures on the year. He finished 8-of-11 from the field. He led the team with eight rebounds and added three assists. Jaylin Sellers was a perfect 5-for-5 from 3-point range and tallied 17 points, his 17th contest with double figures. Sellers led the team with two blocks to go along with two assists and two rebounds. Jarron Coleman posted a 13-point effort, his 21st game of the season in double figures. He brought down seven rebounds with four assists and a steal. Kaiyem Cleary recorded his second game in double figures with 12. He chipped in with six rebounds and one block. Mickey Pearson Jr. collected 11 points, six rebounds, and one assist. Luke Bumbalough led the team with eight assists to go along with eight points.

Boogie on Down
Jarron Coleman is averaging a team-high 14.8 points per game. He leads the team with 61 made 3-pointers and is shooting 37.7 percent from behind the arc. He leads the team with 87 assists and leads the squad in steals with 37. Coleman has added 10 blocks. He has compiled five games of 20 or more points. Earlier this season, Coleman recorded his 1,000th career point.

Sensational Sellers
Sellers is second on the team with 13.3 points per game. He is shooting 51.2 percent from 3-point range, which leads the team. He is averaging 3.8 rebounds per game. He has produced a field-goal percentage of 50.7 on the season. Sellers has collected 22 assists, 16 steals, and 14 blocks. He has notched four games with 20 or more points for the season.

Spark Plug
Sparks leads the team with 8.2 rebounds per game, which is tied for 71st in the country and fourth in the conference. His 3.12 offensive rebounds per contest have him tied for 37th in the nation and third in the MAC. He is third on the team averaging 12.6 points per game. He is shooting 61.3 percent from the field, which leads the team. He has seven double-doubles on the season, which is tied for 62nd in the country and is third in the MAC. He is third on the team with 49 assists, second on the team with 23 blocks, and has added 12 steals.

Spreading the Love
The Cardinals have four players averaging double-digit points. Demarius Jacobs rounds out the double-digit scorers with 11.8 points a contest. He has a team-high 35 blocks, which is tied for 78th in the NCAA and most in the MAC. His 1.40 blocks per contest is tied for 80th in the nation and first in the conference. He second on the team in assists with 83 and is second on the team in steals with 34. He is averaging 3.8 boards per contest. Pearson is second on the squad with 5.4 rebounds per contest and is averaging 7.6 points a game. Pearson is shooting 51.2 percent 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 third in the NCAA and leads the MAC. Ball State is averaging 16.5 free-throws made per contest, which is tied for 15th in the nation and leads the conference. Sparks is tied for seventh in the nation with 184 free-throw attempts, which is second in the MAC.

Effective Shooting
The Cardinals are currently shooting 47.5 percent from the field, which is tied for 39th 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 20th in the country and tied for the best in the MAC.

Series History with the Huskies
The Cardinals and Huskies will meet for the 101st time on Tuesday. Ball State holds a 60-40 advantage in the series. BSU won the last meeting, 87-69, in DeKalb earlier this season on Jan. 28. The Cardinals are 35-31 against NIU in Muncie and are 17-9 inside Worthen Arena. Ball State has won six of the last seven meetings.

Scouting Northern Illinois
In the matchup earlier this season, David Coit led the Huskies with 20 points and added four assists with two rebounds. Kaleb Thornton recorded 18 points, five rebounds, a team-high five assists, and one steal. Anthony Crump finished in double digits with 12 points and led the team with seven rebounds. Keshawn Williams leads NIU with 17.9 points per game but has not played since Jan. 7. Coit is averaging 15.7 points per game. He is second on the team with 67 assists and in steals with 34. He is averaging 2.8 boards a game. Zarique Nutter has a team-high 5.0 rebounds per game. He rounds out the double-digit scorers with 11.7 a contest. He has added 18 assists, 16 steals, and five blocks. Kaleb Thornton paces the Huskies with 112 assists and 40 steals. He is averaging 8.2 points per contest and 2.6 rebounds a game. Oluwasegun Durosinmi leads the team with 21 blocks.

Tale of the Tape

BSU	Category	NIU
76.2	POINTS PER GAME	71.7
69.1	OPP. POINTS PER GAME	74.6
.475	FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.457
.432	OPP. FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.449
.379	3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.348
.366	OPP. 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.330
.665	FREE THROW PERCENTAGE	.668
36.1	REBOUNDS PER GAME	33.1
3.5	REBOUNDING MARGIN	-4.2
13.1	ASSISTS PER GAME	12.0
12.4	TURNOVERS PER GAME	14.3
-0.2	TURNOVER MARGIN	-0.6
6.0	STEALS PER GAME	6.6
4.2	BLOCKS PER GAME	2.6

MAC Conference Standings
1. Kent State – 20-5 (10-2)
2. Toledo – 19-6 (10-2)
3. Ball State – 18-7 (9-3)
4. Akron – 17-8 (9-3)
5. Northern Illinois – 11-14 (7-5)
6. Ohio – 14-11 (6-6)
7. Buffalo – 12-13 (6-6)
8. Bowling Green – 10-15 (4-8)
9. Central Michigan – 9-16 (4-8)
10. Eastern Michigan – 6-19 (3-9)
11. Miami – 8-17 (2-10)
12. Western Michigan – 6-19 (2-10)

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

Luke Bumbalough

Kaiyem Cleary

Jarron Coleman

Demarius Jacobs

Mickey Pearson Jr.

Jaylin Sellers

Payton Sparks