Cardinals Slated for Showdown with Kent State on Tuesday

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of Worthen Arena on Tuesday for a battle with Kent State. The Cardinals (19-8, 10-4) and the Golden Flashes (22-5, 12-2 MAC) are scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip. Tuesday's game sponsor is Ivy Tech Community College of Muncie.

All BSU students 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.

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 19-7 start 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 78-68 loss on the road to Western Michigan. Jaylin Sellers produced a team-high 22 points along with five rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Jarron Coleman finished with 15 points, four rebounds, and a team-high four assists. Payton Sparks brought down a team-high eight rebounds to go along with 11 points, two steals, and one assist. Mickey Pearson Jr. added nine points, six rebounds, two steals, and one assist.

Boogie on Down
Jarron Coleman is averaging a team-high 14.9 points per game. He leads the team with 66 made 3-pointers and is shooting 37.5 percent from behind the arc. He leads the team with 99 assists and leads the squad in steals with 39. 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 13.6 points per game. He is shooting 48.5 percent from 3-point range, which leads the team. He is averaging 3.7 rebounds per game. He has produced a field-goal percentage of 48.5on the season. Sellers has collected 23 assists, 18 steals, and 15 blocks. He has notched five games with 20 or more points for the season.

Spark Plug
Sparks leads the team with 8.5 rebounds per game, which is tied for 56th in the country and fourth in the conference. His 3.26 offensive rebounds per contest have him tied for 30th in the nation and third in the MAC. He is third on the team averaging 12.9 points per game. He is shooting 60.1 percent from the field, which leads the team. He has eight double-doubles on the season, which is tied for 58th in the country and is third in the MAC. He is third on the team with 53 assists, second on the team with 24 blocks, and has added 14 steals.

Spreading the Love
The Cardinals have four players averaging double-digit points. Demarius Jacobs rounds out the double-digit scorers with 11.9 points a contest. He has a team-high 35 blocks, which is tied for 95th in the NCAA and most in the MAC. His 1.30 blocks per contest is tied for 102nd in the nation and first in the conference. He second on the team in assists with 88 and is second on the team in steals with 35. He is averaging 3.9 boards per contest. Pearson is second on the squad with 5.6 rebounds per contest and is averaging 7.7 points a game. Pearson is shooting 50.4 percent from the field.

Taking Advantage at the Free-Throw Line
As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 24.4 free throws per game, which is third in the NCAA and leads the MAC. Ball State is averaging 16.4 free-throws made per contest, which is tied for 19th in the nation and is second in the conference. Sparks is eighth in the nation with 197 free-throw attempts, which leads the MAC.

Effective Shooting
The Cardinals are currently shooting 47.3 percent from the field, which is tied for 41st in the NCAA and is second in the MAC. Ball State has been effective from behind the arc with a combined 37.6 percent from 3-point range, which is tied for 27th in the country and third in the MAC.

Series History with Kent State
Tuesday will be the 91st meeting between Ball State and Kent State. The Golden Flashes hold a 49-41 advantage in the series. Kent State won the meeting earlier this season 86-65. The Cardinals are 28-14 against the Golden Flashes at home. BSU is 11-10 inside Worthen Arena.

Scouting the Golden Flashes
In the matchup earlier this season, Sincere Carry produced a game-high 18 points for KSU, while adding three assists, two rebounds, and one steal. Chris Payton added 16 points, six rebounds, two blocks, and one steal. The Golden Flashes are sixth in the NCAA with a 5.1 turnover margin. The 9.4 steals per game have Kent State tied for 10th in the country. Carry leads the team with 16.3 points per game to go a long with a team-best 138 assists. His 5.1 assists per game are tied for 37th in the nation and second in the MAC. He has tallied 3.5 rebounds per contest, 47 steals, and six blocks. Malique Jacobs is second on the squad with 12.1 points a game. He paces the team with 77 steals, which is second in the NCAA. Jacobs has added 92 assists, 17 blocks, and is averaging 5.0 rebounds per game. Miryne Thomas rounds out the double-digit scorers with 11.0 a contest. He is tied for the team lead with 5.3 rebounds per game. He has 32 steals, 17 assists, and 17 blocks. Payton leads the team with 26 blocks.

Tale of the Tape

BSU	Category	KSU
76.3	POINTS PER GAME	75.4
69.7	OPP. POINTS PER GAME	63.6
.473	FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.449
.434	OPP. FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.396
.376	3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.332
.369	OPP. 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.313
.672	FREE THROW PERCENTAGE	.719
36.4	REBOUNDS PER GAME	35.4
3.7	REBOUNDING MARGIN	0.2
13.0	ASSISTS PER GAME	12.6
12.5	TURNOVERS PER GAME	11.7
-0.4	TURNOVER MARGIN	5.1
5.9	STEALS PER GAME	9.4
4.0	BLOCKS PER GAME	3.8

MAC Conference Standings
1. Kent State – 22-5 (12-2)
2. Toledo – 21-6 (12-2)
3. Akron – 19-8 (11-3)
4. Ball State – 19-8 (10-4)
5. Ohio – 16-11 (8-6)
6. Northern Illinois – 11-16 (7-7)
7. Buffalo – 12-15 (6-8)
8. Central Michigan – 10-17 (5-9)
9. Bowling Green – 10-17 (4-10)
10. Miami – 9-18 (3-11)
11. Western Michigan – 7-20 (3-11)
12. Eastern Michigan – 6-21 (3-11)

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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Cardinals Slated for Showdown with Kent State on Tuesday

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Players Mentioned

Jarron Coleman

Demarius Jacobs

Mickey Pearson Jr.

Jaylin Sellers

Payton Sparks

Miryne Thomas