Ball State Hosts Toledo for Regular Season Finale

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of Worthen Arena for the final game of the regular season as Toledo makes the trip to Muncie. The Cardinals (20-10, 11-6 MAC) and the Rockets (24-6, 15-2 MAC) are scheduled for a 6 p.m. tip on CBS Sports Network. The game will be the annual Muncie Out and is sponsored by Indiana Michigan Power.

Prior to Friday's contest we will recognize our seniors for Senior Day.

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.

Muncie Out is an annual tradition that dates back to 2016. Parking is free, hot dogs are $1 each, and tickets start at just $10.

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. Ball State has won 20 games for just the 13th time in program history.

Last Time Out
Ball State dropped a tough on the road against Akron, 87-83. Jalen Windham led the Cardinals with a career-high 19 points. He added three rebounds and three assists. Basheer Jihad produced a career-high 17 points to go along with three boards. Demarius Jacobs closed out the double-digit scorers with 16 points. Jacobs tied for a game-high two steals. Jacobs and Luke Bumbalough tied for a game-high four assists. Payton Sparks led the team with nine rebounds and added one block with eight points. Jaylin Sellers tied for a game-high two steals to go along with nine points, six rebounds, and one block.

Boogie on Down
Jarron Coleman is averaging a team-high 14.5 points per game. He leads the team with 68 made 3-pointers and is shooting 36.2 percent from behind the arc. He leads the team with 110 assists and second on the squad in steals with 40. 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 13.7 points per game. He is shooting 47.7 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 49.8 on the season. Sellers has collected 24 assists, 20 steals, and 16 blocks. He has notched six games with 20 or more points for the season.

Spark Plug
Sparks leads the team with 8.7 rebounds per game, which is tied for 48th in the country and fourth in the conference. His 3.21 offensive rebounds per contest have him tied for 30th in the nation and third in the MAC. He is third on the team averaging 12.6 points per game. He is shooting 59.3 percent from the field, which leads the team. He has nine double-doubles on the season, which is tied for 56th in the country and is third in the MAC. He is third on the team with 57 assists, second on the team with 25 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 12.2 points a contest. He has a team-high 35 blocks, which is tied for 120th in the NCAA and is second in the MAC. His 1.17 blocks per contest is tied for 139th in the nation and is second in the conference. He is second on the team in assists with 101 and leads the team in steals with 41. He is averaging 3.9 boards per contest. Pearson is second on the squad with 5.5 rebounds per contest and is averaging 7.8 points a game. Pearson is shooting 50.0 percent from the field.

Taking Advantage at the Free-Throw Line
As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 24.1 free throws per game, which is tied for third in the NCAA and leads the MAC. Ball State is averaging 16.5 free-throws made per contest, which is 19th in the nation and is best in the conference. Sparks is 13th in the nation with 205 free-throw attempts, which is second in the MAC.

Effective Shooting
The Cardinals are currently shooting 47.1 percent from the field, which is 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 25th in the country and is second in the MAC.

Series History with Toledo
The Cardinals and Rockets have met 103 times. Toledo comes into Friday's game with a 53-50 series advantage. Ball State won the matchup earlier this season in Toledo, 90-83. The Cardinals are 31-17 at home against the Rockets and are 24-8 inside Worthen Arena.

Scouting the Rockets
In the matchup earlier this season, RayJ Dennis led the Rockets with 21 points and a game-high six assists to go along with his team-high two steals. Dante Maddox Jr. posted a team-high nine rebounds as he added 16 points. JT Shumate ended the game with 15 points. Ra'Heim Moss finished with 11 points. As a team, Toledo is tied for sixth in the NCAA with a field-goal percentage of 49.4. The Rockets are second in the NCAA with a scoring offense with 85.7 points per game. With an assist to turnover ratio of 1.56, UT is eighth in the NCAA. Dennis leads the with 19.0 points per game. He as an assist to turnover ratio of 3.09, which is eighth in the NCAA. His 176 assists are ninth in the country. Dennis is second on the squad with 44 steals. He is averaging 4.4 rebounds per game and has six blocks. Shumate is second on the team with 16.7 points per game and is second on the team with 4.8 boards a contest. Shumate has a team-best 36 blocks. He has added 44 assists and 20 steals. Setric Millner Jr. paces the team with 5.8 boards per game and is averaging 16.0 points per game. He has 53 assists, 32 steals, and nine blocks. Maddox closes out the double-digit scorers with 11.4 a contest. He is averaging 4.0 rebounds per game, has 60 assists, 31 steals, and five blocks. Moss has a team-best 45 steals.

Tale of the Tape

BSU	Category	UT
76.5	POINTS PER GAME	85.7
70.5	OPP. POINTS PER GAME	75.9
.471	FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.494
.434	OPP. FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.456
.376	3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.399
.373	OPP. 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.364
.685	FREE THROW PERCENTAGE	.773
36.2	REBOUNDS PER GAME	34.8
3.4	REBOUNDING MARGIN	1.1
13.2	ASSISTS PER GAME	15.3
12.3	TURNOVERS PER GAME	9.8
-0.5	TURNOVER MARGIN	3.2
5.7	STEALS PER GAME	6.9
3.8	BLOCKS PER GAME	2.9

MAC Conference Standings
1. Toledo – 24-6 (15-2)
2. Kent State – 24-6 (14-3)
3. Akron – 21-9 (13-4)
4. Ball State – 20-10 (11-6)
5. Ohio – 17-13 (9-8)
6. Buffalo – 14-16 (8-9)
7. Northern Illinois – 12-18 (8-9)
8. Miami – 12-18 (6-11)
9. Bowling Green – 11-19 (5-12)
10. Central Michigan – 11-19 (5-11)
10. Eastern Michigan – 8-22 (5-12)
12. Western Michigan – 7-23 (3-14)

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

Jarron Coleman

Demarius Jacobs

Basheer Jihad

Jaylin Sellers

Payton Sparks

Jalen Windham