Tuesday, January 30
Muncie, IN
7:00 p.m.
Ball State University
vs
Bowling Green
Photo by: Collin Phillips/Ball State Athletics
Cardinals Hosting Bowling Green on Tuesday Night
January 29, 2024 | Men's Basketball
The Ball State men's basketball team will look to win its fourth game in five tries when the Cardinals host Bowling Green at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in Worthen Arena.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with Mick Tidrow and David Eha on the call. Jack McMullen and Scot Bunnell handle the radio broadcast on WMUN 1340AM - 92.5FM.
The Cardinals (11-9, 3-5 MAC) and Falcons (14-6, 5-3 MAC) meet for the 95th time in series history. Last season, Ball State swept the home-and-home with a 93-72 blowout on Feb. 11 in Muncie after a 69-60 decision on Jan. 31 at Bowling Green.
Ball State cruised to an 81-71 win over Northern Illinois on Saturday afternoon behind Basheer Jihad's 28-point, 14-rebound double-double. The Cardinals' lead peaked at 20 points midway through the second half before the visiting Huskies made a late comeback attempt and got within six points with under two minutes to play, but Ball State put the game away at the free throw line.
The Falcons enter Tuesday's matchup on a two-game losing streak after starting the year 5-1 in conference play. Ball State and Bowling Green played one common nonconference opponent, as they both hosted Bellarmine in late 2023 with opposite results (Ball State won 67-58 on Dec. 2 after Bowling Green lost 85-67 on Nov. 17).
SCOUTING BOWLING GREEN: The Falcons went 11-20 (5-13 MAC) last season in Michael Huger's final year as the Bowling Green head coach. Todd Simon took over after spending seven years as the head coach at Southern Utah.
The Falcons get to the foul line, leading the MAC and ranking No. 42 nationally at 22.7 free throw attempts per game. Bowling Green also tops the league with 38.4 rebounds per game, and the team from Northwest Ohio's +4.9 average scoring margin is fourth in the conference.
Junior guard Marcus Hill leads the league and ranks No. 20 in NCAA Division I with 418 total points and 109 free throws made. The Rockford, Ill., native's 20.9 points per game (No. 15) and 146 field goals made (No. 18) also rank in the Top 20 nationally. Senior forward Rashaun Agee's eight double-doubles are second-most in the MAC, while his 9.0 rebounding average ranks third.
CARDINAL DIRECTIONS
The men's basketball team has won by double-figures over the Huskies five times in that span and bettered record to 62-40 in the series, including 37-13 in Muncie.
BUFFALO BLOWOUT: The 28-point winning margin on Jan. 23 at Buffalo was Ball State's largest of the season against a Division I opponent and second-largest overall behind a 101-40 rout of Goshen in the Nov. 7 season opener.
The loss for the Bulls was their most lopsided in MAC play to date and second-worst overall.
DB FOR THREE: Junior guard Davion Bailey leads the Cardinals in 3-pointers made (38) and 3-point shooting (43.7 percent) so far this season, and his 2.38 triples made per game ranks fourth in the MAC.
The Indianapolis native paces the MAC in 3-point percentage among players who've made at least 30 trifectas.
FREE THROWS FALLING: Redshirt junior Mickey Pearson Jr. leads the Mid-American Conference and ranks No. 33 nationally among qualifiers in free throw shooting percentage at 88.1 (59 of 67), and first in conference games at 95.7 percent (22 of 23).
Bailey (91.3 percent, 21-23) and Ben Hendriks (80.0 percent, 20-25) have also been efficient at the foul line, while the Cardinals as a whole lead the MAC and are No. 23 in NCAA Division I in free throw shooting at 76.9 percent.
PRODUCTIVE PAIR: Juniors Basheer Jihad (19.5 points per game) and Jalin Anderson (15.7) rank fourth and tenth in the MAC in average scoring, respectively.
The duo joins Toledo's Ra'Heim Moss (16.4 ppg, seventh) and Dante Maddox Jr. (15.9, eighth) as the only two tandems in the league to rank in the Top 10 in scoring.
TOP OF THE MAC: Ball State's first four games on its Mid-American Conference schedule included games against the three teams who finished at the top of the MAC in 2022-23.
The Cardinals played at Kent State, who was voted second in the MAC preseason coaches poll, on Jan. 2 and preseason league favorite Akron on Jan. 9. Ball State's matchup on Jan. 13, Toledo, won the MAC regular season crown in 2022-23.
BANKING ON BASHEER: Jihad leads the team in scoring, rebounding (7.8 per game) and field goal percentage (48.8) among Cardinals averaging at least four field goal attempts this season. Jihad has established or tied career highs in scoring six times already this season, including on Jan. 20 against Miami (29 points).
The Detroit native's scoring average has nearly tripled over last year (7.1), while his rebounding average has doubled (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 and the team in assists (4.8 per game) as the Cardinals' lead guard. The Jackson, Tenn., native leads the MAC in steals (19) in conference play and is third overall at 34 total steals so far.
The Jackson, Tenn., native boasts Ball State's highest offensive output (29 points against Old Dominion) so far and has already established his career high for single season points, assists, rebounds and steals. Anderson has shown a penchant for explosive offensive performances, posting six 20+ point games so far this season.
EMERGENCE OF BIG BEN: Redshirt junior center Ben Hendriks had started each of the last six games before missing the Dec. 21 game at Minnesota, totaling career-highs of 11 points and seven rebounds in the Dec. 2 win over Bellarmine and 32 minutes played in the Dec. 10 win against SIUE.
Hendriks already surpassed his career-bests for points (92), rebounds (60), assists (15), blocks (17) and steals (four) in a season through the schedule's first 20 games. The big man has seen increased playing time over his last 14 contests, averaging 20.4 minutes per game after playing 6.8 per in the first four games.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK X3: Jihad was named the Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Co-Player of the Week on Monday after taking home the honor on Dec. 4 and Dec. 11.
Jihad averaged 24.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.5 per game in wins at Buffalo and vs Northern Illinois, including a 28-point, 14-rebound double-double on Saturday against the Huskies.
WINNING IN WORTHEN: The Cardinals clinched an undefeated home nonconference slate for the fourth straight season with the Dec. 10 decision over the Cougars.
Ball State has won 19 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
MILESTONE WATCH: Jihad and Pearson Jr. both scored their 500th career points in the second half on Dec. 16 against Indiana St, with Jihad hitting the figure with a 3-pointer and Pearson Jr. getting to the total on a layup.
Pearson Jr. tallied 23 of those points playing at TCU, while Anderson (917) boasts the most career points in NCAA Division I on the current roster.
Up Next
The Cardinals are scheduled to hit the road and play at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Western Michigan.
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The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with Mick Tidrow and David Eha on the call. Jack McMullen and Scot Bunnell handle the radio broadcast on WMUN 1340AM - 92.5FM.
The Cardinals (11-9, 3-5 MAC) and Falcons (14-6, 5-3 MAC) meet for the 95th time in series history. Last season, Ball State swept the home-and-home with a 93-72 blowout on Feb. 11 in Muncie after a 69-60 decision on Jan. 31 at Bowling Green.
Ball State cruised to an 81-71 win over Northern Illinois on Saturday afternoon behind Basheer Jihad's 28-point, 14-rebound double-double. The Cardinals' lead peaked at 20 points midway through the second half before the visiting Huskies made a late comeback attempt and got within six points with under two minutes to play, but Ball State put the game away at the free throw line.
The Falcons enter Tuesday's matchup on a two-game losing streak after starting the year 5-1 in conference play. Ball State and Bowling Green played one common nonconference opponent, as they both hosted Bellarmine in late 2023 with opposite results (Ball State won 67-58 on Dec. 2 after Bowling Green lost 85-67 on Nov. 17).
SCOUTING BOWLING GREEN: The Falcons went 11-20 (5-13 MAC) last season in Michael Huger's final year as the Bowling Green head coach. Todd Simon took over after spending seven years as the head coach at Southern Utah.
The Falcons get to the foul line, leading the MAC and ranking No. 42 nationally at 22.7 free throw attempts per game. Bowling Green also tops the league with 38.4 rebounds per game, and the team from Northwest Ohio's +4.9 average scoring margin is fourth in the conference.
Junior guard Marcus Hill leads the league and ranks No. 20 in NCAA Division I with 418 total points and 109 free throws made. The Rockford, Ill., native's 20.9 points per game (No. 15) and 146 field goals made (No. 18) also rank in the Top 20 nationally. Senior forward Rashaun Agee's eight double-doubles are second-most in the MAC, while his 9.0 rebounding average ranks third.
CARDINAL DIRECTIONS
- Jihad leads the Cardinals in scoring (19.5 points per game) and rebounding (7.8) averages. The junior forward out of Detroit has led the Cardinals in scoring 13 games so far, scoring in double-figures 19 times, including 10 games with 20+ points. The big man's total points (390) and scoring average rank third and fourth, respectively, in the Mid-American Conference, while his rebounding average is fourth as well.
- The Cardinals lead the MAC and rank in the Top 30 nationally in free throw percentage (76.9, No. 23) and 3-point percentage (37.6, No. 30), respectively. Ball State commits the fewest fouls per game (15.0) in the conference while having the second-best scoring defense (70.1 points per game).
- 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.
The men's basketball team has won by double-figures over the Huskies five times in that span and bettered record to 62-40 in the series, including 37-13 in Muncie.
BUFFALO BLOWOUT: The 28-point winning margin on Jan. 23 at Buffalo was Ball State's largest of the season against a Division I opponent and second-largest overall behind a 101-40 rout of Goshen in the Nov. 7 season opener.
The loss for the Bulls was their most lopsided in MAC play to date and second-worst overall.
DB FOR THREE: Junior guard Davion Bailey leads the Cardinals in 3-pointers made (38) and 3-point shooting (43.7 percent) so far this season, and his 2.38 triples made per game ranks fourth in the MAC.
The Indianapolis native paces the MAC in 3-point percentage among players who've made at least 30 trifectas.
FREE THROWS FALLING: Redshirt junior Mickey Pearson Jr. leads the Mid-American Conference and ranks No. 33 nationally among qualifiers in free throw shooting percentage at 88.1 (59 of 67), and first in conference games at 95.7 percent (22 of 23).
Bailey (91.3 percent, 21-23) and Ben Hendriks (80.0 percent, 20-25) have also been efficient at the foul line, while the Cardinals as a whole lead the MAC and are No. 23 in NCAA Division I in free throw shooting at 76.9 percent.
PRODUCTIVE PAIR: Juniors Basheer Jihad (19.5 points per game) and Jalin Anderson (15.7) rank fourth and tenth in the MAC in average scoring, respectively.
The duo joins Toledo's Ra'Heim Moss (16.4 ppg, seventh) and Dante Maddox Jr. (15.9, eighth) as the only two tandems in the league to rank in the Top 10 in scoring.
TOP OF THE MAC: Ball State's first four games on its Mid-American Conference schedule included games against the three teams who finished at the top of the MAC in 2022-23.
The Cardinals played at Kent State, who was voted second in the MAC preseason coaches poll, on Jan. 2 and preseason league favorite Akron on Jan. 9. Ball State's matchup on Jan. 13, Toledo, won the MAC regular season crown in 2022-23.
BANKING ON BASHEER: Jihad leads the team in scoring, rebounding (7.8 per game) and field goal percentage (48.8) among Cardinals averaging at least four field goal attempts this season. Jihad has established or tied career highs in scoring six times already this season, including on Jan. 20 against Miami (29 points).
The Detroit native's scoring average has nearly tripled over last year (7.1), while his rebounding average has doubled (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 and the team in assists (4.8 per game) as the Cardinals' lead guard. The Jackson, Tenn., native leads the MAC in steals (19) in conference play and is third overall at 34 total steals so far.
The Jackson, Tenn., native boasts Ball State's highest offensive output (29 points against Old Dominion) so far and has already established his career high for single season points, assists, rebounds and steals. Anderson has shown a penchant for explosive offensive performances, posting six 20+ point games so far this season.
EMERGENCE OF BIG BEN: Redshirt junior center Ben Hendriks had started each of the last six games before missing the Dec. 21 game at Minnesota, totaling career-highs of 11 points and seven rebounds in the Dec. 2 win over Bellarmine and 32 minutes played in the Dec. 10 win against SIUE.
Hendriks already surpassed his career-bests for points (92), rebounds (60), assists (15), blocks (17) and steals (four) in a season through the schedule's first 20 games. The big man has seen increased playing time over his last 14 contests, averaging 20.4 minutes per game after playing 6.8 per in the first four games.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK X3: Jihad was named the Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Co-Player of the Week on Monday after taking home the honor on Dec. 4 and Dec. 11.
Jihad averaged 24.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.5 per game in wins at Buffalo and vs Northern Illinois, including a 28-point, 14-rebound double-double on Saturday against the Huskies.
WINNING IN WORTHEN: The Cardinals clinched an undefeated home nonconference slate for the fourth straight season with the Dec. 10 decision over the Cougars.
Ball State has won 19 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
MILESTONE WATCH: Jihad and Pearson Jr. both scored their 500th career points in the second half on Dec. 16 against Indiana St, with Jihad hitting the figure with a 3-pointer and Pearson Jr. getting to the total on a layup.
Pearson Jr. tallied 23 of those points playing at TCU, while Anderson (917) boasts the most career points in NCAA Division I on the current roster.
Up Next
The Cardinals are scheduled to hit the road and play at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Western Michigan.
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