Saturday, December 21
Muncie, Ind.
2 PM
Ball State University
vs
Evansville
Photo by: Ella Absher, Ball State Athletics
Cardinals Host Evansville Saturday in Return to Worthen Arena
December 19, 2024 | Men's Basketball
First Home Game in Over a Month for the Men's Basketball Team
The Ball State men's basketball team returns home for its first game at Worthen Arena in a month to host Evansville at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Mick Tidrow and David Eha on the call, while Mark Foerster and Scot Bunnell handle the radio broadcast on WMUN 1340AM – 92.5FM.
Evansville leads the all-time series between the two programs 40-17 but only hold a 16-14 edge in games played in Muncie. The Purple Aces topped the Cardinals 74-50 in Evansville on Nov. 18, 2023 in the most recent meeting.
Ball State (4-6) won 86-82 at Bellarmine last Saturday thanks to a Mid-American Conference Player of the Week performance from Juanse Gorosito and clutch free throw shooting by Mickey Pearson Jr. The Cardinals shot 54.2 percent from the field including 52.6 percent from distance as a team to hold off the Knights in Louisville.
Evansville (3-8) fell 80-54 at UT-Arlington on Wednesday night in its fourth straight setback. This will be the first Mid-American Conference opponent of the year for the Aces and the first Missouri Valley Conference opponent for the Cardinals during the regular season. Â
The Cardinals wrap up 2024 with a 2 p.m. game with Anderson on New Year's Eve.
SCOUTING EVANSVILLE: The Purple Aces are in their third season with head coach David Ragland at the helm. Evansville was picked ninth in the 12-team MVC preseason poll.
Evansville paces the Missouri Valley in blocks per game (4.5) while ranking third in 3-point attempts per game (26.9).
Senior guard Tanner Cuff's 4.5 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the MVC and ranks sixth nationally. Junior forward Connor Turnbull is second in the conference in both blocks per game (1.45) and total blocks (16).
MICKEY MONEY FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE: Mickey Pearson Jr. went 12-for-12 at the free throw line in Ball State's win at Bellarmine on Saturday including sinking two foul shots with six seconds to play to secure the 86-82 decision.
Pearson's 12 free throws made were the most by a Ball State player since Taylor Persons also sunk a dozen on Nov. 18, 2018 vs App State. Pearson is the only Cardinal with multiple career games making at least 10 free throws without a miss in the last 10 seasons (10-for-10 vs Central Michigan on Jan. 6, 2024).
GORO-THREE-TO: Junior guard Juanse Gorosito was named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Week after hitting seven 3-pointers for 21 and adding four assists and three steals on Saturday at Bellarmine. The Argentina native has made at least three 3-pointers in each of the last six games, going 27-for-45 (60 percent) from distance in that time to increase his season shooting percentage to 50 percent (34-68).
Gorosito is second in the conference in 3-pointers made and leads the league while ranking No. 10 in NCAA Division I in shooting percentage from distance.
MILESTONE WATCH: Payton Sparks (962 points), Jeremiah Hernandez (887) and Pearson Jr. (843) are each closing in on scoring 1,000 points in his Division I career.
Ethan Brittain-Watts recently made his 100th career 3-pointer, while Sparks (577 rebounds) needs only eight more boards to move into the Top-20 in Ball State program history for a career.
KEEPING UP WITH KENTUCKY SCHOOLS: Saturday's win at Bellarmine moved the Cardinals to 2-0 this year against teams from the Bluegrass State.
The Cardinals defeated Eastern Kentucky 63-61 on Nov. 25 in the first game of the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla.
TOP OF THE HILL: Junior Jermahri Hill was named the Mid-American Conference Co-Player of the Week on Dec. 2 after averaging 21.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in three games at the Gulf Coast Showcase.
Hill had assists on three-point plays to Mickey Pearson Jr. and Payton Sparks in the final minute of the 63-61 win over Eastern Kentucky in the opener on Nov. 25. The guard paces the MAC in free throw attempts (64) and makes (42) while ranking seventh at 16.0 points per game on the year.
I REMEMBER YOU: Ball State has played seven different players this season who were on MAC rosters during the 2023-24 season. SIUE's Darrion Baker (from Akron) was the seventh. The full list is below.
Darrion Baker (Akron to SIUE)
Legend Geeter (Eastern Michigan to Detroit Mercy)
Markus Harding (Central Michigan to Indiana State)
Orlando Lovejoy (Eastern Michigan to Detroit Mercy)
Cyril Martynov (Eastern Michigan to Eastern Kentucky)
Zarique Nutter (Northern Illinois to Georgia State)
B. Artis White (Western Michigan to Richmond)
GETTING TO THE LINE: The Cardinals paced the Mid-American Conference in both free throw attempts per game (26.5) and free throws made per game (18.4) through the season's first 10 games.
Ball State ranks No. 9 and No. 26 in those categories in NCAA Division I, respectively. The total tallies outpace the next-closest MAC team (Toledo) by 42 attempts and (Ohio) by 19 makes.
FAMILIAR FOES: Ball State's matchup with Evansville will be its fifth of five games this season against nonconference opponents that the Cardinals also faced last year.
Ball State also played Indiana State (Nov. 16), Detroit Mercy (Nov. 20), SIUE (Dec. 8) and Bellarmine (Dec. 14).
SLAM JAM: Hill's one-hand slam dunk for an and-one at the end of the first half on Nov. 13 at Dayton was the No. 1 play on SportsCenter's Top 10 list.
Hill led the Cardinals with 25 points, seven rebounds and three assists for the game.
WE'LL PLAY ANYWHERE: The Cardinals played in a fifth different state away from home when they took on Bellarmine last Saturday in Louisville, Ky. It was be the final road game on the nonconference schedule.
Ball State played at Georgia State in the season opener, at Dayton in the third game of the year, in Florida for the Gulf Coast Showcase in late November, and Dec. 8 at SIUE in Illinois.
IN-STATE BATTLES: Ball State is set to host Franklin (Nov. 8), Indiana State (Nov. 16), Evansville (Dec. 21) and Anderson (Dec. 31) for a quartet of in-state rivalries this season.
The men's basketball program hasn't hosted at least four teams from the state of Indiana since 2013-14 when that team played Taylor, Butler, Valparaiso and Oakland City at Worthen Arena.
PEARSON POUNDING THE GLASS: Mickey Pearson Jr. tied his career-best with 13 rebounds in the season opener at Georgia State before grabbing 11 against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 20.
The forward also notched 13 boards on Nov. 7, 2022 against Earlham at Worthen Arena. Pearson Jr. ranks sixth in the MAC in both total rebounds (65) and rebounds per game (6.5).
HOME STATE HEROES: Brittain-Watts (2019), Zane Doughty, Joey Hart and Jones (2023) were each named Indiana High School All-Stars, while three more Cardinals also had ties to the state before arriving in Muncie.
Ball State has the second-most players from Indiana high schools among Indiana-based Division I teams behind Purdue.
WORLD FLYERS: The 2024-25 Ball State roster consists of student-athletes from three different countries in addition to the United States of America.
Juanse Gorosito (Argentina), Hendriks (Canada) and Jurica Zagorsak (Croatia) are international Cardinals this season. Interestingly, Juanse, Ben and Jurica were born on different continents, so Ball State has student-athletes from North America, South America and Europe on the team.
TRANSFERS FROM ALL OVER: Each of Ball State's seven student-athletes who have transferred into the program have come from different college basketball conferences.
The list includes Brittain-Watts (Patriot League, Boston), Gorosito (West Coast Conference, Portland), Hart (SEC, Kentucky), Hernandez (Ohio Valley Conference, USI), Pearson Jr. (Big 12, TCU), Sparks (Big Ten, Indiana) and Hill who played junior college ball at South Plains in Levelland, Texas.
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The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Mick Tidrow and David Eha on the call, while Mark Foerster and Scot Bunnell handle the radio broadcast on WMUN 1340AM – 92.5FM.
Evansville leads the all-time series between the two programs 40-17 but only hold a 16-14 edge in games played in Muncie. The Purple Aces topped the Cardinals 74-50 in Evansville on Nov. 18, 2023 in the most recent meeting.
Ball State (4-6) won 86-82 at Bellarmine last Saturday thanks to a Mid-American Conference Player of the Week performance from Juanse Gorosito and clutch free throw shooting by Mickey Pearson Jr. The Cardinals shot 54.2 percent from the field including 52.6 percent from distance as a team to hold off the Knights in Louisville.
Evansville (3-8) fell 80-54 at UT-Arlington on Wednesday night in its fourth straight setback. This will be the first Mid-American Conference opponent of the year for the Aces and the first Missouri Valley Conference opponent for the Cardinals during the regular season. Â
The Cardinals wrap up 2024 with a 2 p.m. game with Anderson on New Year's Eve.
SCOUTING EVANSVILLE: The Purple Aces are in their third season with head coach David Ragland at the helm. Evansville was picked ninth in the 12-team MVC preseason poll.
Evansville paces the Missouri Valley in blocks per game (4.5) while ranking third in 3-point attempts per game (26.9).
Senior guard Tanner Cuff's 4.5 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the MVC and ranks sixth nationally. Junior forward Connor Turnbull is second in the conference in both blocks per game (1.45) and total blocks (16).
MICKEY MONEY FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE: Mickey Pearson Jr. went 12-for-12 at the free throw line in Ball State's win at Bellarmine on Saturday including sinking two foul shots with six seconds to play to secure the 86-82 decision.
Pearson's 12 free throws made were the most by a Ball State player since Taylor Persons also sunk a dozen on Nov. 18, 2018 vs App State. Pearson is the only Cardinal with multiple career games making at least 10 free throws without a miss in the last 10 seasons (10-for-10 vs Central Michigan on Jan. 6, 2024).
GORO-THREE-TO: Junior guard Juanse Gorosito was named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Week after hitting seven 3-pointers for 21 and adding four assists and three steals on Saturday at Bellarmine. The Argentina native has made at least three 3-pointers in each of the last six games, going 27-for-45 (60 percent) from distance in that time to increase his season shooting percentage to 50 percent (34-68).
Gorosito is second in the conference in 3-pointers made and leads the league while ranking No. 10 in NCAA Division I in shooting percentage from distance.
MILESTONE WATCH: Payton Sparks (962 points), Jeremiah Hernandez (887) and Pearson Jr. (843) are each closing in on scoring 1,000 points in his Division I career.
Ethan Brittain-Watts recently made his 100th career 3-pointer, while Sparks (577 rebounds) needs only eight more boards to move into the Top-20 in Ball State program history for a career.
KEEPING UP WITH KENTUCKY SCHOOLS: Saturday's win at Bellarmine moved the Cardinals to 2-0 this year against teams from the Bluegrass State.
The Cardinals defeated Eastern Kentucky 63-61 on Nov. 25 in the first game of the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla.
TOP OF THE HILL: Junior Jermahri Hill was named the Mid-American Conference Co-Player of the Week on Dec. 2 after averaging 21.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in three games at the Gulf Coast Showcase.
Hill had assists on three-point plays to Mickey Pearson Jr. and Payton Sparks in the final minute of the 63-61 win over Eastern Kentucky in the opener on Nov. 25. The guard paces the MAC in free throw attempts (64) and makes (42) while ranking seventh at 16.0 points per game on the year.
I REMEMBER YOU: Ball State has played seven different players this season who were on MAC rosters during the 2023-24 season. SIUE's Darrion Baker (from Akron) was the seventh. The full list is below.
Darrion Baker (Akron to SIUE)
Legend Geeter (Eastern Michigan to Detroit Mercy)
Markus Harding (Central Michigan to Indiana State)
Orlando Lovejoy (Eastern Michigan to Detroit Mercy)
Cyril Martynov (Eastern Michigan to Eastern Kentucky)
Zarique Nutter (Northern Illinois to Georgia State)
B. Artis White (Western Michigan to Richmond)
GETTING TO THE LINE: The Cardinals paced the Mid-American Conference in both free throw attempts per game (26.5) and free throws made per game (18.4) through the season's first 10 games.
Ball State ranks No. 9 and No. 26 in those categories in NCAA Division I, respectively. The total tallies outpace the next-closest MAC team (Toledo) by 42 attempts and (Ohio) by 19 makes.
FAMILIAR FOES: Ball State's matchup with Evansville will be its fifth of five games this season against nonconference opponents that the Cardinals also faced last year.
Ball State also played Indiana State (Nov. 16), Detroit Mercy (Nov. 20), SIUE (Dec. 8) and Bellarmine (Dec. 14).
SLAM JAM: Hill's one-hand slam dunk for an and-one at the end of the first half on Nov. 13 at Dayton was the No. 1 play on SportsCenter's Top 10 list.
Hill led the Cardinals with 25 points, seven rebounds and three assists for the game.
WE'LL PLAY ANYWHERE: The Cardinals played in a fifth different state away from home when they took on Bellarmine last Saturday in Louisville, Ky. It was be the final road game on the nonconference schedule.
Ball State played at Georgia State in the season opener, at Dayton in the third game of the year, in Florida for the Gulf Coast Showcase in late November, and Dec. 8 at SIUE in Illinois.
IN-STATE BATTLES: Ball State is set to host Franklin (Nov. 8), Indiana State (Nov. 16), Evansville (Dec. 21) and Anderson (Dec. 31) for a quartet of in-state rivalries this season.
The men's basketball program hasn't hosted at least four teams from the state of Indiana since 2013-14 when that team played Taylor, Butler, Valparaiso and Oakland City at Worthen Arena.
PEARSON POUNDING THE GLASS: Mickey Pearson Jr. tied his career-best with 13 rebounds in the season opener at Georgia State before grabbing 11 against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 20.
The forward also notched 13 boards on Nov. 7, 2022 against Earlham at Worthen Arena. Pearson Jr. ranks sixth in the MAC in both total rebounds (65) and rebounds per game (6.5).
HOME STATE HEROES: Brittain-Watts (2019), Zane Doughty, Joey Hart and Jones (2023) were each named Indiana High School All-Stars, while three more Cardinals also had ties to the state before arriving in Muncie.
Ball State has the second-most players from Indiana high schools among Indiana-based Division I teams behind Purdue.
WORLD FLYERS: The 2024-25 Ball State roster consists of student-athletes from three different countries in addition to the United States of America.
Juanse Gorosito (Argentina), Hendriks (Canada) and Jurica Zagorsak (Croatia) are international Cardinals this season. Interestingly, Juanse, Ben and Jurica were born on different continents, so Ball State has student-athletes from North America, South America and Europe on the team.
TRANSFERS FROM ALL OVER: Each of Ball State's seven student-athletes who have transferred into the program have come from different college basketball conferences.
The list includes Brittain-Watts (Patriot League, Boston), Gorosito (West Coast Conference, Portland), Hart (SEC, Kentucky), Hernandez (Ohio Valley Conference, USI), Pearson Jr. (Big 12, TCU), Sparks (Big Ten, Indiana) and Hill who played junior college ball at South Plains in Levelland, Texas.
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