Tuesday, December 31
Muncie, Ind.
2 PM
Ball State University
vs
Anderson
Photo by: Ella Absher, Ball State Athletics
Men's Basketball Hosting Anderson Tuesday in Final Game Before MAC Play
December 30, 2024 | Men's Basketball
The Ball State men's basketball team wraps up 2024 with a home contest against Anderson at 2 p.m. on Tuesday at Worthen Arena in a game presented by Silver Burch of Muncie.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Jack McMullen and David Eha on the call, while Mick Tidrow and Scot Bunnell handle the radio broadcast on WMUN 1340AM – 92.5FM.
Ball State leads the all-time series between the two programs 12-1 and holds a 10-0 record in Muncie against the Ravens. The Cardinals won 75-47 on Dec. 17, 2005 at Worthen in the most recent meeting.
Ball State (5-6) will look for its third straight win to conclude the calendar year after dominating Evansville 80-43 on Dec. 21 in the last game before the Christmas break. Payton Sparks (20 points, five rebounds), Jermahri Hill (13 points, eight rebounds, four steals), Jeremiah Hernandez (12 points) and Ben Hendriks (10 points, four rebounds) each scored in double-figures for the Cardinals in the men's basketball team's best defensive performance against an NCAA Division I foe since 2019 at Eastern Michigan.
Anderson (7-3) plays on back-to-back days after hosting North Central (Ill.) at 4 p.m. on Monday. The Ravens have won the last two Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament titles and went 23-5 (16-2 HCAC) in 2023-24 to win the regular season HCAC crown as well last season in the second under head coach Carter Collins.
Senior Tate Ivanyo paces the Ravens averaging 22.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Ivanyo leads the league and ranks No. 12 in NCAA Division III with a 93.9 free throw shooting percentage, while his scoring average is No. 34 in Division III.
The Cardinals begin Mid-American Conference play with a 2 p.m. contest at Kent State on Saturday.
SPLASH FROM SPARKS: Senior center Payton Sparks went for 20 points, five rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal to lead the Cardinals to an 80-43 win over Evansville on Dec. 21 at Worthen Arena.
Sparks notched his 10th career 20-point game and first of the season after previously having five double-digit scoring efforts coming into the game.
DOMINANT DEFENSE: Ball State limited Evansville to 43 points and 29.1 percent shooting from the field. Those were the lowest tallies the Cardinals have allowed an NCAA Division I opponent to get since March 11, 2019 against Eastern Michigan.
The Cardinals limited the Purple Aces to their fewest points in the 58-game series history since 1935, and the 37-point margin of victory was the second-highest for Ball State ever vs Evansville.
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 Dec. 14 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 Dec. 14 at Bellarmine. The Argentina native has made multiple 3-pointers in each of the last eight games, going 31-for-58 (53.4 percent) from distance in that time to increase his season shooting percentage to 50 percent (36-72).
Gorosito is second in the conference in 3-pointers made and leads the league while ranking No. 8 in NCAA Division I in shooting percentage from distance.
MILESTONE WATCH: Sparks (982 points), Jeremiah Hernandez (899) and Pearson Jr. (845) 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 (582 rebounds) needs only three more boards to move into the Top-20 in Ball State program history for a career.
KEEPING UP WITH KENTUCKY SCHOOLS: The 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 ranks seventh in the MAC with 15.7 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 (26.6) and free throws made per game (18.5) through the season's first 11 games.
Ball State ranks No. 6 and No. 23 in those categories in NCAA Division I, respectively. The total tallies outpace the next-closest MAC team (Buffalo) by 41 attempts and 30 makes.
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.
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: 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 Jack McMullen and David Eha on the call, while Mick Tidrow and Scot Bunnell handle the radio broadcast on WMUN 1340AM – 92.5FM.
Ball State leads the all-time series between the two programs 12-1 and holds a 10-0 record in Muncie against the Ravens. The Cardinals won 75-47 on Dec. 17, 2005 at Worthen in the most recent meeting.
Ball State (5-6) will look for its third straight win to conclude the calendar year after dominating Evansville 80-43 on Dec. 21 in the last game before the Christmas break. Payton Sparks (20 points, five rebounds), Jermahri Hill (13 points, eight rebounds, four steals), Jeremiah Hernandez (12 points) and Ben Hendriks (10 points, four rebounds) each scored in double-figures for the Cardinals in the men's basketball team's best defensive performance against an NCAA Division I foe since 2019 at Eastern Michigan.
Anderson (7-3) plays on back-to-back days after hosting North Central (Ill.) at 4 p.m. on Monday. The Ravens have won the last two Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament titles and went 23-5 (16-2 HCAC) in 2023-24 to win the regular season HCAC crown as well last season in the second under head coach Carter Collins.
Senior Tate Ivanyo paces the Ravens averaging 22.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Ivanyo leads the league and ranks No. 12 in NCAA Division III with a 93.9 free throw shooting percentage, while his scoring average is No. 34 in Division III.
The Cardinals begin Mid-American Conference play with a 2 p.m. contest at Kent State on Saturday.
SPLASH FROM SPARKS: Senior center Payton Sparks went for 20 points, five rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal to lead the Cardinals to an 80-43 win over Evansville on Dec. 21 at Worthen Arena.
Sparks notched his 10th career 20-point game and first of the season after previously having five double-digit scoring efforts coming into the game.
DOMINANT DEFENSE: Ball State limited Evansville to 43 points and 29.1 percent shooting from the field. Those were the lowest tallies the Cardinals have allowed an NCAA Division I opponent to get since March 11, 2019 against Eastern Michigan.
The Cardinals limited the Purple Aces to their fewest points in the 58-game series history since 1935, and the 37-point margin of victory was the second-highest for Ball State ever vs Evansville.
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 Dec. 14 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 Dec. 14 at Bellarmine. The Argentina native has made multiple 3-pointers in each of the last eight games, going 31-for-58 (53.4 percent) from distance in that time to increase his season shooting percentage to 50 percent (36-72).
Gorosito is second in the conference in 3-pointers made and leads the league while ranking No. 8 in NCAA Division I in shooting percentage from distance.
MILESTONE WATCH: Sparks (982 points), Jeremiah Hernandez (899) and Pearson Jr. (845) 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 (582 rebounds) needs only three more boards to move into the Top-20 in Ball State program history for a career.
KEEPING UP WITH KENTUCKY SCHOOLS: The 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 ranks seventh in the MAC with 15.7 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 (26.6) and free throws made per game (18.5) through the season's first 11 games.
Ball State ranks No. 6 and No. 23 in those categories in NCAA Division I, respectively. The total tallies outpace the next-closest MAC team (Buffalo) by 41 attempts and 30 makes.
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.
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: 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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