Saturday, March 2
Muncie, IN
2:00 p.m.
Ball State University
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Western Michigan
Photo by: Heather Parker
Men's Basketball to Host Western Michigan on Saturday Afternoon
March 01, 2024 | Men's Basketball
The Ball State men's basketball team is scheduled to host Western Michigan at 2 p.m. on Saturday in its penultimate home game of the season.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Noah Reed and David Eha on the call, while Mick Tidrow and Scot Bunnell handle the radio broadcast on WMUN 1340AM - 92.5FM. This will be the 141st meeting in the series between the Cardinals and Broncos, making Western Michigan the most commonly played opponent in the Ball State men's basketball program's history.
Ball State (14-14, 6-9 Mid-American Conference) took down Western Michigan (10-18, 7-8 MAC) by a score of 77-67 back on Feb. 3 in Kalamazoo thanks to a stingy first half defense and 20 points, six rebounds and five steals from Jalin Anderson.
The Cardinals rode a prolonged hot shooting stretch to a 79-71 triumph at Central Michigan on Tuesday night. Ball State shot 71.9 percent (23 of 32) from the middle of the first half to the middle of the second half and got a career high 25 points by Mickey Pearson Jr. to pull away from the Chippewas and secure the Cardinals' fifth win in eight tries on the road in MAC play.
The Broncos have gone 2-4 since the early February meeting with the Cardinals, most recently having lost at Eastern Michigan on Tuesday after winning back-to-back home games over Miami (OH) and Buffalo.
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN: The Broncos went 8-23 (4-14 MAC) last season in head coach Dwayne Stephens' first leading the program. Stephens moved west to Kalamazoo after being a longtime assistant coach under Tom Izzo at Michigan State.
The Broncos pace the league in offensive rebounds per game (12.5) and rank second in the MAC with 37.5 total rebounds per contest. Western's 24.3 bench points per game sits at third in the conference.
Sophomore guard Seth Hubbard, who is the only WMU player averaging double figures scoring (14.8 per game), ranks second in the league in 3-point attempts (196) and third in 3-pointers made per game (2.5) so far this season.
CARDINAL DIRECTIONS
The Lincoln, Ala., native went 9 of 13 from the field, including 3 of 5 from distance, and 4-for-4 at the free throw line to establish a new career best for the second time this season (24 on Nov. 21 against USC Upstate).
GREAT LAKES STATE FINALE: Tuesday's game at CMU marked the Ball State men's basketball team's last game in the state of Michigan on the 2023-24 calendar.
The Cardinals posted a 4-0 record in the state this season after taking down Detroit Mercy on Dec. 6, Eastern Michigan on Jan. 16, Western Michigan on Feb. 3 and the Chippewas on Feb. 27.
1,000 Points: Junior guard Jalin Anderson hit the 1,000-point mark in his career with a last-minute free throw at Northern Illinois on Feb. 20.
The Jackson, Tenn., native scored 604 of those before transferring to Ball State, where he's averaged 15.0 points per game in 28 games (420 total).
DB FOR THREE: Bailey leads the Cardinals in 3-pointers made (61) and 3-point shooting (43.6 percent) so far this season, and the shooting efficiency is first in the MAC among players who've made at least 40 triples.
The Indianapolis native's 2.5 triples made per game ranks second in the MAC, while his total 3-pointers made in conference games (42) is just three behind Northern Illinois' David Coit, who's attempted 42 more than Bailey.
HANDLING THE HUSKIES: Ball State swept the season series with Northern Illinois and has now won 9 of 10 games against the Huskies thanks to the 70-63 decision on Tuesday in DeKalb.
The men's basketball team has won by double-figures over the Huskies five times in that span and bettered its record to 63-40 in the series, including 26-23 on the road.
FRESHMAN MAKING MOVES: Freshman guard Trent Middleton Jr. has scored in double figures in 5 of the last 10 games after doing so twice in the first 16 games of his collegiate career.
The Philadelphia native has averaged 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game during the span.
SECOND TRIP AROUND THE MAC: Ball State began its back end of double play opponents on Feb. 17 after playing each of the other 11 Mid-American Conference teams in first 11 league games of the year.
Ball State's regular season series against Akron, Buffalo, Ohio and Toledo have wrapped up with those schools being single-play opponents for the 2024 schedule.
CROATIAN DESTINATION: Ball State is the only Division I school featuring Croatia natives on both its men's basketball (Jurica Zagorsak) and women's basketball (Hana Muhl) teams.
Zagorsak is one of only nine Croatians currently on Division I men's basketball rosters. Ball State has played three of the other teams with a Croatian (Detroit Mercy, Little Rock and Toledo).
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 second-most lopsided in MAC play to date and third-worst overall.
FREE THROWS FALLING: Pearson Jr. ranks second in the Mid-American Conference among qualifiers in free throw shooting percentage at 86.7 (85 of 98), which is No. 55 in NCAA Division I.
Bailey (83.3 percent, 25-30) and Middleton Jr. (82.3 percent, 51-62) have also been efficient at the foul line, while the Cardinals as a whole lead the MAC in free throw shooting at 76.3 percent, which ranks No. 30 nationally.
BANKING ON BASHEER: Jihad leads the team in scoring (18.9 ppg), rebounding (8.0 per game) and field goal percentage (46.4) 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 (4.5 per game) as the Cardinals' lead guard. Anderson leads the MAC in steals (30) in conference play and is third overall at 46 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 eight 20+ point games so far this season.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK X3: Jihad was named the Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Co-Player of the Week on Jan. 29 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 Jan. 27 against the Huskies.
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
Up Next
Ball State hosts Kent State at 7 p.m. on Tuesday for Senior Day in the Worthen Arena finale for the 2023-24 season.
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The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Noah Reed and David Eha on the call, while Mick Tidrow and Scot Bunnell handle the radio broadcast on WMUN 1340AM - 92.5FM. This will be the 141st meeting in the series between the Cardinals and Broncos, making Western Michigan the most commonly played opponent in the Ball State men's basketball program's history.
Ball State (14-14, 6-9 Mid-American Conference) took down Western Michigan (10-18, 7-8 MAC) by a score of 77-67 back on Feb. 3 in Kalamazoo thanks to a stingy first half defense and 20 points, six rebounds and five steals from Jalin Anderson.
The Cardinals rode a prolonged hot shooting stretch to a 79-71 triumph at Central Michigan on Tuesday night. Ball State shot 71.9 percent (23 of 32) from the middle of the first half to the middle of the second half and got a career high 25 points by Mickey Pearson Jr. to pull away from the Chippewas and secure the Cardinals' fifth win in eight tries on the road in MAC play.
The Broncos have gone 2-4 since the early February meeting with the Cardinals, most recently having lost at Eastern Michigan on Tuesday after winning back-to-back home games over Miami (OH) and Buffalo.
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN: The Broncos went 8-23 (4-14 MAC) last season in head coach Dwayne Stephens' first leading the program. Stephens moved west to Kalamazoo after being a longtime assistant coach under Tom Izzo at Michigan State.
The Broncos pace the league in offensive rebounds per game (12.5) and rank second in the MAC with 37.5 total rebounds per contest. Western's 24.3 bench points per game sits at third in the conference.
Sophomore guard Seth Hubbard, who is the only WMU player averaging double figures scoring (14.8 per game), ranks second in the league in 3-point attempts (196) and third in 3-pointers made per game (2.5) so far this season.
CARDINAL DIRECTIONS
- Basheer Jihad leads the Cardinals in scoring (18.9 points per game) and rebounding (8.0) averages. The junior forward out of Detroit has led the Cardinals in scoring 17 games so far, scoring in double-figures 27 times, including 11 games with 20+ points. The big man's total points (528) ranks third in the Mid-American Conference, while his rebounding and scoring averages are fourth. Jihad leads the MAC in free throw attempts (211) and makes (157), ranking No. 16 in those categories nationally.
- Junior guard Davion Bailey's 43.6 percent 3-point shooting paces the MAC and ranks No. 8 among NCAA Division I qualifiers.
- The Cardinals lead the MAC and rank in the Top 50 in Division I in free throw shooting (76.3 percent, No. 30), free throws made per game (16.0, No. 47) and fewest fouls committed (15.2 per game, No. 47). Ball State 3-point shooting (37.2 percent, No. 38 nationally) ranks third in the league.
- 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 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 Lincoln, Ala., native went 9 of 13 from the field, including 3 of 5 from distance, and 4-for-4 at the free throw line to establish a new career best for the second time this season (24 on Nov. 21 against USC Upstate).
GREAT LAKES STATE FINALE: Tuesday's game at CMU marked the Ball State men's basketball team's last game in the state of Michigan on the 2023-24 calendar.
The Cardinals posted a 4-0 record in the state this season after taking down Detroit Mercy on Dec. 6, Eastern Michigan on Jan. 16, Western Michigan on Feb. 3 and the Chippewas on Feb. 27.
1,000 Points: Junior guard Jalin Anderson hit the 1,000-point mark in his career with a last-minute free throw at Northern Illinois on Feb. 20.
The Jackson, Tenn., native scored 604 of those before transferring to Ball State, where he's averaged 15.0 points per game in 28 games (420 total).
DB FOR THREE: Bailey leads the Cardinals in 3-pointers made (61) and 3-point shooting (43.6 percent) so far this season, and the shooting efficiency is first in the MAC among players who've made at least 40 triples.
The Indianapolis native's 2.5 triples made per game ranks second in the MAC, while his total 3-pointers made in conference games (42) is just three behind Northern Illinois' David Coit, who's attempted 42 more than Bailey.
HANDLING THE HUSKIES: Ball State swept the season series with Northern Illinois and has now won 9 of 10 games against the Huskies thanks to the 70-63 decision on Tuesday in DeKalb.
The men's basketball team has won by double-figures over the Huskies five times in that span and bettered its record to 63-40 in the series, including 26-23 on the road.
FRESHMAN MAKING MOVES: Freshman guard Trent Middleton Jr. has scored in double figures in 5 of the last 10 games after doing so twice in the first 16 games of his collegiate career.
The Philadelphia native has averaged 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game during the span.
SECOND TRIP AROUND THE MAC: Ball State began its back end of double play opponents on Feb. 17 after playing each of the other 11 Mid-American Conference teams in first 11 league games of the year.
Ball State's regular season series against Akron, Buffalo, Ohio and Toledo have wrapped up with those schools being single-play opponents for the 2024 schedule.
CROATIAN DESTINATION: Ball State is the only Division I school featuring Croatia natives on both its men's basketball (Jurica Zagorsak) and women's basketball (Hana Muhl) teams.
Zagorsak is one of only nine Croatians currently on Division I men's basketball rosters. Ball State has played three of the other teams with a Croatian (Detroit Mercy, Little Rock and Toledo).
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 second-most lopsided in MAC play to date and third-worst overall.
FREE THROWS FALLING: Pearson Jr. ranks second in the Mid-American Conference among qualifiers in free throw shooting percentage at 86.7 (85 of 98), which is No. 55 in NCAA Division I.
Bailey (83.3 percent, 25-30) and Middleton Jr. (82.3 percent, 51-62) have also been efficient at the foul line, while the Cardinals as a whole lead the MAC in free throw shooting at 76.3 percent, which ranks No. 30 nationally.
BANKING ON BASHEER: Jihad leads the team in scoring (18.9 ppg), rebounding (8.0 per game) and field goal percentage (46.4) 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 (4.5 per game) as the Cardinals' lead guard. Anderson leads the MAC in steals (30) in conference play and is third overall at 46 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 eight 20+ point games so far this season.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK X3: Jihad was named the Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Co-Player of the Week on Jan. 29 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 Jan. 27 against the Huskies.
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
Up Next
Ball State hosts Kent State at 7 p.m. on Tuesday for Senior Day in the Worthen Arena finale for the 2023-24 season.
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