Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Ohio University
WBB's Journey for a MAC Tourney Title Begins Wednesday in Cleveland Against Ohio
March 12, 2024 | Women's Basketball
The second-seeded Cardinals will take on the seventh-seeded Bobcats in quarterfinal game No. 3
#2 Ball State (27-4) vs. #7 Ohio (11-8)
Mid-American Conference Tournament
March 13-16, 2024 >>Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse>>Cleveland, Ohio
Opening Tip:
- This is only the second-ever meeting between the Bobcats and the Cardinals in the Mid-American Conference Tournament. Ball State and Ohio's first meeting in the league tournament resulted in a 61-59 loss for the Cardinals on March 10, 2021. That quarterfinal game Ohio was the No. 3 seed and Ball State was the No. 6 seed.
- The last time Ball State was the No. 2 seed in the MAC Tournament was in 2020. That year the Cardinals fell to No. 7 Eastern Michigan, 64-63.
- The Cardinals have been the No. 2 seed five times under the direction of 12th-year head coach Brady Sallee.
- Ball State won its two-game regular season series over the Bobcats this year. The first meeting was on Feb. 3 resulting in a 97-66 victory in Worthen Arena for Ball State. The Cardinals then registered a 75-60 win in Athens against the Bobcats on Feb. 17.
- This marks the 34th appearance in the Mid-American Conference Tournament in program history. Ball State has advanced to Cleveland 22 out of the past 24 seasons. The Cardinals are 23-32 all-time in MAC Tournament play and have advanced to the MAC Tournament finals on six occasions. Ball State defeated Bowling Green in 2009 in the MAC Tournament Championship game. This is the ninth time in current head coach Brady Sallee's tenure the Cardinals have punched their ticket straight to the MAC Tournament in Cleveland.
- Ball State made history Saturday after finishing the regular season with a program best 27 overall wins and 16 victories in Mid-American Conference action.
- Ball State head coach Brady Sallee owns a 7-10 overall Mid-American Conference Tournament mark. The last time the Cardinals reached the final game was in 2022 when Ball State fell to Buffalo by a score of 79-74.
- Wednesday's game against Ohio will mark the 73rd time in program history the two schools have met with the Bobcats leading the all-time series record, 39-33.
- A Cardinal win will send Ball State to the semifinal round for the third-straight season. The second-seeded Cardinals will play the winner of quarterfinal game No. 4 against the No. 3 seed Kent State Golden Flashes or the No. 6 seeded Northern Illinois Huskies. Ball State won the two-game series against Kent State and the Cardinals lost their lone meeting this season versus Northern Illinois.
- The last time the Cardinals faced the Golden Flashes at the MAC Tournament was in the first round in 2014. Ball State defeated Kent State at home 73-38 that year. The Cardinals and the Golden Flashes have never met in the semifinal round.
- If Ball State were to face Northern Illinois in the MAC Tournament semifinals it will be the first time the two programs have met since the 2022 season when the Cardinals were the No. 5 seed and defeated the fourth-seeded Huskies, 60-54. It will be the first time the two squads will have met in the semifinals.
- Ball State owns a 9-2 record in its bracket for the 2024 MAC Tournament after earning regular season victories over No. 1 Toledo, No. 8 Western Michigan, No. 5 Bowling Green, No. 4 Buffalo, No. 7 Ohio and No. 3 Kent State. The Cardinals' took two-game sweeps this season against the Bull, the Bobcats and the Golden Flashes.
Tourney Tidbit:
In the 33 years of the tournament, the top seed has won the title 22 times. In 2016, the Buffalo Bulls became the lowest seed (#8) to ever advance to the tournament championship game and the highest seed to ever win the title. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds have met 16 times in the championship game, with the top seed winning 14 times.
MAC Tourney Did You Know:
In the 33 years of the tournament, the top seed has won the title 22 times. In 2016, the Buffalo Bulls became the lowest seed (#8) to ever advance to the tournament championship game and the highest seed to ever win the title. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds have met 16 times in the championship game, with the top seed winning 14 times.
MAC Tourney Appearances:
This season will mark the 34th appearance in the Mid-American Conference Tournament in program history. Ball State has advanced to Cleveland 22 out of the past 24 seasons. The Cardinals are 22-31 all-time in MAC Tournament play and have advanced to the MAC Tournament finals on six occasions. Ball State defeated Bowling Green in 2009 in the MAC Tournament Championship game.
