Tuesday, January 14
Athens, Ohio
7 PM
Ball State University
at
Ohio
Photo by: Sam Findley/Ball State Athletics
Cardinals Set to Play at Ohio Tuesday Night for First Time Since 2023
January 13, 2025 | Men's Basketball
Bobcats Were Picked to Win the MAC in the Preseason Poll
The Ball State men's basketball team is set to play at Ohio for the first time since 2023 at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the Convocation Center in Athens.
The contest will be streamed on ESPN+, while Mick Tidrow and David Eha handle the radio broadcast on WMUN 1340AM – 92.5FM.
Ohio leads the head-to-head series 56-35 with a 30-11 edge at home. The two teams haven't played each other in Athens since Jan. 10, 2023. The Bobcats won the lone matchup last season 84-79 in overtime on Feb. 6 at Worthen Arena.
Ball State (8-7, 2-1 Mid-American Conference) took down Bowling Green 91-69 on Saturday afternoon after a late 15-0 scoring run allowed the Cardinals to pull away from the Falcons, who had cut a 42-26 halftime deficit to six points with just over five minutes to play. Payton Sparks (19 points and 13 rebounds) led a balanced scoring attack that featured six Ball State players in double figures.
Ohio (9-6, 3-0 MAC) has won five in a row, most recently handling Northern Illinois 108-70 on Saturday afternoon at home. The Bobcats also beat Central Michigan (57-55 on Jan. 4) and Buffalo (88-79 on Jan. 7) on the road to begin conference play.
Jeff Boals is in his sixth season as the head coach of the Bobcats, who were projected to win the MAC regular season and tournament in the preseason poll. Ohio went 20-13 (13-5 MAC) last season to earn the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament, where it fell to No. 2 seed Akron in the semifinals.
The Bobcats pace the MAC and rank No. 24 in NCAA Division I with 15.2 fastbreak points per game, while their field goal percentage (47.8) and 3-point shooting (36.8) are both second in the conference.
Senior forward AJ Clayton leads Ohio in scoring (17.4 points per game) and rebounding (6.4) per game. The scoring average is currently the highest in the MAC with the rebounding average being sixth. Clayton, who was named the MAC Player of the Week on Monday, also leads the league in total blocks (28) and blocks per game (1.87).
The Cardinals return home to host Toledo at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
SPREAD OUT THE SCORING: Six Cardinals scored in double figures in Ball State's 91-69 triumph over Bowling Green on Saturday: Payton Sparks (19 points), Juanse Gorosito (16), Mickey Pearson Jr. (16), Jeremiah Hernandez (14), Jermahri Hill (12), and Ethan Brittain-Watts (10).
It was the first time the men's basketball team has placed six in double digits in the box score since Nov. 19, 2022 against IU-South Bend.
OFFENSIVE SHOWCASE: The Cardinals shot 58.9 percent (33-for-56) from the field in Saturday's 91-69 winning decision against Bowling Green.
The shooting percentage was Ball State's best since Nov. 24, 2023 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (61.1), while the total field goals made tied for the most in a game this season.
PAYTON POUNDING THE GLASS: Senior center Payton Sparks has recorded double figures rebounds in each of the last four games (16-12-16-13) to increase his season rebounding average to third in
the Mid-American Conference (7.1 per game).
The Winchester, Ind., native has now reached the 16-board mark in four career games.
70 IS A MAGIC NUMBER: The Cardinals have found success when scoring at least 70 points (7-2 record) and/or allowing fewer than 70 points (6-0) this season.
Ball State has put up at least 70 points in six straight games, which is the longest current stretch among MAC teams.
GETTING FAMILIAR WITH THE FREE THROW LINE: Junior guard Jermahri Hill (100) and Sparks (99) are first and second in the league in free throw attempts, respectively.
The duo also go 1-2 in the conference in free throws made, with 71 for Hill and 61 for Sparks, while forward Mickey Pearson Jr. (55) is fifth in the MAC.
LOCK IT DOWN: The Ball State defense ranks second in the MAC in scoring defense (70.8 points per game), field goal percentage defense (41.3) and 3-point defense (30.6 percent).
Ball State limited Kent State to 1-for-11 shooting from the field in the final four minutes of the Jan. 4 game to secure the road win.
HERNANDEZ HEATING UP: Graduate guard Jeremiah Hernandez has scored in double figures each of the last six games to increase his scoring average to 8.2 points per game on the season.
Hernandez tallied 14 on Saturday against Bowling Green and added five rebounds, four assists and three steals against the Falcons.
ONE-TWO PUNCH: Sparks and Hill have established a dynamic duo over the last few weeks, combining for 143 points, 78 rebounds and 20 assists in the most recent four games.
Hill led the Cardinals in scoring in three of those games while Sparks has been the leading rebounder in all four contests for Ball State.
DOMINANT DEFENSE: Ball State limited Evansville to 43 points and 29.1 percent shooting from the field on Dec. 21. Those were the lowest tallies the Cardinals had 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.
MILESTONE WATCH: After Sparks (currently 1,050 points) reached the milestone on New Year's Eve, Hernandez (949) and Pearson Jr. (887) are each closing in on scoring 1,000 points in his Division I career.
Sparks (639 rebounds) is currently No. 14 in Ball State program history for a career.
GETTING TO THE LINE: The Cardinals pace the Mid-American Conference in both free throw attempts per game (27.3) and free throws made per game (19.2) through the season's first 15 games.
Ball State ranks No. 4 and No. 7 in those categories in NCAA Division I, respectively. The total tallies (388 attempts and 270 makes) outpace the next-closest MAC team (Toledo) by 94 attempts
and 65 makes.
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.
Gorosito is fourth in the conference in 3-pointers made (43) and second in shooting percentage (43.9) from distance, which ranks No. 26 in NCAA Division I.
HOME STATE HEROES: Brittain-Watts (2019), Zane Doughty, Joey Hart and Mason 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.
Gorosito (Argentina), Ben 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 Ethan 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 contest will be streamed on ESPN+, while Mick Tidrow and David Eha handle the radio broadcast on WMUN 1340AM – 92.5FM.
Ohio leads the head-to-head series 56-35 with a 30-11 edge at home. The two teams haven't played each other in Athens since Jan. 10, 2023. The Bobcats won the lone matchup last season 84-79 in overtime on Feb. 6 at Worthen Arena.
Ball State (8-7, 2-1 Mid-American Conference) took down Bowling Green 91-69 on Saturday afternoon after a late 15-0 scoring run allowed the Cardinals to pull away from the Falcons, who had cut a 42-26 halftime deficit to six points with just over five minutes to play. Payton Sparks (19 points and 13 rebounds) led a balanced scoring attack that featured six Ball State players in double figures.
Ohio (9-6, 3-0 MAC) has won five in a row, most recently handling Northern Illinois 108-70 on Saturday afternoon at home. The Bobcats also beat Central Michigan (57-55 on Jan. 4) and Buffalo (88-79 on Jan. 7) on the road to begin conference play.
Jeff Boals is in his sixth season as the head coach of the Bobcats, who were projected to win the MAC regular season and tournament in the preseason poll. Ohio went 20-13 (13-5 MAC) last season to earn the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament, where it fell to No. 2 seed Akron in the semifinals.
The Bobcats pace the MAC and rank No. 24 in NCAA Division I with 15.2 fastbreak points per game, while their field goal percentage (47.8) and 3-point shooting (36.8) are both second in the conference.
Senior forward AJ Clayton leads Ohio in scoring (17.4 points per game) and rebounding (6.4) per game. The scoring average is currently the highest in the MAC with the rebounding average being sixth. Clayton, who was named the MAC Player of the Week on Monday, also leads the league in total blocks (28) and blocks per game (1.87).
The Cardinals return home to host Toledo at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
SPREAD OUT THE SCORING: Six Cardinals scored in double figures in Ball State's 91-69 triumph over Bowling Green on Saturday: Payton Sparks (19 points), Juanse Gorosito (16), Mickey Pearson Jr. (16), Jeremiah Hernandez (14), Jermahri Hill (12), and Ethan Brittain-Watts (10).
It was the first time the men's basketball team has placed six in double digits in the box score since Nov. 19, 2022 against IU-South Bend.
OFFENSIVE SHOWCASE: The Cardinals shot 58.9 percent (33-for-56) from the field in Saturday's 91-69 winning decision against Bowling Green.
The shooting percentage was Ball State's best since Nov. 24, 2023 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (61.1), while the total field goals made tied for the most in a game this season.
PAYTON POUNDING THE GLASS: Senior center Payton Sparks has recorded double figures rebounds in each of the last four games (16-12-16-13) to increase his season rebounding average to third in
the Mid-American Conference (7.1 per game).
The Winchester, Ind., native has now reached the 16-board mark in four career games.
70 IS A MAGIC NUMBER: The Cardinals have found success when scoring at least 70 points (7-2 record) and/or allowing fewer than 70 points (6-0) this season.
Ball State has put up at least 70 points in six straight games, which is the longest current stretch among MAC teams.
GETTING FAMILIAR WITH THE FREE THROW LINE: Junior guard Jermahri Hill (100) and Sparks (99) are first and second in the league in free throw attempts, respectively.
The duo also go 1-2 in the conference in free throws made, with 71 for Hill and 61 for Sparks, while forward Mickey Pearson Jr. (55) is fifth in the MAC.
LOCK IT DOWN: The Ball State defense ranks second in the MAC in scoring defense (70.8 points per game), field goal percentage defense (41.3) and 3-point defense (30.6 percent).
Ball State limited Kent State to 1-for-11 shooting from the field in the final four minutes of the Jan. 4 game to secure the road win.
HERNANDEZ HEATING UP: Graduate guard Jeremiah Hernandez has scored in double figures each of the last six games to increase his scoring average to 8.2 points per game on the season.
Hernandez tallied 14 on Saturday against Bowling Green and added five rebounds, four assists and three steals against the Falcons.
ONE-TWO PUNCH: Sparks and Hill have established a dynamic duo over the last few weeks, combining for 143 points, 78 rebounds and 20 assists in the most recent four games.
Hill led the Cardinals in scoring in three of those games while Sparks has been the leading rebounder in all four contests for Ball State.
DOMINANT DEFENSE: Ball State limited Evansville to 43 points and 29.1 percent shooting from the field on Dec. 21. Those were the lowest tallies the Cardinals had 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.
MILESTONE WATCH: After Sparks (currently 1,050 points) reached the milestone on New Year's Eve, Hernandez (949) and Pearson Jr. (887) are each closing in on scoring 1,000 points in his Division I career.
Sparks (639 rebounds) is currently No. 14 in Ball State program history for a career.
GETTING TO THE LINE: The Cardinals pace the Mid-American Conference in both free throw attempts per game (27.3) and free throws made per game (19.2) through the season's first 15 games.
Ball State ranks No. 4 and No. 7 in those categories in NCAA Division I, respectively. The total tallies (388 attempts and 270 makes) outpace the next-closest MAC team (Toledo) by 94 attempts
and 65 makes.
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.
Gorosito is fourth in the conference in 3-pointers made (43) and second in shooting percentage (43.9) from distance, which ranks No. 26 in NCAA Division I.
HOME STATE HEROES: Brittain-Watts (2019), Zane Doughty, Joey Hart and Mason 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.
Gorosito (Argentina), Ben 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 Ethan 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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