Saturday, January 25
DeKalb, Ill.
4:30 PM ET / 3:30 PM CT
Ball State University
at
Northern Illinois
Photo by: Mya Cataline, Ball State Athletics
Men's Basketball Going to Northern Illinois for Saturday Afternoon MAC Matchup
January 24, 2025 | Men's Basketball
The Ball State men's basketball team looks for its second straight road win when it plays at Northern Illinois at 4:30 p.m. ET (3:30 CT) on Saturday afternoon.
The contest will be streamed on ESPN+, while Mick Tidrow and David Eha handle the radio broadcast on WMUN 1340AM – 92.5FM.
Ball State leads the head-to-head series 63-40, but the Huskies hold a one-game edge (25-24) in games played at their place. The Cardinals took both games against NIU last season, first claiming an 81-71 home win on Jan. 27 before taking a 70-63 decision on Feb. 20 in DeKalb. Ball State has won the last four games and 9 of the last 10 in the series.
The Cardinals (9-9, 3-3 Mid-American Conference) won 82-80 at Central Michigan on Tuesday night in a comeback victory. Jeremiah Hernandez (15 points) sunk a trio of free throws in the closing seconds to give Ball State its second MAC road win in three tries.
Northern Illinois (4-14, 0-6 MAC) is still looking for its first conference victory of the year but has been within five points in three of those games including the last two (72-70 at Western Michigan on Tuesday and 71-66 to Central Michigan last Saturday). The Huskies went 11-20 (5-13 MAC) last season in head coach Rashon Burno's third leading the program.
Northern creates pressure on the defensive end averaging the second-most blocks (3.8) and turnovers forced (14.3) per game in the conference. The Huskies are third in the MAC in turnover margin (+2.8) and 3-pointers made per game (9.1).
Sophomore guard Quentin Jones is third in the league with 15.9 points per game while ranking sixth in blocks per game (1.0) and ninth in assists per game (3.4).
Ball State hosts Western Michigan at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in its only home game of a five-game stretch.
HERNANDEZ HEROICS: Jeremiah Hernandez hit three free throws with 4.2 seconds left at Central Michigan after getting fouled shooting a 3-pointer from the left wing with the score tied at 79-79.
The graduate guard finished the game with 15 points and two rebounds in Ball State's triumph.
COMEBACK CARDS: Ball State rallied from a 50-37 deficit with 16 minutes to play for an 82-80 win at Central Michigan on Tuesday night.
A 31-9 scoring stretch in a little over 10 minutes in the middle of the half propelled the Cardinals to a 68-59 edge with 5:38 to play. The 13-point comeback win was Ball State's first of the year of at least 10 points.
CLUTCH ON THE ROAD: Mickey Pearson Jr. averages 13.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in seven true road games this year, which are higher than his overall averages of 11.7 and 5.6 per game.
The forward put up a team-best 16 points in Ball State's win at CMU on Tuesday night. Pearson also went for a career-high 25 points last February at McGuirk Arena to average 20.5 points per games the last two seasons at CMU.
ROAD SWING: Ball State plays in a different state in each of a five-game stretch that features four road contests.
After playing at Central Michigan on Tuesday, the Cardinals play at Northern Illinois on Saturday, host Western Michigan at home in Indiana on Tuesday, then play at Buffalo in New York on Feb. 1 and Akron in Ohio on Feb. 4.
SPREAD OUT THE SCORING: Six Cardinals scored in double figures in Ball State's 82-80 triumph at Central Michigan on Tuesday: Mickey Pearson Jr. (16 points), Jeremiah Hernandez (15), Jermahri Hill (14), Payton Sparks (14), Ethan Brittain-Watts (13), and Juanse Gorosito (10).
It was the second time in four games six Cardinals have scored in double figures (Jan. 11 vs Bowling Green). Ball State had five in double digits in the scoring column on Jan. 18 against Toledo.
OFFENSIVE SHOWCASE: The Cardinals shot 54.0 percent (27-for-50) from the field on Tuesday at CMU to finish north of 50 percent on field goals for the second straight game and sixth of the last nine overall.
Ball State's 50.8 percent shooting in MAC play is second in the league (Miami at 51.2 percent). Overall, the Cardinals rank third in the conference shooting 46.5 percent from the field this season.
PAYTON POUNDING THE GLASS: Senior center Payton Sparks had recorded double figures rebounds in five consecutive games (16-12-16-13-12) before recording nine last Saturday and eight on Tuesday to increase his season rebounding average to second in the Mid-American Conference (7.6 per game).
The Winchester, Ind., native leads the league in rebounding in conference games with an average of 11.7 per contest, which is three boards per game clear of the second-best average.
70 IS A MAGIC NUMBER: The Cardinals have found success when scoring at least 70 points (8-4 record) and/or allowing fewer than 70 points (6-0) this season.
Ball State has put up at least 70 points in nine straight games, which is the longest current stretch among MAC teams.
GETTING FAMILIAR WITH THE FREE THROW LINE: Junior guard Jermahri Hill (127) and Sparks (111) are first and second in the league in free throw attempts, respectively.
The two are No. 1 and No. 4 in the conference in free throws made, with 88 for Hill and 67 for Sparks, while Pearson Jr. (65) is fifth in the MAC.
ONE-TWO PUNCH: Sparks and Hill have established a dynamic duo over the last few weeks, combining for 250 points, 118 rebounds and 42 assists in the most recent seven games.
Hill led the Cardinals in scoring in three of those games while Sparks has been the leading rebounder in all seven contests for Ball State.
MILESTONE WATCH: After Sparks (currently 1,092 points) reached the milestone on New Year's Eve, Jeremiah Hernandez (974) and Pearson Jr. (934) are each closing in on scoring 1,000 points in his Division I career.
Sparks (668 rebounds) is currently No. 13 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 (26.4) and free throws made per game (18.5) through the season's first 17 games.
Ball State ranks No. 7 and No. 10 in those categories in NCAA Division I, respectively. The total tallies (450 attempts and 314 makes) outpace the next-closest MAC team (Toledo) by 93 attempts and 54 makes.
GORO-THREE-TO: Junior guard Juanse Gorosito had made multiple 3-pointers in 13 games this season, including a season-best seven on Dec. 14 at Bellarmine to lead the Cardinals to an 86-82 win and eventually being named the MAC Player of the Week for the performance.
Gorosito is third in the conference in 3-pointers made (48) and first in shooting percentage (44.0) from distance, which ranks No. 20 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.
Ball State leads the head-to-head series 63-40, but the Huskies hold a one-game edge (25-24) in games played at their place. The Cardinals took both games against NIU last season, first claiming an 81-71 home win on Jan. 27 before taking a 70-63 decision on Feb. 20 in DeKalb. Ball State has won the last four games and 9 of the last 10 in the series.
The Cardinals (9-9, 3-3 Mid-American Conference) won 82-80 at Central Michigan on Tuesday night in a comeback victory. Jeremiah Hernandez (15 points) sunk a trio of free throws in the closing seconds to give Ball State its second MAC road win in three tries.
Northern Illinois (4-14, 0-6 MAC) is still looking for its first conference victory of the year but has been within five points in three of those games including the last two (72-70 at Western Michigan on Tuesday and 71-66 to Central Michigan last Saturday). The Huskies went 11-20 (5-13 MAC) last season in head coach Rashon Burno's third leading the program.
Northern creates pressure on the defensive end averaging the second-most blocks (3.8) and turnovers forced (14.3) per game in the conference. The Huskies are third in the MAC in turnover margin (+2.8) and 3-pointers made per game (9.1).
Sophomore guard Quentin Jones is third in the league with 15.9 points per game while ranking sixth in blocks per game (1.0) and ninth in assists per game (3.4).
Ball State hosts Western Michigan at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in its only home game of a five-game stretch.
HERNANDEZ HEROICS: Jeremiah Hernandez hit three free throws with 4.2 seconds left at Central Michigan after getting fouled shooting a 3-pointer from the left wing with the score tied at 79-79.
The graduate guard finished the game with 15 points and two rebounds in Ball State's triumph.
COMEBACK CARDS: Ball State rallied from a 50-37 deficit with 16 minutes to play for an 82-80 win at Central Michigan on Tuesday night.
A 31-9 scoring stretch in a little over 10 minutes in the middle of the half propelled the Cardinals to a 68-59 edge with 5:38 to play. The 13-point comeback win was Ball State's first of the year of at least 10 points.
CLUTCH ON THE ROAD: Mickey Pearson Jr. averages 13.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in seven true road games this year, which are higher than his overall averages of 11.7 and 5.6 per game.
The forward put up a team-best 16 points in Ball State's win at CMU on Tuesday night. Pearson also went for a career-high 25 points last February at McGuirk Arena to average 20.5 points per games the last two seasons at CMU.
ROAD SWING: Ball State plays in a different state in each of a five-game stretch that features four road contests.
After playing at Central Michigan on Tuesday, the Cardinals play at Northern Illinois on Saturday, host Western Michigan at home in Indiana on Tuesday, then play at Buffalo in New York on Feb. 1 and Akron in Ohio on Feb. 4.
SPREAD OUT THE SCORING: Six Cardinals scored in double figures in Ball State's 82-80 triumph at Central Michigan on Tuesday: Mickey Pearson Jr. (16 points), Jeremiah Hernandez (15), Jermahri Hill (14), Payton Sparks (14), Ethan Brittain-Watts (13), and Juanse Gorosito (10).
It was the second time in four games six Cardinals have scored in double figures (Jan. 11 vs Bowling Green). Ball State had five in double digits in the scoring column on Jan. 18 against Toledo.
OFFENSIVE SHOWCASE: The Cardinals shot 54.0 percent (27-for-50) from the field on Tuesday at CMU to finish north of 50 percent on field goals for the second straight game and sixth of the last nine overall.
Ball State's 50.8 percent shooting in MAC play is second in the league (Miami at 51.2 percent). Overall, the Cardinals rank third in the conference shooting 46.5 percent from the field this season.
PAYTON POUNDING THE GLASS: Senior center Payton Sparks had recorded double figures rebounds in five consecutive games (16-12-16-13-12) before recording nine last Saturday and eight on Tuesday to increase his season rebounding average to second in the Mid-American Conference (7.6 per game).
The Winchester, Ind., native leads the league in rebounding in conference games with an average of 11.7 per contest, which is three boards per game clear of the second-best average.
70 IS A MAGIC NUMBER: The Cardinals have found success when scoring at least 70 points (8-4 record) and/or allowing fewer than 70 points (6-0) this season.
Ball State has put up at least 70 points in nine straight games, which is the longest current stretch among MAC teams.
GETTING FAMILIAR WITH THE FREE THROW LINE: Junior guard Jermahri Hill (127) and Sparks (111) are first and second in the league in free throw attempts, respectively.
The two are No. 1 and No. 4 in the conference in free throws made, with 88 for Hill and 67 for Sparks, while Pearson Jr. (65) is fifth in the MAC.
ONE-TWO PUNCH: Sparks and Hill have established a dynamic duo over the last few weeks, combining for 250 points, 118 rebounds and 42 assists in the most recent seven games.
Hill led the Cardinals in scoring in three of those games while Sparks has been the leading rebounder in all seven contests for Ball State.
MILESTONE WATCH: After Sparks (currently 1,092 points) reached the milestone on New Year's Eve, Jeremiah Hernandez (974) and Pearson Jr. (934) are each closing in on scoring 1,000 points in his Division I career.
Sparks (668 rebounds) is currently No. 13 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 (26.4) and free throws made per game (18.5) through the season's first 17 games.
Ball State ranks No. 7 and No. 10 in those categories in NCAA Division I, respectively. The total tallies (450 attempts and 314 makes) outpace the next-closest MAC team (Toledo) by 93 attempts and 54 makes.
GORO-THREE-TO: Junior guard Juanse Gorosito had made multiple 3-pointers in 13 games this season, including a season-best seven on Dec. 14 at Bellarmine to lead the Cardinals to an 86-82 win and eventually being named the MAC Player of the Week for the performance.
Gorosito is third in the conference in 3-pointers made (48) and first in shooting percentage (44.0) from distance, which ranks No. 20 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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