Tuesday, January 28
Muncie, Ind.
7 PM
Ball State University
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Western Michigan
Photo by: Sam Findley/Ball State Athletics
Cardinals Return Home to Play Western Michigan on Tuesday Night
January 27, 2025 | Men's Basketball
The Ball State men's basketball team returns home for its only contest at Worthen Arena in a five-game stretch when the Cardinals host Western Michigan at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
The matchup will be streamed on ESPN+ with Griffin Leonard and AJ Swiatek on the call, while Mick Tidrow and David Eha handle the radio broadcast on WMUN 1340AM – 92.5FM.
Ball State leads the head-to-head series 72-69, including a 42-23 advantage in Muncie. The road team won both matchups between these teams last season, as the Cardinals claimed a 77-67 decision on Feb. 3 in Kalamazoo before the Broncos won 78-76 in overtime on March 2 in Muncie.
The Cardinals (9-10, 3-4 Mid-American Conference) got 16 points and five assists from Ethan Brittain-Watts but fell 76-66 at Northern Illinois on Saturday afternoon.
Western Michigan (5-14, 2-5 MAC) fell 73-52 at Central Michigan on Saturday three days after Ball State got an 82-80 win there. The Broncos and Cardinals have already played eight common opponents including identical 77-69 final scores in setbacks at Dayton during the nonconference season. Both teams have played Toledo, Bowling Green, Miami (OH), Kent State, NIU and CMU in conference play so far.
Dwayne Stephens is in his third season leading the Broncos, who were picked to tenth by the league's head coaches in the MAC preseason poll. Western leads the league in rebounding margin (+4.7) and offensive rebounds per game (13.4, No. 29 in NCAA Division I).
Senior forward Owen Lobsinger is second in the conference in rebounds per game (7.5) while scoring 10.4 points per game. Junior guard Chansey Willis Jr. leads the team in scoring (15.5 points per game) after making his season debut on Dec. 13.
Up next for Ball State is a 5 p.m. game on Saturday at Buffalo.
LAST TIME OVERTIME: The last game between Ball State and Western Michigan was the third overtime game of the 2023-24 season for the Cardinals.
Ball State has yet to play an overtime contest this season.
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 last 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 13.3 points and 6.5 rebounds in eight true road games this year, which are higher than his overall averages of 11.6 and 5.7 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 last Tuesday and Northern Illinois on Saturday, the Cardinals 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 and Saturday at NIU.
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 recorded double figures rebounds on New Year's Even and in the first four games of 2025 (16-12-16-13-12) and has increased his season rebounding average to third in the Mid-American Conference (7.3 per game).
The Winchester, Ind., native leads the league in rebounding in conference games with an average of 10.4 per contest.
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 put up at least 70 points in nine straight games before Saturday, which was the longest active stretch among MAC teams.
GETTING FAMILIAR WITH THE FREE THROW LINE: Junior guard Jermahri Hill (137) and Sparks (121) 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 91 for Hill and 72 for Sparks, while Pearson Jr. (67) is sixth in the MAC.
MILESTONE WATCH: After Sparks (currently 1,103 points) reached the milestone on New Year's Eve, Hernandez (976) and Pearson Jr. (944) are each closing in on scoring 1,000 points in his Division I career.
Sparks (671 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 (26.5) and free throws made per game (18.2) through the season's first 19 games.
Ball State ranks No. 8 and No. 10 in those categories in NCAA Division I, respectively. The total tallies (503 attempts and 346 makes) outpace the next-closest MAC team (Toledo) by 104 attempts and 53 makes.
GORO-THREE-TO: Junior guard Juanse Gorosito had made multiple 3-pointers in 14 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 (52) and second in shooting percentage (43.7) from distance, which ranks No. 19 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 matchup will be streamed on ESPN+ with Griffin Leonard and AJ Swiatek on the call, while Mick Tidrow and David Eha handle the radio broadcast on WMUN 1340AM – 92.5FM.
Ball State leads the head-to-head series 72-69, including a 42-23 advantage in Muncie. The road team won both matchups between these teams last season, as the Cardinals claimed a 77-67 decision on Feb. 3 in Kalamazoo before the Broncos won 78-76 in overtime on March 2 in Muncie.
The Cardinals (9-10, 3-4 Mid-American Conference) got 16 points and five assists from Ethan Brittain-Watts but fell 76-66 at Northern Illinois on Saturday afternoon.
Western Michigan (5-14, 2-5 MAC) fell 73-52 at Central Michigan on Saturday three days after Ball State got an 82-80 win there. The Broncos and Cardinals have already played eight common opponents including identical 77-69 final scores in setbacks at Dayton during the nonconference season. Both teams have played Toledo, Bowling Green, Miami (OH), Kent State, NIU and CMU in conference play so far.
Dwayne Stephens is in his third season leading the Broncos, who were picked to tenth by the league's head coaches in the MAC preseason poll. Western leads the league in rebounding margin (+4.7) and offensive rebounds per game (13.4, No. 29 in NCAA Division I).
Senior forward Owen Lobsinger is second in the conference in rebounds per game (7.5) while scoring 10.4 points per game. Junior guard Chansey Willis Jr. leads the team in scoring (15.5 points per game) after making his season debut on Dec. 13.
Up next for Ball State is a 5 p.m. game on Saturday at Buffalo.
LAST TIME OVERTIME: The last game between Ball State and Western Michigan was the third overtime game of the 2023-24 season for the Cardinals.
Ball State has yet to play an overtime contest this season.
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 last 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 13.3 points and 6.5 rebounds in eight true road games this year, which are higher than his overall averages of 11.6 and 5.7 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 last Tuesday and Northern Illinois on Saturday, the Cardinals 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 and Saturday at NIU.
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 recorded double figures rebounds on New Year's Even and in the first four games of 2025 (16-12-16-13-12) and has increased his season rebounding average to third in the Mid-American Conference (7.3 per game).
The Winchester, Ind., native leads the league in rebounding in conference games with an average of 10.4 per contest.
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 put up at least 70 points in nine straight games before Saturday, which was the longest active stretch among MAC teams.
GETTING FAMILIAR WITH THE FREE THROW LINE: Junior guard Jermahri Hill (137) and Sparks (121) 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 91 for Hill and 72 for Sparks, while Pearson Jr. (67) is sixth in the MAC.
MILESTONE WATCH: After Sparks (currently 1,103 points) reached the milestone on New Year's Eve, Hernandez (976) and Pearson Jr. (944) are each closing in on scoring 1,000 points in his Division I career.
Sparks (671 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 (26.5) and free throws made per game (18.2) through the season's first 19 games.
Ball State ranks No. 8 and No. 10 in those categories in NCAA Division I, respectively. The total tallies (503 attempts and 346 makes) outpace the next-closest MAC team (Toledo) by 104 attempts and 53 makes.
GORO-THREE-TO: Junior guard Juanse Gorosito had made multiple 3-pointers in 14 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 (52) and second in shooting percentage (43.7) from distance, which ranks No. 19 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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