Men's Basketball Heading to Evansville for Wednesday Night In-State Matchup

Wednesday, December 3

Evansville, Ind.

8 PM ET / 7 PM CT

Ball State University

Evansville

Photo by: Sam Findley/Ball State Athletics

Men's Basketball Heading to Evansville for Wednesday Night In-State Matchup

December 02, 2025 | Men's Basketball

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The Ball State men's basketball team wraps up its five-game stretch away from Worthen Arena with an in-state battle at Evansville on Wednesday night.

The game at the Ford Center is set to start at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT) and will be streamed on ESPN+. Mick Tidrow and Scot Bunnell handle the radio call on WMUN 92.5 FM / 1340 AM and on the WMUN app. Links to the ESPN+ and radio broadcasts and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page.

Ball State (3-5) is coming off a 96-85 win over Le Moyne on Sunday afternoon in its final game of the Lafayette Classic. Guards Juwan Maxey (27 points) and Davion Hill (24) led a group of five Cardinals that scored in double figures including Preston Copeland who had a 10-point, 16-rebound double-double.

Evansville (3-5) last played on Nov. 24 at the Paradise Jam against the College of Charleston and lost 78-59. The Purple Aces topped Oregon State 73-69 to begin the invitational but fell 97-59 to Akron in the second game.

David Ragland is in his fourth season as the Evansville head coach. The Aces went 11-21 (8-12 Missouri Valley Conference) to finish in a tie for eighth in the 12-team MVC.

Evansville ranks fourth in the Valley in bench points per game (27.0), ninth in scoring defense (73.0 points per game) and 11^th in scoring offense (69.8 points per game).

Senior forward Connor Turnbull averages a team-best 11.7 points a game and is second in the MVC in total blocks (12) and blocks per game (1.71). Senior forward AJ Casey leads the Aces in rebounding (5.4 per game) while ranking fifth in the league in free throw percentage (84.6).

Ball State next returns home to host South Dakota State at 7 p.m., on Tuesday, Dec. 9 in the first home game for the Cardinals in more than three weeks.

BIG GAME FROM MAXEY: Senior guard Juwan Maxey went 7-for-14 on 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 27 points in Ball State's 96-85 win over Le Moyne on Sunday afternoon at the Lafayette Classic.

The Detroit native had the 16th game by a Ball State men's basketball player with at least seven triples. Maxey also added five assists in the contest.

COPELAND CAN REALLY REBOUND: Freshman Preston Copeland grabbed 16 rebounds on Sunday against Le Moyne to go along with 10 points for his first collegiate double-double.

The forward became only the second freshman at Ball State since at least the 2009-10 season to record 15+ rebounds in a game (Payton Sparks with 16 on Jan. 14, 2022 vs Buffalo).

PUTTING UP THE POINTS: The 96 points the Cardinals scored on Sunday were the most in a single game since the 2023-24 season opener against Goshen (101).

The offensive output was the highest for Ball State against an NCAA Division I opponent since a 97-75 victory over Indiana State on Nov. 27, 2021.

A LOOK BACK: The Dec. 21, 2024 game between the Cardinals and Purple Aces was one of Ball State's best defensive performances of last season.

The Cardinals limited a Division I opponent to less than 30 percent shooting from the field for the first time in more than five years in the 80-43 decision at Worthen Arena.

BALANCED BOX SCORES: Ball State has five players averaging between 8 and 14 points per game: Davion Hill (13.1), Armoni Zeigler (10.8), Maxey (9.1), Elmore James IV (8.4) and Devon Barnes (8.0).

Four Cardinals are between 4 and 6 rebounds per contest: Hill (5.1), Copeland (4.7), Zeigler (4.6) and Cam Denson (4.3).

CARDINALS CLAMPING DOWN ON DEFENSE: Ball State is second in the Mid-American Conference in fewest fouls committed per game (15.1, No. 30 in NCAA Division I), while ranking fourth in scoring defense (70.3 points per game) and fifth in blocks per game (3.4) through the season's first eight contests.

Graduate forward Cam Denson leads the MAC in blocks per game (2.0) and total blocks (14). Mason Jones is fouth in steals per game (2.0) and total steals (16).

CAREER HIGHS FOR JONES: Junior forward Mason Jones set career bests in 3-pointers made (three) and steals (four) on Nov. 11 at Wisconsin.

The Valparaiso, Ind., native tallied three of those steals in the first half and went 3-for-3 from distance in the second period. Jones followed that up with another four-steal performance on Nov. 22 at Indiana State.

DYNAMIC DUO: Guards Davion Hill and Armoni Zeigler traded off leading the team in points and rebounds in the first two games of the season, with the other pacing the Cardinals in assists.

Hill went for 16 points, eight boards and four assists in the Nov. 3 season-opening win over Louisiana, while Zeigler chipped in 13 points, three rebounds and a team-best five assists. Zeigler tallied 20 points, nine rebounds and five steals on Nov. 7 against Mansfield as Hill had 16 points, six rebounds and four helpers.

FINISHING STRONG: Ball State controlled the closing minutes in the 75-64 win over the Ragin' Cajuns and 84-54 decision vs the Mountaineers.

The Cardinals scored the final 12 points of the game and 36 of the last 44 overall against Mansfield on Nov. 7. Ball State used an 11-2 run with under five minutes on the clock vs Louisiana the previous Monday to create separation in the season opener.

SUCCESS VS SUN BELT: The Nov. 3 win over Louisiana in the season opener was Ball State's third in as many tries in home games of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge.

Ball State topped Old Dominion 73-68 on Nov. 11, 2023 and Southern Miss 77-76 on Feb. 8, 2025 in the two previous installments of the challenge at Worthen Arena.

TV GAME AT WORTHEN ARENA: The game against Ohio originally scheduled for Jan. 17 in Muncie has been moved to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 16 due to it being aired on CBS Sports Network.

Ball State's most recent home MAC game on a Friday was back on March 3, 2023 against Toledo in a game that was also broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

WELCOME TO THE MAC: Ball State plays league newcomer UMass twice in the regular season in the first season in the league for the Minutemen.

The Cardinals play at UMass on Jan. 10 before hosting the Minutemen on Tuesday, Feb. 24. The two teams have faced off only once prior, in an 89-86 Ball State win on Nov. 21, 2021 in St. Petersburg, Fla.