Ball State University
University of Mississippi
Women's Basketball to Face Ole Miss in First Round of NCAA Tournament Friday in Waco
March 18, 2025 | Women's Basketball
| No. 12 seed Ball State Women's Basketball vs. No. 5 seed Ole Miss (2025 NCAA Tournament First & Second Rounds) | |
| Game 35 vs. No. 5 Ole Miss | Friday, March 21 at 6 pm ET | 5 pm CT Live Stats | ESPNU | Listen |
| Gameday Info | Purchase Gear | NCAA Tournament Central Page (Baylor) | MAC Regular Season Championship Gear |
| Game Notes and Media Info | Ball State | Ole Miss | Baylor | GCU | Media Info |
| Social Media | X (Twitter) | Instagram | Facebook |
Opening Tip:
- The 2025 Mid-American Conference Tournament champion Cardinals (26-7) received a No. 12 seed in the Spokane 1 Regional and will play in the NCAA First & Second Rounds in Waco, Texas. No. 14/15 - ranked Baylor, the No. 4 seed will serve as the host for games on Friday, March 21, and Sunday, March, 23, at Foster Pavilion.
- Ball State will face No. 5 Ole Miss (20-10) who enters the tournament with a national ranking of 23/25 in the first round on Friday at 6 pm ET on ESPNU. This will mark the first-ever meeting between these programs.
- The Cardinals, who are 1-1 all-time in NCAA play, were the first-ever school to pull off a first round NCAA Tournament upset over the then fifth-seeded Tennessee Lady Vols back in 2009. Ball State won that game in Bowling Green, Ky., on the campus of Western Kentucky on March 22 by a score of 71-55. Ball State would then fall in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to fourth-seeded Iowa State by a 71-57 decision on March 24, 2009.
- Led by Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament Most Valuable Player Ally Becki, the Cardinals captured their second MAC tournament championship in program history, defeating the Toledo Rockets in the title game last Saturday, 65-58, following victories over Western Michigan in the quarterfinals and Kent State in the semifinals.
- Ball State will be making its 12th postseason tournament appearance under the Cardinals' 13th-year head coach Brady Sallee. This is Sallee's first trip to the NCAA Tournament as a head coach. The Cardinals went 16-2 in MAC play, tying the program record for most league wins for the second-straight season. The 20-win season also marks the eighth time within the last 10 campaigns Sallee has reached the 20-win plateau.
About Waco, Texas:
Waco is a city in central Texas. By the Brazos River, Cameron Park Zoo is home to lions, otters and meerkats. The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum traces the history of the state law enforcement agency and displays vintage badges and weapons. The Dr Pepper Museum pays homage to the famed, locally invented soft drink. The Waco Mammoth National Monument is a fossil site home to the bones of Columbian mammoths. Dr. Pepper is Ball State head coach Brady Sallee's favorite.
Ball State vs. NCAA Bracket Teams:
Ball State played four games vs. teams in the 2025 NCAA Tournament field, including North Carolina (L, 63-52), Columbia (L, 69-62), South Dakota State (L, 63-55) and Ohio State (L, 80-48).
Mitchell Was Once the PA Voice For Ole Miss WBB:
Ball State director of athletics Jeff MItchell earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Mississippi School of Law in December of 2005. While at Ole Miss, Mitchell served as a graduate assistant in the external relations unit and worked with the Ole Miss football and men's basketball programs. He also was the PA announcer for the Ole Miss women's basketball team.
Becki MAC Tourney MVP | Richard MAC Tourney Team:
Ally Becki earned the 2025 Mid-American Conference Tournament MVP while Alex Richard was tabbed to the All-MAC Tournament squad. In three games, Becki averaged 13.7 points per game, dished out 6.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 6.3 rebounds while Richard averaged 18.7 points per game, 6.3 rebouns and 1.0 blocks.
Baylor head women's basketball coach Nicki Collen used to be a Ball State Cardinal. Collen was an assistant coach for the Cardinals in 2003 under former Ball State head coach Tracy Roller.
Our Bread and Butter:
The Cardinals have had one of its best year ever scoring in the paint. In 34 games Ball State has totaled 1,206 points in the paint while their opponent has only scored 872 points. Ball State is averaging 35.47 points in the paint per game while their opponents only average 25.65.
400 was Magical for Sallee:
It worked out that Ball State head coach Brady Sallee's 400th career victory as a DI head coach came in the MAC title game against Toledo last Saturday. The winningest coach in Ball State women's basketball program history, owns an overall record of 264 with the Cardinals. Prior to Ball State, Sallee coached at Eastern Illinois for eight seasons finishing his career there with 136 career victories.
