Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Troy University
WBB Hosting its Annual Think Pink Game Saturday Against Troy as Part of the MAC-SBC Challenge
February 06, 2026 | Women's Basketball
| Ball State vs. Troy | Think Pink | MAC-SBC Challenge | |
| Game 24 vs. Troy | Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026 |
| Gameday Info | Live Stats | ESPN+ | Listen | Tickets | Donate Play 4 Kay |
| Game Notes and Media Info | Ball State | Troy |
| Social Media | X (Twitter) | Instagram | Facebook |
It's #MACtion Time:
- The matchup Saturday against Troy is the sixth-ever game of the MAC-SBC Challenge and will also serve as Ball State's annual "Think Pink" game to support breast cancer. The Cardinals own a 4-1 record in the MAC-SBC Challenge. This is only the second meeting between the two programs; Ball State won the first ever matchup 86–71 on November 11, 2023.
-In the inaugural 2024–25 MAC-SBC Challenge, Sallee led Ball State to one of the eight wins that secured the first-round victory for the Mid-American Conference.
- Ball State is a formidable 8–2 at home this season, while Troy is a strong 8–3 in road games.
- Much like Ball State's Brady Sallee, Troy's head coach Chanda Rigby is equally successful and has won five conference regular-season titles and four tournament titles, including three Sun Belt Tournament championships (2016, 2017, 2021). Rigby has guided the Trojans to three NCAA Tournaments (2016, 2017, 2021) and n 2025, the team reached its furthest postseason run ever, finishing as the WNIT Runner-up.
- In the inaugural 2024–25 MAC-SBC Challenge, Sallee led Ball State to one of the eight wins that secured the first-round victory for the Mid-American Conference.
- The Cardinals typically carry on their success throughout the month of February in preparation for the Mid-American Conference Tournament. Under head coach Brady Sallee the Cardinals own a 62-39 (.604) record in February with his best season being in 2019-20 as Ball State posted a 7-1 ledger that year.
- The MAC-SBC Challenge is a basketball scheduling alliance between the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) designed to boost the non-conference strength of schedule and improve NCAA Tournament resumes.
International Success:
The Cardinals have had plenty of international success under 14th year head coach Brady Sallee. We all remember Nathalie Fontaine the 6-2 guard from Stockholm, Sweden became Ball State's all-time leading scorer with 2,166 points. The 2016 MAC Player of the Year and AP honorable mention averaged 21.0 points per game and 10.2 rebounds while making over 50 percent of her shots. After Fontaine was Carmen Grande a native from Madrid, Spain who held onto the all-time assists record with 697 until Ally Becki surpassed her last season with 721 and we also cannot forget Thelma Dis Agustsdottir from Keflavik, Iceland who holds the all-time 3-point record with 325 treys. Agustsdottir also competed at the Celsius 3-point championship at the NCAA Tournament.
Tessa Towers MAC Player of the Week:
Towers delivered a dominant week for Ball State, capped by a career-defining performance on national television. The highlight of the week came on February 1 at Kent State. In a 101-91 victory broadcast on CBS Sports Network, Towers exploded for a career-best 29 points and 11 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season. Earlier in the week, Towers was instrumental in a 76-70 road win at Central Michigan where she scored 15 points and pulled down seven rebounds against the Chippewas. For the week, Towers averaged 22.0 points per game, 9.0 rebounds while shooting 56 percent (18-32) from the field and 72 percent (8-11) from the charity stripe.
2026 MAC Tournament is Approaching:
The Cardinals recently dominated Northern Illinois 83–48 on February 4 to secure their 10th league win. With eight regular-season games remaining, seven are MAC contests that will determine their seeding for the upcoming MAC Tournament in Cleveland. The 2026 Mid-American Conference (MAC) basketball tournaments for both men and women will take place from March 11–14, 2026, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The setup for the 2026 tournaments follows the format established in 2021, where only the top eight teams from the regular season qualify. With the addition of UMass to the conference for the 2025–26 season, five teams will fail to qualify for the postseason in Cleveland.
Scouting Troy:
- The Troy Trojans come to Muncie with a 19-4 record in a marquee MAC-SBC Challenge matchup. Both teams enter the contest as high-performing mid-major programs sitting second in their respective conferences
(Sun Belt and MAC).
- Troy leads the nation with 16.3 offensive rebounds per game. They average 50.7 total rebounds per game compared to Ball State's 43.7.
- The Trojans average 83.9 points per game. They recently set a program record with 132 points against Oakwood.
- Zay Dyer is the focal point, averaging a double-double (15.8 pts, 12.9 reb over the last 10 games) and leading the Sun Belt in double-doubles.
- Emani Jenkins is the primary long range scorer, shooting 43.8% from deep and averaging 3.0 made 3-pointers per game. She recently broke the Troy single-game record with 10 made three-pointers.
