By: Ball State Athletics
| Ball State (0-1) at Michigan (2-0) | |
| Date | Wednesday, Dec. 2 |
| Time | 7:03 p.m. ET |
| Location | Crisler Center – Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| Television | Big Ten Network (Chris Vosters, Stephen Bardo) |
| Radio | Ball State Network 96.7 / 104.9 (Listen Live) |
| Tickets | NONE AVAILABLE |
| Game Notes | Ball State | Michigan |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Social Media | Twitter | Instagram |
It's often said a team makes it's biggest jump from its first game to its second game of any season. While an immediate burst would be welcomed, the Ball State men's basketball team knows this season is a marathon and steady progress is best.
"We just need to keep progressing," head coach James Whitford said. "Just control what we can control and keep getting better every day."
The team has averaged 19 wins per year and won its division three times over the last five years so the formula works.
With steady improvement, wins will surely come. Whitford thought his team was well-positioned to win its opener last week at Northern Kentucky, a 74-73 loss where the Cardinals led 68-62 with 5:44 left. The eighth-year coach thought the team "ran out of gas" and didn't handle late pressure well enough against an NKU team that had a lot of new faces but has been very successful in recent years.
"We did some good things on offense, but our defense is not where it needs to be," Whitford said. "But on offense we moved the ball around well and got the ball inside. Just down the stretch, we had some tough possessions at some critical times. But all in all, there were a lot of positives to take away."
But the team has reviewed its first-game mistakes and identified how to get better. Now comes a great test in a road game at Michigan, which is 2-0 and was ranked in the preseason AP poll before falling just outside of it. Michigan has defeated Bowling Green and Oakland this year, both in high-scoring affairs.
"They provide challenges. We can't let them get deep into the paint and kick it out," Whitford said about the Wolverines. "They play with great pace and we've got to do a great job. They have special players."
The Starting 5 - The Top 5 Storylines For This Game
1. K.J. WENT OFF IN THE OPENER
After being limited to just 10 games last season due to injury, K.J. Walton entered last week's season opener without having played a game in nearly 11 months. Apparently, he was well rested. The 6th-year senior guard dropped 28 points on 11-for-21 shooting at Northern Kentucky while also grabbing 11 rebounds. It was his career-high in scoring and his highest rebounding mark since he grabbed 13 in a game in 2017 while playing for Missouri.
2. OLDER, EXPERIENCED TEAM
The Cardinals remain an interesting blend of youth and experience. Last year, the Cards led the conference in minutes played by freshmen. Luke Bumbalough played more minutes in league play than any other freshman. Yet, this team has seven players who have been in college four or more years. The current roster has scored 3,905 cumulative points. Ball State returns 60.1 percent of its scoring from last year and 61.2 percent of its minutes played.
3. WHITFORD'S BEST DEFENSIVE TEAM LAST YEAR
Last year's 18-13 team was James Whitford's best defensive club at Ball State. BSU allowed just 62.5 points per game and allowed .401 field goal shooting, both seven-year bests under Whitford. The Cards also held opponents to .307 shooting from 3-point range, another best mark. The advanced metrics on KenPom bared this out as well, as BSU was 37th nationally in defensive efficiency, up from 72nd the previous year.
4. NOT PLAYING WITH A FULL DECK OF CARDS
Ball State has been bitten by the injury bug in the preseason. Notably, 2020 MAC Freshman of the Year Jarron Coleman is out after having foot surgery in October. Transfer Reggie Jones, who scored 723 career points at Western Michigan and Tulsa, is also out with a lower body injury. Additionally, many players have missed practice time for various reasons in a very disjointed offseason.
5. WEST RUNS THROUGH MUNCIE
In 2016, 2018 and 2020, the MAC West division has gone through Muncie. The Cardinals have won the division in each of those seasons. BSU went 11-7 in conference play last year and tied atop the division with Northern Illinois, but Ball State won both meetings over NIU to break the standings tie. Ball State won four of its last five games last year before the season was stopped short.
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