By: Ball State Athletics
| Ball State (4-3, 2-0) vs. Ohio (4-4, 0-2) | |
| Date | Saturday, Jan. 2 |
| Time | 3:05 pm ET |
| Location | Worthen Arena - Muncie |
| Television | CBS Sports Network (Dave Ryan, Mike O'Donnell) |
| Radio | Ball State Network 96.7 / 104.9 (Joel Godett, David Eha) (Listen) |
| Tickets | NONE AVAILABLE |
| Game Notes | Ball State | Ohio |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Social Media | Twitter | Instagram |
The real season starts now. For Ball State men's basketball, it's all conference play from now until the Big Dance in March. The Cardinals have gone 11 days since their last game, and head coach James Whitford feels his team is catching up from a slow fall and is now starting to find chemistry, rhythm and game-ready conditioning. In any year, when the calendar turns to a new year, the conference grind has arrived and it's a good time to evaluate a team's progress.
"We've been doing a good job playing together and sharing the ball," Whitford said of his team on offense. "As a result, we've done a nice job scoring. I like the way we are scoring the ball, and we're only going to get better."
Ball State turned in its best shooting effort of the season in a 76-68 win at Western Michigan. The Cardinals shot better than 50% for the first time this season and shot 9-for-20 from 3-point range. However, Whitford and the Cardinals have talked about playing better defensively. That will ultimately be how this team earns a good seed in March.
"Over the last 6-7 years, we've been one of the better defensive teams in the MAC. That's kind of who we are," Whitford said. "But we're not where we want to be there yet. For us to meet our goals, we need to be better defensively."
It begins Saturday at 3 p.m. for the Cardinals, who can capture a 3-0 MAC start for the first time in 10 years. The Cardinals then host Western Michigan - the same team they beat on the road two weeks ago - Tuesday at Worthen Arena.
The Starting 5 - The Top 5 Storylines For This Game
1. THE REAL SEASON BEGINS NOW
The heart of college basketball season begins when the calendar changes, and Ball State is at the top of the standings as the league schedule begins in earnest. The Cardinals enter January with a 2-0 MAC record, and both wins came on the road. BSU is the only team at 2-0 with two road wins. Saturday's game is the team's conference home opener. Ball State went 8-1 in the league at home last season en route to an 11-7 mark and a MAC West division title.
2. AMONG THE TOP SCORING DUOS IN THE LEAGUE
Saturday's game features two of the top scoring duos in the conference, featuring BSU's K.J. Walton and Ishmael El-Amin and Ohio's Jason Preston and Dwight Wilson. The backcourt of Walton and El-Amin combine for 34.8 points per game, good for second in the MAC. OU's Preston and Wilson average 34.4 points per game is fourth in the league. Look in the notes to see the top scoring duos in the MAC.
3. CARDS AND CATS - THE SERIES
Ball State and Ohio have played each other since 1969 and OU leads the all-time series 48-35. Ohio had controlled the series this century, winning eight straight from 2010-17 before Ball State won at Ohio in 2018, and BSU has won two of the last three. The Cards won last year's meeting 65-54 behind 24 points from Tahjai Teague. Ball State held Ohio to .356 shooting and 5-for-28 from 3-point range. The Cardinals made 14 of their 15 foul shots in the win.
4. NEW YEAR, AND CONFERENCE HOME OPENERS
As the calendar flips and league play starts, Ball State has a recent track record of starting on the right track. BSU is 4-1 the last five years in the first game of the new year. BSU won its new year debut in 2016, 2018, 19 and 20. Similarly, Saturday being Ball State's home conference opener, the Cardinals have won three of the last five of those. Having a 2-0 start on the road and the next two games at home can potentially set up Ball State for an early advantage in the conference race.
5. NOT PLAYING WITH A FULL DECK OF CARDS
The deck of cards for Ball State is getting closer to being full after BSU was bitten by the injury bug in the preseason. Notably, 2020 MAC Freshman of the Year Jarron Coleman is still out after having foot surgery in October, but is making progress and may return in the upcoming weeks. 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.
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January 02, 2021 at 04:05AM
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Opportunity For 3-0 Start Comes Saturday Afternoon - Ball State University Athletics - BallStateSports.com
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