Ball State preview

We're into the second half of the MAC season, and that means the games start to add some meaning, if you have the privilege to be playing for something in the standings.  The Falcons are in place for a home berth in the MAC.  It won't be easy, but it is there to be had if they can continue to play well.  They are coming off their best game of the season and are on a modest two-game winning streak.  Next up is Ball State, a team they are in contention with in the middle of the standings and therefore a huge game if you can pick it up on the road.

Ball State probably had the best non-conference season in the MAC.  They were 9-4 entering MAC play, with a win over Notre Dame and a 112 kenpom ranking.  Since then, it has been a rough ride for them.  They indefinitely suspended Jontrell Walker after a domestic abuse charge and then removed Jeremie Tyler, who had been suspended multiple times.  This is on top of Zach Hollywood's off-season suicide).

The first sign of trouble came when they lost by 20 in Muncie to Buffalo.   They were 4-4 in MAC play and they won at Savage (we saw how BG did) and then turned around and lost by 17 in Ypsilanti.  They are 5-5 in MAC play and have to be a little disappointed with that result.  They have only played 4 home games so far and they are 3-1 on their floor, with the only loss being that loss to Buffalo.

They have absolutely struggled to make basics in MAC play, and that extends beyond just the 41 point game in Ypsi.  They are 11th in the MAC in offensive efficiency at .98 points per possession but 4th in defense at 1.03 ppp.  BG has been playing better defense and their best shot is to keep the Cardinals from getting hot.  As Coach mentioned post-game, if BG gets stops the offense gets much better.

Ball State does nothing well on offense, really.  They are 10th in shooting, 11th in turnovers, 8th in offensive rebounding and 11th in getting to the free throw line.  As you can see, these numbers are pretty even with BG's defensively challenged unit over the course of the MAC season.  They are 11th in 3FG%, 8th in 2FG% and 9th in FT%.  Let's hope this is OU and not NIU.

Flipping it around, we see that they rely on getting stops.  These numbers are all pretty evenly matched, with one exception and that is at the FT line.  BSU is #3 in the MAC at keeping their opponents off the line.  As mentioned, this was a big part of BG's offense earlier and it would be a huge help to start getting to the line again.

Their leader is Tayler Persons, who was all-MAC last year after transferring from NKU.  He's scoring 13.9 on 42% and 33% shooting.  He's fifth in the MAC in assists and 10th in A/T ratio.

Trey Moses is scoring 13.8 PPG on 54% shooting and adding 9.6 RPG.  He's a 6'9" Jr who was all-MAC defensive last year.

Tajhal Teague is their other double-figure scorer at 10.4 PPG, shooting 42% and 9% and adding 6.9 RPG.  He is a 6'8" So.

Alert:  FRANKO HOUSE NO LONGER PLAYS FOR BALL STATE.

So, this will be an interesting one.  MAC home teams have won 63% of their games, which is #12 in the nation, by conference.  Coach Huger has only won 3 MAC games in a row once, and that would be a great record to meet with a road win against team that is very up and down.