Cardinals Ready for Nationally Televised Showdown with the Eagles
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men’s basketball team returns to the friendly confines of Worthen Arena for a Friday night showdown with Eastern Michigan on CBS Sports Network. The Cardinals and Eagles are scheduled for 6:30 pm Friday is a “Red Out” game, fans are encouraged to wear red. The game is presented by Community Hospital Anderson.
BSU students, be among the first 500 in The Nest and receive a free hot dog, a slice of pizza, a fountain drink, or a beer. Arrive early, cheer loudly, and enjoy responsibly.
Last Time Out
The Cardinals are coming off a 69-60 victory on the road against the BGSU Falcons. Jarron Coleman finished with a game-high 19 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Jaylin Sellers tallied 11 points with two rebounds and one block. Payton Sparks finished with a game-high 10 boards along with five points, one assist, and one steal. Demarius Jacobs led the team with three assists, and added eight points, five rebounds, two steals, and one block.
Boogie on Down
Coleman is averaging a team-high 15.2 points per game. He leads the team with 53 made 3-pointers and is shooting 38.1 percent from behind the arc. He leads the team with 75 assists and in steals with 34. Coleman has added nine blocks. He has compiled five games of 20 or more points, including two of the last three games. Earlier this season, Coleman recorded his 1,000th career point.
Sensational Sellers
Jaylin Sellers is second on the team with 13.0 points per game. He is shooting 47.8 percent from 3-point range, which leads the team. He is averaging 3.9 rebounds per game. He has produced a field-goal percentage of 48.9 on the season. Sellers has collected 17 assists, 16 steals and 11 blocks. He has notched four games with 20 or more points for the season.
Spark plug
Sparks leads the team with 7.9 rebounds per game, which is tied for 96th in the country and fourth in the conference. His 3.05 offensive rebounds per contest have him tied for 39th in the nation and tied for third in the MAC. He is tied for third on the team averaging 12.0 points per game. He is shooting 59.7 percent from the field, which leads the team. He has five double-doubles on the season, which is tied for 96th in the country and tied for fourth in the MAC. He is third on the team with 40 assists, second on the team with 18 blocks, and has added 10 steals.
Spreading the Love
The Cardinals have four players averaging double-digit points. Demarius Jacobs rounds out the double-digit scorers with 12.0 points a contest. He has a team-high 32 blocks, which is tied for 74th in the NCAA and most in the MAC. His 1.45 blocks per contest is 79th in the nation and first in the conference. He is second on the team in assists with 72 and is second on the team in steals with 31. He is averaging 4.0 boards per contest. Mickey Pearson Jr. is second on the squad with 5.3 rebounds per contest and is averaging 7.0 points a game. Pearson is shooting 49.0 percent from the field.
Taking Advantage at the Free-Throw Line
As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 24.9 free throws per game, which is fourth in the NCAA and leads the MAC. Ball State is averaging 16.6 free-throws made per contest, which is tied for 15th in the nation and leads the conference. Sparks is 10th in the nation with 158 free-throw attempts, which is second in the MAC.
Effective shooting
The Cardinals are currently shooting 46.8 percent from the field, which is tied for 61st in the NCAA and is second in the MAC. Ball State has been effective from behind the arc with a combined 37.8 percent from 3-point range, which is tied for 30th in the country and second in the MAC.
Series History with EMU
Friday will mark the 114th meeting between Ball State and Eastern Michigan. The Cardinals lead the series 66-45. BSU has won the last six meetings, including a 75-64 victory in Muncie on Feb. 26, 2022. The Cardinals are 29-20 at home against the Eagles and 17-12 inside Worthen Arena.
Scouting the Eagles
Emoni Bates is averaging 20.3 points per game, which is 19th in the country and second in the conference. He is tied for 33rd in the NCAA with 326 field-goal attempts, which is second in the MAC. Bates is averaging 2.76 3-pointers per game, which is 45th in the nation and third in the MAC. He also leads the team with 5.5 rebounds per contest. He is second on the squad with eight blocks. He has added 27 assists and 16 steals. Tyson Acuff is second on the team with 13.1 points a contest. He leads the team with 63 assists to go along with 2.9 boards a game. He also paces the team with 32 steals. Noah Farrakhan rounds out the double-digit scorers with 12.8 a contest. He is averaging 4.1 rebounds a game to go along with 56 assists, 17 steals, and three blocks. Jalin Billingsley has a team-best 12 blocks.
Tale of the Tape
| B.S.U | Category | EMU |
| 75.3 | POINTS PER GAME | 73.1 |
| 68.9 | OPP. POINTS PER GAME | 81.0 |
| .468 | FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .438 |
| .433 | OPP. FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .486 |
| .378 | 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .323 |
| .369 | OPP. 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .344 |
| .669 | FREE THROW PERCENTAGE | .752 |
| 35.8 | REBOUNDS PER GAME | 31.6 |
| 2.9 | REBOUNDING MARGIN | -5.2 |
| 12.6 | ASSISTS PER GAME | 9.9 |
| 12.4 | TURNOVERS PER GAME | 11.9 |
| 0.0 | TURNOVER MARGIN | 0.7 |
| 6.2 | STEALS PER GAME | 6.8 |
| 4.2 | BLOCKS PER GAME | 2.1 |
MAC Conference Standings
1. Kent State – 18-4 (8-1)
2. Akron – 16-6 (8-1)
3. Toledo – 16-6 (7-2)
4. Ball State – 15-7 (6-3)
5. Northern Illinois – 9-13 (5-4)
6. Bowling Green – 10-12 (4-5)
7. Buffalo – 10-12 (4-5)
8. Ohio – 11-11 (3-6)
9. Central Michigan – 8-14 (3-6)
10. Eastern Michigan – 6-16 (3-6)
11. Western Michigan – 6-16 (2-7)
12. Miami – 7-15 (1-8)
All of BSU’s games are presented on the Ball State Gainbridge Radio Network on Woof Boom stations 96.7 FM, 102.9 FM, 104.9 FM, WLBC HD2, and the stream of 967BlakeFM.com as well as WERKFM.net.
For general and season ticket information, please click here or call 1-888-BSU-TICKET (756-285-1474).
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