For senior center Jarrod Jones, potentially becoming Ball State's sixth all-time leading scorer by the end of the season means very little.
It was the team's far less flattering record that garnered all the attention in Monday's press conference.
After Ball State lost 76-55 at Kent State on Saturday, Jones and the rest of the Cardinals finished Mid-American Conference play with a winless record against the East Division for the first time in school history.
Jones said he's never been a part of a losing streak like this in his entire career.
"I've never really dealt with the turbulence we've gone through so far this season," Jones said. "I can't ever remember losing six in a row before."
Jones spoke dejectedly, often pausing to think deeply as if searching for answers that weren't there. He was in a daze from losing and said the team has been as well.
"Throughout this losing streak, the overall energy and spirit has been down," Jones said. "There's no way to sugarcoat it. We have been in a funk. It's been a lot different than the beginning of this season. But it's just something you've got to get through."
Up until Saturday's game, it looked like the team was doing that. Jones said Ball State's previous two losses against Miami and Bowling Green were littered with positives performances. The Kent State game is where it was all supposed to come together.
"Even though we were on a two-game losing streak, we still were trying to build up some momentum into that game [against Kent State]," Jones said. "They gave us some good punches and we weren't able to recover. Right now, we just need to deal with the West [Division] and put that behind us."
Ball State's next game is against West Division opponent Toledo on Wednesday. The Cardinals beat the Rockets 70-68 on Jan. 10.
Luckily for Ball State, it won't play any teams from the East Division until the MAC Tournament in early March. Until then, Jones said the team is focusing on its upcoming games.
"We really don't have a choice, but to do that [forget the losses]," Jones said. "It's opportunities lost. Now we just have to move on."
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