Tomorrow's men's basketball game will probably be the one everybody talks about when the Mid-American Conference tournament rolls around in March. Wednesday, Ball State will host Bowling Green in a clash of the MAC divisional leaders for bragging rights in the MAC.
I do, however, believe this game will be a bit bigger than some are giving credit. Let me explain.
Have you ever seen the movie "The Perfect Storm?"
There will be an encore presentation at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Worthen Arena - the Ball State-Bowling Green matchup.
OK, the two are not quite the same; but the game will certainly resemble the not-so-impressive George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg flick from a couple of years ago.
I say not-so-impressive because the movie was fairly lame, or at least that's what I would categorize it with my limited sports-oriented frame of mind.
So, what follows is a brief recap of the movie, in case you don't remember it, haven't seen it or have just simply blocked the disappointing piece of trash out of your mind.
Basically, Clooney plays a fisherman whose ego gets him killed. He gets killed in what was referred to as the "perfect storm." A shallow, loser-like meteorologist referred to the storm as such, saying it was perfect because of its chemistry.
For the storm to be as powerful as it was, three different weather fronts traveling from different directions had to meet at the same time.
Hang in there, sports fans, the analogy is coming.
So, the three fronts met, and it was a hellacious life-taking storm.
Does anyone recognize the second coming of the perfect storm? The newest three fronts are brewing, only this time over Muncie.
Here are the three fronts:
1. Ball State is first in the MAC West while Bowling Green, Ball State's opponent Wednesday night, is in first in the MAC East.
2. Ball State's center, Lonnie Jones, and Bowling Green's center, Len Matela, have been facing off with each other since high school and have grown together as the two premier centers in the league.
3. This week's MAC Players of the Week - For the west, Theron Smith. For the East, Bowling Green's Keith McLeod.
In case the three fronts aren't enough to create the "perfect storm," the weather gods have a few extra stats brewing to add a little juice to our man-made hurricane.
Offensively, Ball State ranks first in the MAC with an average of 79.8 points a game, while Bowling Green stacks up in third with 78.1 points a game. McLeod is the No. 1 scorer in the MAC, averaging 23.1 points a game while Smith and Petie Jackson come in at the seventh and eighth spots, respectively.
If that isn't enough, Smith is also the leading rebounder in the MAC with 11.3 rebounds per game. And, as of Jan. 7, Smith was No. 10 in the nation in rebounding - and that was with an average of 10.8.
So, I bring this to the table for a couple of reasons. If you were thinking of maybe taking a night off from Ball State basketball, Wednesday night would be the worst night to do it.
If you have never been to a Ball State basketball game, Wednesday night would be the perfect night to start.
Wednesday night might just stand as one of the most important remaining games for the season. There is no better storyline: a pair of player battles that will surely mount to a decent show while two MAC powerhouses duke it out.
Before listing my three "fronts" I asked, "Does anyone recognize the second coming of the perfect storm?"
The answer is obviously no. This game has the magnitude similar to Butler versus Ball State. Only this time, school is in session, yet ticket sales are much lower.
As of Monday evening, tickets were still available for the 25th red-seat row on the sides of the court. Tickets are still available even closer on the ends. Twenty-five sounds sort of high up, but maybe not. I know the movie had a lame ending, but by the looks of my weather maps, Wednesday's storm may close with a bit more excitement.
Write to Greg at gmfallon@bsu.edu
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