After nearly defeating a strong Central Michigan team Wednesday night, the Ball State men's basketball team will head into its third straight road game this weekend. The Cardinals travel to Western Kentucky with one major point of emphasis -- second half defense.
Ball State's contest marks one of many games to be played Saturday in ESPN's Bracket Buster.
Originally, the event was created to supply a stage for mid-major schools attempting to grab the attention of NCAA tournament selection committee members.
In the beginning, Ball State, like the other schools involved, looked at Saturday's game as such an opportunity.
Now, in the words of Ball State's Matt McCollom, "We are just trying to get a win and get something positive, maybe with our defense, which is something we haven't been doing."
McCollom explained how important it will be to get back on the right track after Wednesday's tough loss to Central Michigan, 94-92.
"We have to get things back together and stay as a team right now," McCollom said. "(Wednesday night's) loss was a tough one but I think we know what we did wrong. We didn't come out with any defense."
In Wednesday's game against the Chippewas, Central Michigan shot nearly 50 percent from the field in the first half and a devastating 72 percent in the second half.
"We have guys with the capabilities to do it," Ball State coach Tim Buckley said of his players' defensive capabilities. "We have to do a better job of positioning defensively."
Buckley went on to explain that fatigue may have something to do with his team's second half defensive woes, but also explained that it cannot be an excuse.
"Everybody's teams are fatigued this time of year and I bet a lot of teams are only using eight or nine guys," he said.
Buckley also said that it's not physical fatigue his team must work on, but mental fatigue. He said he will continue to emphasize the importance of remaining focused mentally when tired physically.
McCollom's comments echoed those of his coach.
"I think it is about concentration," McCollom said. "We get in a flow a lot of time where -- it's not a conscious thing -- but where we think we can outscore teams. We can't," he said. "We have to play defense against even the worst teams, or they are going to beat us. Defense is the key to our team right now."
Heading into Saturday's game, defense will be important as all five Hilltopper starters are averaging double digits in scoring, led by Patrick Sparks with 13 points a game.
However, perhaps most intimidating for the Cardinals when facing Western Kentucky is its 34-game home winning streak. The Hilltoppers' streak in E.A. Diddle Arena, ties Oklahoma for the nation's longest home winning streak.
With that in mind, it goes without saying Western's fan support is a strong one. However, McCollom explained that he and his teammates are beginning to thrive on the opponents' fan energy rather than being distracted by it, as was the case earlier in the season.
"It's fun to go play against (teams whose fans) are talking trash," the sophomore said. "All you want to do is shut them up. You can't play to the crowd but it's good to know that knocking down shots will shut them up. It's a big motivation; just knock the crowd out of it."
Other Mid-American Conf-erence Schools participating in Bracket Buster Saturday include Marshall, who will play Illinois State at 2 p.m., Bowling Green, who will face Illinois-Chicago at 5 p.m., and Kent State, who is set to take on Hawaii at 9:30 p.m. The Cardinals' game, which will allow Ball State the opportunity to host Western Kentucky next season, will be at 4 p.m. in Bowling Green, Ky.
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