For the second-straight game, Ball State takes on a team coming off a decisive loss to Kent State. Saturday it was Western Michigan; tonight, it is Toledo.
After having their five-game win streak snapped at Western in a back-and-forth thriller, the Cardinals (8-7 overall, 5-2 Mid-American Conference) aim to get back on the track in a key West Division matchup at Toledo (13-4, 7-2). The Rockets, who lost 95-71 when they visited Muncie Jan. 10, are looking to bounce back from an even bigger shellacking, as Kent beat them 92-56 on Sunday.
Despite that recent showing, Ball State coach Tim Buckley expects to see the Toledo team that has not lost at home.
"I think they'll be ready to play," Buckley said, "and they'll play like they're one of the better teams in the league.
"I think what people sometimes lose sight of is that Toledo has this good record, and they've done a great job, and they start three freshmen. They're a young ball club, and they haven't been at Kent's place before, and they obviously weren't able to handle it well out of the gate. But I think you go through those experiences, and you learn and you try to get better."
Two of those freshmen -- including point guard Justin Ingram (10.4 points, 45 percent on 3s) and center Allen Pinson were the top two scorers at Kent, but Toledo's true ringleaders are senior Keith Triplett and sophomore Sammy Villegas.
The 6-3 Triplett leads the squad in scoring (19.4), rebounding (4.8) and steals (34), and is second in 3-point shooting (43.4 percent). Villegas checks in with 13.9 points and 40 percent on threes.
As a team, Toledo leads the MAC in scoring (77.7 points) and 3-point shooting (41.6). Ball State counters with the league's best 3-point defense (29.5 percent), so Buckley doesn't expect a repeat of last year's meeting in Savage Hall, when the Rockets made 13-of-19 treys in a 100-64 blowout.
"We've got a lot of new guys," Buckley said. "We're a different basketball team (than last year). We're far better defensively than we have been. If we're going to win championships, and you're going to be successful on the road, you've got to be able to defend."
Although the Cardinals have improved defensively, both from last year and earlier this season, their inconsistent rebounding remains a source of discontent. BSU has had some performances like the last Toledo game (40-27 advantage) and others like Saturday's contest at Western. The Broncos outboarded the Cards 44-37, and the last of their 20 offensive rebounds was a tip-in that gave Western the lead for good with less than a minute to go.
BSU's rebounding margin of minus 1.2 is next to last in the MAC.
"That's obviously an area we have to better in," Buckley said. "If we get that rebound, we possibly control our own destiny in that game.
"We'll continue to emphasize it, and I know our guys will come through with it, because basically we're asking our guys to box out a couple more times a game, which is about 10 percent more effort than maybe what we're giving. Our perimeter guys have to go get the basketball. (The last couple games), they have not rebounded the way they're capable of."
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