Ball State has two straight wins under its belt, and Toledo has floundered amidst the expectations thrust upon it. But tonight's game at Savage Hall will still be as tough of a task as any this season.
"In the Mid-American Conference right now, the home team record is 56-6, something like that," said BSU coach Tim Buckley, whose team stands at 2-1 in the MAC and 7-4 overall. "So it's very difficult to go on the road and win even if you're the best team in the league."
In the last season's trip to Toledo, Ball State played without leading scorer Dennis Trammell and fell 66-63.
The Rockets, preseason favorites to win the MAC West and MAC Tournament, are just 1-2 in conference play and 5-7 overall. Sunday, they blew a 48-33 second-half lead at Buffalo by yielding 20 unanswered points, in a 56-54 loss.
Senior guard Keith Triplett, a First-Team All-MAC performer last season, is averaging 15.7 points to lead Toledo, but that figure is nearly four points below last season's average.
However, the Cardinals are well aware of what Triplett is capable of. In his last four games against BSU, he has averaged 21 points.
"We have to worry about Triplett; he had a few big games against us last year," sophomore Skip Mills said. "We have to come out and play hard."
Buckley said the team must also be better defensively than it was in last week's 81-80 squeaker over Ohio.
"We have to do a better job of putting pressure on the ball in terms of getting a hand up and mirroring the ball," he said. "We've got to a better job of helping each other on the defensive end."
Bass to miss season
Charles Bass, a 6-foot-9 junior who transferred from Ohio State early in the 2003-04 season, is not likely to play this season, according to Buckley.
Bass who had to sit out last season per NCAA rules, suffered a second Achilles tendon injury last summer. He would have been eligible to play beginning the game at Butler on Dec. 22.
Instead, he will likely receive a medical redshirt and have two full seasons of eligibility remaining.
"He's not at 100 percent," Buckley said, "and with his injury history, especially here, he has to be 100 percent."
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