Despite solid shooting and some of the team's younger players beginning to step forward, the men's basketball team can't get over the hump.
Coming up winless in three tries against Mid-American Conference teams, Ball State University is hoping a return home to Worthen Arena on Saturday will help them put a defensive clamp on Miami (Ohio).
In their last three games, the Cardinals have let their opponents go on long scoring runs where Ball State would go minutes without scoring. Although the Cardinals haven't shot worse than 45 percent from the field in any of the three games, the team's scoring droughts continue to be their ultimate downfall.
Coach Tim Buckley said he is hoping the home environment will help energize his players when another team goes on a run.
"We need to be a lot more consistent with our scoring," Buckley said. "We've got to start converting in key situations when the other team starts to score and shut them down a little bit more. It should help that we're coming home."
Opponents are beginning to throw different defenses at Ball State, trying to take leading-scorer Skip Mills out of the offense. Kent State spent most of the game on Wednesday trying to double-team Mills, yet he still came away with 18 points. When Mills is double-teamed, Buckley said his team needs find a way to get the ball to open players.
"We've got to do a good job of recognizing those defensive situations and making the right passes and right plays," Buckley said. "Skip is a guy who has got to score for us so he has to read those situations and make the right decisions, which he's been doing."
The maturation of freshman Maurice Acker has the team feeling better about the young guard running the point. Acker, who replaced All-MAC guard Peyton Stovall after his season ended because of an ACL tear, made five 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 23 points against Kent State. Teammate D'Andre Peyton said Acker continues to work hard at learning the ropes of Division I basketball.
"He's really putting a lot on his shoulders and he's beginning to help lead this team," Peyton said.
Acker's scored in double-figures in three of the last five games while playing at least 32 minutes in each of them. In the three MAC games, Acker is averaging 13 points and four assists while shooting 50 percent from beyond-the-arc.
"He's doing what he needs to do out there," Buckley said. "I feel like he's been working on the offensive part of his game really hard and he wants to become a more consistent shooter."
WEARING WHITE
For the fourth consecutive year, Ball State fans are being asked by the athletics department to wear white to Saturday's Ball State-Miami game. The "White Out IV" game will also feature mascots from the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever for both the men's and women's games.
In last year's meeting between the two teams, Miami won after a controversial 54-52 decision by the referees. Miami's game-winning buzzer beater shot was later ruled, upon review by the MAC head office, that it should not have
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
