It didn't take long - one game, to be exact - for injuries to derail the men's basketball team this season.
Chris Ames, who started Saturday's game against Northern Colorado University, broke his jaw in practice this week after taking an incidental elbow from center Micah Rollin.
Ames, whose jaw is currently wired shut, is out a minimum of four weeks, but will most likely miss six to eight weeks, according to coach Ronny Thompson. Thompson said it would be hard to replace Ames' defense.
"The things that he did do not always show in the stat sheet but he was a guy who's constantly dogging the ball and would lend itself to the next guy getting a steal," Thompson said. "Somebody's going to have to step up and take that role."
Senior guard Skip Mills will miss at least the next two games with tendonitis in his leg. The injury, which held him out of practice for a week and a half before the season opener against Northern Colorado, held Mills to 15 minutes of play and four points. Guard Peyton Stovall said the loss of Mills wouldn't hurt the team too much.
"We got enough guys on the team that we can score across the board," Stovall said. "What's so great about our team is that we're so deep and you never know which guy is going to come out and score points."
Mills led Ball State in scoring last year with a 17.9 points per game average.
Junior Jarelle Redden is also nursing a turf toe injury, but isn't expected to miss any time. Redden scored two points in his Ball State debut Saturday.
"It raises everyone's role to a certain degree to be that much sharper and be prepared to step in," Thompson said. "[The injuries are] all a part of [the game]. It is what it is."
D'Andre Peyton led all scorers in Saturday's 81-42 win with 15 points. The majority of those points were earned while the 6-foot-7 senior played center because of Micah Rollin's foul trouble. Peyton said he was very comfortable playing the position.
"As long as I'm playing I don't care wherever I play," Peyton said. "I'll play point guard if I have to. I know that'll never happen, but I'll play wherever they want me to play."
The Cardinals only have two true centers in Rollin and Zack Garcia. Rollin scored five points and Garcia was scoreless in the first game. Thompson said it would take a while for Garcia to make the adjustment to the college game.
"He needs to do a lot more and I'll leave it at that," Thompson said. "You never know [about a player] until you get a kid and start to go through it. He's a freshman."
Sunday's opponent, Prairie View A&M, is 1-1 on the year. The Panthers lost the season opener to Texas A&M 81-49 but defeated NAIA school Southwestern Assemblies of God 61-58.
"They get after it," Thompson said. "They go up and down. It's a new coach, just about an all-new team. They're athletic, they're long, and they'll take a quick shot if it's there. They'll be ready to play."
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