Last year, the Ball State University women's basketball team got off to a 5-0 record for the first time in the program's history.
Saturday, the Cardinals have the chance to do it two seasons in a row.
Ball State will open its December schedule with a road contest against Butler University Saturday afternoon in the 2006 Hoosier Classic at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Junior forward Julie DeMuth, who is averaging 15.3 points and eight rebounds per game this season, said the fast start to last season has helped propel Ball State to a strong showing this November.
"I think that last year definitely made us stronger in terms of the experience we gained as a team," DeMuth said. "The five-o start was a big deal last year. A team always has small goals on its way to the season's big goal. Going five-0 was one of our small goals this season; now we have to get it done."
The Hoosier Classic is a collection of four universities in the state of Indiana. This year, Valparaiso University and Indiana State University will play in the other game.
While there is no overall champion, DeMuth said there's something even bigger on the line in the Hoosier Classic - intrastate pride.
"Even though there isn't a champion, it's still a big deal for us," DeMuth said. "All the teams are from Indiana, and it's a big recruiting thing for us. So we're really playing for the pride of the state."
The Cardinals lost last year's match against Valparaiso 61-49, giving Ball State its first loss of the season. Cardinals coach Tracy Roller said her team is determined to capture the win this year.
"We obviously want to win every game we play, but you especially want to beat another Indiana team," Roller said. "Playing at Butler, in Hinkle Fieldhouse where the movie 'Hoosiers' was shot, it's going to be a great environment for us to be in. When any of the local Indiana teams play each other, there are always bragging rights on the line."
A non-conference schedule, which includes a loss at Illinois University, has given Butler a 2-4 record in its first six games. However, Roller said the past doesn't matter when Ball State and Butler hook up on the hardwood.
"Whenever Butler and Ball State - or any other Indiana team - play, the records go right out the window," Roller said. "It's a big rivalry game for us. We recruit the same kids. We have some kids that they recruited, and they have some kids that we recruited. So we know each other very well, and when you do know a team really well you always have to be sharp."
The contest should also be intriguing because of the different styles in which the two teams prefer to play. Roller said Butler is a defensive-minded team that likes to operate its offense in half-court sets, while the Cardinals like to run the floor with the fast break.
According to the coach, the team that dictates the tempo should come out with the win.
"They like to run a lot of set plays, and both teams are good three-point shooting teams," Roller said. "If we can take them out of the set plays and they can't stop our fast break, I think we have a good chance to win."
DeMuth said a win, and the record-tying start that would accompany a victory, would prove to her what she has known all along - the 2007 season has a chance to be a special year.
"That would be a great accomplishment for us, and we're looking forward to that," DeMuth said. "But right now our focus is on Butler, and we have to get it done on Saturday. We knew we had a special team from the beginning, but we're just taking things game by game."
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