The Ball State University men's basketball team doesn't have much time to consider the effect of losing its top all-around player to a season-ending leg injury.
Ball State will play host to Northern Illinois University in a 7 p.m. matchup at Worthen Arena, three days after senior forward Anthony Newell - the team's leading scorer and rebounder - had season-ending surgery on a compound fracture to his right tibia and fibula suffered in Saturday's 46-42 win at Eastern Michigan University.
"The thing that we have been talking about as a team is that it's not going to come down to one player to try to fill in Anthony's shoes or fill Anthony's role," coach Billy Taylor said. "It's got to be a collective effort."
Taylor said Newell, a team captain and 2008-09 Preseason All-MAC selection averaging 15.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, stayed Saturday and Sunday night at St. Joseph's Mercy Hospital in Ypsilanti, Mich., where he received his surgery, and was back in transit to Muncie on Monday. His next appearance on the bench for the Cardinals is still to be determined.
"It's going to take just a little bit of time for him to rest, get some of the swelling down in his legs, and he's on some pretty strong pain medications," Taylor said. "We probably won't see him up and around in street clothes for awhile yet."
Taylor said a replacement for Newell in the starting lineup has yet to be determined. Those expected to immediately fill Newell's void include senior guard/forward Rob Giles and freshman forward Maurice Hubbard.
"Basically, we all have to work together," said Giles, who is averaging 4.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game this season. "It's a double-double that we have to make up - 17 points, 10 or 11 rebounds - so everybody is going to have to hit the boards and execute on offense."
Sophomore forward Malik Perry said Newell told the team after his injury to fight through the adversity.
"Look at what the football team did with Dante Love, and they went through it, so it's basically the same thing - we've just got to stick together," Perry said. "Our goal from jump was to win the MAC West, and it just got harder, but Anthony told us that we can do it."
In order to win tonight against Northern Illinois, Ball State (6-7, 1-0 MAC) is hoping to have a repeat defensive performance of its game against Eastern Michigan. The Cardinals, who enter tonight's game with the No. 3 MAC scoring defense at 61.4 points per game allowed, held the Eagles to 13 first-half points and a 28.6 percent (14-for-49) shooting performance for the game.
That burden becomes heavier, however, considering the Huskies (5-8, 1-0 MAC) bring in the No. 2 scoring offensive attack in the MAC. Led by three scorers with double-digit averages per game, Northern Illinois averages 70.2 points per game this season.
"It's very much a contrast in styles," Taylor said. "Their tempo and style is a little bit of a more up-tempo, try to get out in transition, try to get easy baskets, so we're really going to have to be focused to try to be strong defensively and not allow them to get some of those easy baskets."
The Huskies are led by sophomore guard Jake Anderson. Anderson, the 2007-08 MAC Freshman of the Year and an All-MAC Preseason pick this season, is second in the MAC in scoring this season with 18.2 points per game. Anderson also averages 5.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game and shoots 37.9 percent from 3-point land.
Freshman guard Mike DiNunno and sophomore center Sean Kowal round out the Northern Illinois scorers averaging double-digit scoring this season. DiNunno averages 13.2 points and 2.8 assists per game, and Kowal averages 10.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting .588 from the floor.
"[Northern Illinois's] guard play is very strong - they've got three or four guards who can really push the ball in transition and get to the rim and finish," Taylor said.
Northern Illinois also comes into tonight's game ranked No. 1 in the MAC with 8.62 steals per game. Taylor said taking care of the ball is "critical."
"With a team like Northern, when they steal it with their speed and their guards - whether it's Anderson or DiNunno - they get out and they run, they finish in transition," Taylor said. "So if you turn the ball over it's going to lead to easy points for them, and we certainly don't want to do that."
Without their leading scorer and rebounder, some might consider Ball State underdogs throughout the rest of the season. But Giles was quick to say that nothing will change with his team as far as effort and intensity is concerned, beginning tonight against Northern Illinois.
"I expect our team to be focused," Giles said. "Even though Anthony is hurt, he would want us to go out and play hard and stay focused, so that's what were going to try to do."
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