If the amount of text messages in Patrice King's inbox on her cell phone was any indication of the buzz around campus following the Ball State University women's basketball team's 71-55 upset against the University of Tennessee in Sunday night's NCAA Tournament first round, then it might be a safe assumption to say that those who follow this Cardinals team are a little excited.
Junior guard Audrey McDonald said Tuesday that King, a freshman guard, had a team-high 33 text messages waiting for her in the locker room after the game.
"Obviously there are a ton of people who support us and care about us," said McDonald, who had 18 points in Sunday's win. "All of the texts were genuine and very supportive and congratulatory of our success (Sunday) night."
The win against the Lady Vols in a game televised across the country on ESPN2 has also propelled Ball State (26-8) into a new national identity: a Cinderella team.
"I love the Cinderella name for us - big things come with the Cinderella name," said senior guard Porchia Green, who had a team-best 23 points against Tennessee. "I take that as a complement."
Cardinals coach Kelly Packard has also bought into the Cinderella persona.
"It's a shame that we can't live in that moment a little bit longer," she said.
What awaited the Cardinals Monday morning, however, was a transition of utter joy and disbelief of knocking off a two-time defending national champion in Tennessee into focus and preparation of its second round opponent, No. 4 seed Iowa State University.
"As soon as we woke up [Monday] morning, we knew that yesterday was over," sophomore forward Emily Maggert said. "Yeah, [defeating Tennessee] was a great accomplishment, but we have work to do."
Mismatched in size against Tennessee on Sunday, Ball State will again have to deal with a defensive threat in the paint against Iowa State (25-8). Senior forward/center Nicky Wieben has blocked a single-season school record 196 shots this season.
Wieben said Tuesday that in order to be successful, the Cyclones must match the energy level of the Cardinals.
"Their enthusiasm [against Tennessee] was really high," Wieben said. "We are going to come in ready to go - we have to take it four minutes at a time and come out and play just as excited as they are."
Wieben is one of three Iowa State players to reach the 1,000-point plateau this season, joining senior guard Heather Ezell and junior guard Alison Lacey.
Packard said having three players in one season reach 1,000 career points is proof of the program's stability and experience.
"[It's] very different, you know, you come off [Sunday] night where you're facing a team that's very youthful, and then [tonight], that's not the case whatsoever," Packard said. "It's a great accomplishment for them."
Tonight's game, also scheduled to be televised on ESPN2, is set for tip-off at 9:30 p.m.
The game will be broadcast on the radio on WCRD 91.3 FM and the telecast is also available at ESPN360.com.
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