For Ball State's men's basketball team, Thanksgiving will be spent playing far away from the comforts of home.
The team starts a streak of three games in four days Thursday when it plays St. John's in the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage.
It will be an adjustment for both teams playing with the time change. Alaska's official time is four hours behind the Eastern Time zone. Tipoff is at 9:45 p.m. local time, 1:45 a.m. ET.
St. John's is 1-1 this season under the direction of first-year coach Steve Lavin. They depend on their 10 seniors for experience. Only two underclassmen have had playing time, but one of those — Dwayne Polee, Jr. — is second on the team in scoring. He was the California State Player of the Year in high school.
"Dwayne is as unique a talent as I have coached," Lavin said. "His intelligence, versatility and exceptional athletic ability gives him distinction as a basketball player. His appetite and desire to improve as a player bodes well for the future of our program."
Butler's length and athleticism gave Ball State problems in the Cardinals' last game, an 88-55 blowout at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Outrebounded in their last two contests, the Cardinals need to finish possessions. The Red Storm average three more rebounds per game.
It is the first meeting between the two teams in history. Ball State plays either Southern Utah or Drake, depending on their result.
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