One benefit Ball State men's basketball coach Billy Taylor has this season is depth, which allows him to experiment with different lineups.
Ball State will test them all against Indiana State on Wednesday in their last home game before heading to the Great Alaska Shootout.
Junior forward Mo Hubbard acknowledges this team's ability to rotate players is different than season's past.
"All the guys that came in and all the guys that have been here bring something different to the table," Hubbard said. "The team chemistry is real strong."
In Sunday's game against Eastern Illinois, eight different Cardinals played over 10 minutes.
One lineup in particular stuck out to Taylor for their effort on both ends of the court. The combination of Jauwan Scaife, Jesse Berry, Pierre Sneed, Malik Perry and Jarrod Jones expanded Ball State's lead to double digits in the first half.
"That was one [lineup] that was particularly physical defensively," Taylor said. "They allowed us to get some deflections, steals and then run outs."
The Cardinals had no trouble scoring the ball in Sunday's game.
One key player in the game was Jesse Berry. His 15 points sparked the team offensively. Taylor said he will consider mixing Berry into the starting lineup.
"The matchup [against Eastern Illinois] really led to Pierre starting off on Laser and Jesse coming off the bench," Taylor said. "It will be a game-by-game decision based on matchups and personnel. But it is nice to have that firepower off the bench."
It seems the Cardinals may go the same route in their second game as well. Indiana State's Jake Kelly is a 6-foot-6 transfer from Iowa who leads the team in scoring. Taylor said the team will rotate different guys on him, but Sneed will most likely draw the assignment.
Regardless of who starts against Indiana State, Ball State will still have to account for their size. The Sycamores projected starting lineup boasts no one shorter than 6-foot-4.
"With just the mixture of their personnel makes them very dangerous and difficult to guard from a defensive standpoint," Taylor said.
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