Five days removed from its double overtime victory over Stetson, Ball State will travel to Indianapolis to meet Butler in Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Ball State coach Kelly Packard said she is looking for the Cardinals' energy and defense displayed against the Hatters last Sunday to transfer to tonight's game against the Bulldogs.
"The challenge is we've not played great team defense on the road," Packard said. "Certainly not at Wright State, Evansville [or] SIUE. I think our strong defensive performances have been at home, specifically Murray State and Stetson. Being able to carry that over to the road is something we've not done."
Ball State will be playing against a struggling Butler team who has gotten off to a 1-7 start, dropping six straight games.
It could prove to be easy for the Cardinals to become distracted. They're squaring off against a statistically weaker team and will be playing in the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. Nonetheless, Packard said her team is purely on a business trip and nothing more.
"Right now we've got eight players that are freshmen or sophomores and just developing that mindset in them when you go on the road is important," Packard said. "Yes, you want to enjoy the time with your teammates, but ultimately, you're going there for a two-hour, intensive business focus."
After playing two extra periods against Stetson, Packard said having her team fully rested is the most important factor heading into tonight's game.
"We had some players that played some lengthy minutes in that double overtime stretch," Packard said. "So, in doing that and trying to be wise, pre-planned [practice week]. Part of preparation is educating our players on Butler's strengths and what we believe to be their weaknesses, but the other side of that is trying to send our team in there as rested as possible."
The Cardinals and Bulldogs are scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m.
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