While most see Murray State lined up on a schedule and think it’s a random non-conference opponent, Ball State coach Brady Sallee sees a familiar opponent.
Murray State plays in the Ohio Valley Conference, the same conference that Sallee coached in for the last eight years.
In his tenure as coach of Eastern Illinois, Sallee went 8-9 against the Racers.
The Cardinals will travel south to Murray, Ky., to play the Racers at 7 p.m. Thursday.
“I know Murray is going to play really, really fast,” Sallee said. “They’ve got some quick, little guards. Mariah Robinson is a really good scorer. For eight years, I played in that league against Murray, so I know the way they like to play and their personnel.”
Robinson, a 5-foot-8 senior guard from Beaver Dam, Ky., is leading Murray State in scoring. She’s averaging 21.4 points per game. Robinson also is leading her team in rebounding. She has brought down an average of 8.8 boards each game in 2012.
Sallee said he hopes that knowing Murray State so well from his Eastern Illinois days will give his team an advantage.
“I know [Murray State’s] system, I know the way they play,” Sallee said. “I feel like I have a little bit of an idea of how they’re going to try to defend us.”
The most notable game for Sallee against the Racers came March 8, 2008. Sallee’s Eastern Illinois team lost in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship, and ultimately a NCAA Tournament bid.
Sallee began his coaching tenure at Eastern Illinois struggling against Murray State, but went 5-1 in his last three years there.
Murray State is currently sitting at 3-3, and averaging 65.6 points per game. Ball State is scoring an average of 55.3 points per game, so the Cardinals will either need to clamp down on the Racers’ offense, or find a way to outscore them.
“What we have to do is be able figure out how to slow them down a little bit, then generate enough offense to give ourselves a chance at the end of the game,” Sallee said. “They play fast and take quick shots. If you’re not guarding them and they start making them, they can be tough to play against.”
Ball State has one combined opponent with Murray State — Evansville. The Racers beat the Aces 76-62 on Nov. 20. However, Evansville beat Ball State in the Cardinals’ season opener Nov. 9, 54-45.
Although Sallee said he knows Murray State like the back of his hand, he still understands his role in Thursday’s game.
“Hopefully, [knowing the opponent] will give us a little bit of a leg up but at the end of the day, unfortunately, the coaches only do so much,” Sallee said. “The ball goes up, players usually decide the game. Our job is to make sure they’re in the right places and give them the best chance.”
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