There were no team meetings to talk about a change in tempo or style.
No extra practice was done on outlet passes to trigger Ball State’s lethal fastbreak.
Coach Billy Taylor maintains, even after his team scored 85-plus points for the fourth consecutive game on Tuesday, that the only difference offensively is his team’s willingness to push the ball and the player’s efficiency when they do.
“We’d talk about some things throughout the season as we watched films of guys jogging up the floor offensively after misses,” Taylor said. “I would say, I thought we were running? I thought we wanted to run? It comes down to the guys just being more consistent in their effort.”
While the Cardinals didn’t change schematically from earlier this season, results on the court look anything but familiar.
Following a 69-42 defeat at home to Ohio on Feb. 6, the team’s 2-7 record tied for the worst mark in the conference. Frequent and embarrassing losses were commonplace.
But after winning five of its past six games in league play, Ball State can secure a No. 5 seed and a bye into the second round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament with a win on Saturday.
“Our team unity right now is great,” said junior forward Matt Kamieneicki. “We’re playing with a sense of urgency when we step on the court and that is what’s making us win some ball games.”
Considering the depth of their early hole, the Cardinals’ turnaround is nothing short of remarkable.
After Bowling Green beat Buffalo on Friday, all of Ball State’s (14-14, 7-8 MAC) unfavorable tiebreaker scenarios mean nothing if the team can take care of lowly Northern Illinois (5-23, 3-12 MAC) at 2 p.m. in Worthen Arena.
“If we score a lot more, we have a better chance of winning,” Kamieniecki said. “So as a team, that’s what we’re trying to do.”
The Cardinals 56-52 win at Northern Illinois started their improbable run to this point, but a loss would derail those efforts.
Ball State’s poor record against MAC East Division opponents would make them either a No. 7 or 8 seed in the tournament if the team loses on Saturday.
“I think it’s pretty much whatever for us,” Kamieniecki said. “We’ll focus on winning Saturday against Northern, and however it shapes up after that we’ll be ready for the next opponent.”
