Ball State will play its final regular season game Saturday afternoon in DeKalb, Ill., as it faces 13-16 Northern Illinois.
The Cardinals have struggled this season as the team sits at 2-15 in Mid-American Conference play and 5-23 overall. Although head coach James Whitford never saw a season like this coming, he still has faith in his team.
“You want to make sure your team is still hungry to play,” Whitford said. “Half the battle right now is making sure your team is still hungry to compete and play — I feel like we’re there.”
The Cardinals own the worst conference record in the MAC. Out of the last 12 games, one game was won and five have been lost by eight points or fewer. Three games have gone into overtime or further to decide a winner.
Seniors Jesse Berry and Chris Bond have put on a strong scoring output as the end of their four-year careers at Ball State is hours away. Berry has averaged 16.8 points per game over his last seven and Bond has a team-high 14.1 scoring average per MAC game which ranks ninth in the conference.
Freshman Zavier Turner recently surpassed Randy Boarden on the all-time freshman scoring list Tuesday to rank fifth with 345. Turner has a strong case for MAC Freshman of the Year with his 12.3 points per game.
“I feel like our guys are still hungry to fight and believe that they’re getting better — that’s a big part of it, really.” Whitford said.
The Cardinals tip off against the Huskies at 4:30 p.m. ?Saturday.
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