Next 5 games
Jan. 14 - @Western Michigan - 7 p.m.
Jan. 17 - @Bowling Green - 4 p.m.
Jan. 21 - Ohio - 7 p.m.
Jan. 24 - Kent State - 2 p.m.
Jan. 27 - @Akron - 7 p.m.
With back-to-back wins over Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan, the Ball State men’s basketball team opened its Mid-American Conference schedule 2-0.
The Cardinals are on a four-game winning-streak overall, and sophomore forward Franko House thinks the team’s recent play is sending a message to the rest of the league. Ball State was picked to finish last in the MAC West Division prior to the season.
“We are coming for anybody, whoever it is that certain night,” House said. “We are going to come out and play as hard as we can.”
Trailing by nine with 12 minutes remaining at Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, Ball State could have folded. The Cardinals had only scored one point in the first eight minutes of the second half and were playing a team that owned a road victory over Michigan. But Ball State fought back, ending regulation on a 27-18 run and winning on a three-pointer by freshman Sean Sellers in overtime.
The comeback reflects a change in the program that House thinks begins off the court and stems from a previous lack of success.
“We definitely got more team chemistry in the locker room,” House said. “We just want to win. We don’t want it to be like last year.”
At 7-6, Ball State has already surpassed last season’s mark of 5-25. Its 2-0 record in conference play has the Cardinals in sole possession of first place in the MAC’s West Division.
Despite the early-season success, head coach James Whitford won’t let complacency sit in.
“It’s a process for us to get to go from here to there,” Whitford said. “These are significant steps, but by no means are we at the top of the ladder by any stretch of the imagination.”
Whitford attributed his team’s improved performance to an increase in home games, with the Cardinals hosting six non-conference contests compared to only three last year. The second-year head coach hopes Ball State can host seven to eight non-conference games in the future, but it takes time for a rebuilding program to reach that level.
Along with the additional home games, Whitford credited the return of redshirt junior Jeremiah Davis from injury as a reason for the Cardinals’ recent stretch of play.
“[Jeremiah’s] presence for us is a big deal,” Whitford said. “He’s our team leader … he is all about the team. He is just an absolute winner.”
Since Davis’ return to the lineup, Ball State is undefeated in three outings. In its latest victory, an 83-65 win over Central Michigan on Saturday, Davis contributed 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Davis said he is thankful for finally being able to take the court with his teammates, but the program’s turnaround begins at the top.
“It starts with coach down,” Davis said. “He’s doing a great job of getting everybody on the same page, and everybody is following.”
Whether or not the Cardinals can contend for a conference championship this year remains to be seen; sophomore point guard Zavier Turner certainly thinks they can.
“We all got the same goal,” Turner said. “We just don’t want a MAC championship … we’re trying to get to the [NCAA] tournament.”
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