Ball State men's basketball shows progress with Valparaiso win

Ball state's  senior Jeremiah Davis slips past Valparaiso's defense  during the game against Valparaiso on Nov. 28 at Worthen Arena. DN PHOTO AMER KHUBRANI
Ball state's senior Jeremiah Davis slips past Valparaiso's defense during the game against Valparaiso on Nov. 28 at Worthen Arena. DN PHOTO AMER KHUBRANI

Jake Fox is a junior journalism major and writes 'What the Fox says' for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Jake at jkfox@bsu.edu.

The sound of the buzzer went far beyond signaling Ball State’s 69-66 win over Valparaiso at Worthen Arena on Nov. 28.

It was also a mark of progress.

It’s the third year for head coach James Whitford, and Ball State amassed a total of 12 wins in 60 tries during his first two seasons. I’m sure you were (I was, for that matter) feeling good after last season’s 7-7 (2-0) start.

Then it hit rock bottom. Seventeen straight losses to end the season — a school record. And after another last-place finish in the Mid-American Conference, I was cautiously optimistic coming into the season.

But this season’s 5-2 start is different. Two straight seasons of losing in a row have reaped benefits of growth and cohesion. And the win over Valpo proves that.

Let’s get it straight — Valpo is a really good team. It won the Horizon League last year and gave Maryland all it could handle in the NCAA Tournament before suffering a 3-point loss. It was picked to win the Horizon again this year. After all, the Crusaders return 11 players and all five starters from 2014-15.

Valpo is No. 1 in the nation in ESPN’s RPI rankings, a tool used to select the NCAA Tournament field. Not Kentucky, not North Carolina or Duke — Valpo. Its strength of schedule is sixth-hardest in Division I.

If the Crusaders aren’t the best mid-major team in the nation, they’re awfully close.

I’m sure many are still wondering how the Ball State Cardinals, whose biggest non-conference win last year was probably Indiana State, beat a team that received votes in the latest AP Top 25 poll. The answer? This isn’t the same old team as last year, or even the year before.

There’s a nice blend of veterans and youth on this year’s team. Bo Calhoun, Franko House and Jeremiah Davis are just some of the older guys who have dealt with the hard times and are seeing it pay off. Add in a nice freshman class and some transfers, and you have a roster set for the future.

But it’s starting to happen now. One of the teams’ mottos I see is “ALL IN,” and it looks like the players truly believe in that. House said it best after the win on Nov. 28:

“We’re getting better players, and people are buying into Coach Whit’s offense and defense," he said. "The culture we’re building around here is getting way better, and it’s good for our program.”

Jake Fox

The program is turning around, House said. And he’s right.

Yes, it’s a small sample size with only seven games played this season. Ball State does have losses to Bradley and Eastern Kentucky, but there’s obvious improvement there, and it only needs two wins to match last season’s total.

I’m not here to say the Cardinals are going to win 20 games and the MAC title, but they do currently have the second-best record in the conference.

I am saying they will be a team to watch for the rest of the season and throughout the conference schedule. And in the next couple of years, look for Ball State to be a sneaky pick to win the league.

It’s all about taking small steps, and the win over Valpo was another one in the right direction. Whitford called it “a really, really good win,” but said they need to keep “[laying] those pieces.”

Progress.

“It’s something more to build on. It’s a building block. It’s a piece to the puzzle,” he said.

Whitford and the Cardinals have been trying to figure out where this puzzle piece is supposed to go for two years now. And it looks like they’ve finally found it.

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