Cardinal Losses this season
at IUPUI, 48-65
at. Cincinnati, 56-63
vs. Wisconsin, 56-67*
vs. Western Kentucky, 86-91 OT
*Bahamas Hoopsfest
Drew Pierce is a junior journalism major and is a columnist for The Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper.
Coming off of seven straight wins as of Jan. 14, Ball State Women’s Basketball is in the perfect position to cruise to a Mid-American Conference Championship this spring.
The Cardinals are 11-5 on the season and 3-1 in conference play. Despite the great record and near-perfect stint so far in the MAC, the Cardinals have the tools to make a deep run into the MAC Tournament in March.
First up is their ability to win big games. Before MAC play started, the Cardinals defeated Butler and Xavier to prove they are here to play.
Although the season started pretty rocky, Ball State found its groove fairly quickly. The Cardinals started the season at 4-4 before going on a very impressive winning streak to lead us to now.
The Cardinals have only lost one game in over a month, and there is no sign of them slowing down anytime soon.
Although there are five notches in the loss column, a couple of those were tough games with close finishes. If a couple of things went Ball State’s way, it is quite possible the Cardinals move on with a 14-1 or 13-2 record.
And then there is junior forward Oshlynn Brown. Brown has won MAC West Player of the Week three times this season alone. Like the rest of her team, Brown started out a bit slow but has picked up the pace for MAC play. In a recent game against Bowling Green, Brown dropped 29 points, and she is averaging 12.9 per game.
Brown is backed up by graduate student guard Jasmin Samz and freshman guard Sydney Freeman. Samz is averaging double-figure scoring, and Freeman adds a sense of youth and about nine points per game.
This team is scary good now that the rust is gone, and the chemistry is there. Its physicality and ability to hit shots from behind the arc has allowed it to beat out close matchups and win those games only decided by a few points.
There are 13 more conference games this season until the tournament kicks off. Based on this hot streak, I can honestly see the Cardinals winning at least 10 of these remaining games and cruising to a top seed in the tournament.
It is no secret mid-season momentum is huge when it comes to making a playoff push. Although the start was fairly slow, it seems like the Cardinals have found their stride and are going to be a serious contender for a MAC Championship come March.
Contact Drew Pierce with comments at dlpierce2@bsu.edu or on Twitter @dpierce3cc.
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