Growing up in Muncie with six siblings, Gindhart Dragoo attended St. Mary's Catholic School where the nuns recognized her artistic talent almost immediately. She would be "cranking out" greeting cards after she was done with her schoolwork which they would then sell out at bingo night.

Her great-grandfather was the cofounder of the Indiana School of Art which is now the Herron School of Art and Design. Her siblings are now all artists, musicians and photographers, adding to the proof that she was born to be in the arts.

"My mother made things out of things," Gindhart Dragoo said.

Living in multiple places, such as California, Arizona and Bloomington, Indiana, the saying, "the White River calls you back," worked out to be true for Gindhart Dragoo. The arts center needed her to work on grants and help raise money in 2000.

Her "Green Glam" is what she calls her upcycled jewelry, taking metal and art glass to create wearable items again.

"My spirit animal is a crow because all shiny things come to these eyes," Gindhart Dragoo said.

While she faces almost no challenges with repurposing any thrifted jewelry, her motto seems to be true: "Debra has never met a piece of crap she couldn't turn into something beautiful."

On top of creating, Gindhart Dragoo is celebrating 25 years of her First Thursday event at Cornerstone Center for the Arts. This aims to support and celebrate local artists, especially younger creators, while giving the chance for local venues and galleries to showcase what they have to offer.

"It's just helping other artists, you know, put their work and creative talents out to our community," Gindhart Dragoo said.

She also frequents the Morrison Woods Health Campus to bring materials and new ideas to the residents who live there. Recently bringing more spring themed materials, it gives them a chance to create with their peers.

Gindhart Dragoo is grateful to be back in Muncie and with the local art community. To learn more about what she has to offer at the Cornerstone Center for the Arts, visit cornerstoneart.org.

Contact Arlene Thompson with comments at arlene.thompson@bsu.edu.

After the 75-63 win over the Falcons in the quarterfinals, Head Coach Brady Sallee said that it this point in the season, teams know each other extremely well. But this is a battle-tested Toledo Rockets squad that Ball State has regular season wins against.

The Cardinals last regular season game was on the road at Toledo Mar. 7, which resulted in a 78-71 win.

Here are three keys to the game for the Cardinals success.

Crash the glass

By just looking at box scores all season, it is evident that BallState succeeds the most whenever they outrebound their opponent. There is a reason why the Cardinals rank top ten in the country in rebounds per game.

But it is extremely important the squad racks up boards against Toledo.

In the first matchup with the Rockets, the Cardinals were outrebounded 36-35 and escaped with a four-point win at home. In the second matchup, the Cardinals had a large rebounding margin of 50-38, and it showed in the team's ability to control the game from start to finish.

Keep Grace Kingery shooting

A key for the Cardinals the entire back half of the season has been to get sophomore guard Grace Kingery open shots. The guard is the team's best three-point shooter, and Kingery was a key part in the quarterfinal victory over Bowling Green.

Kingery has been on a heater since the start of February. The guard has broken her own personal career high three times since the start of the month, with the most recent time being her 25-point game against Bowling Green.

The guard hit big shot after big shot in the quarterfinals win, and it has been a key in the back half of the season to find Kingery for open shots. She has scored in double digits in 17 of her last 20 games.

If the Cardinals can get Kingery multiple open threes, it will be a good sign for Ball State.

Contain Patricia Anumgba

Toledo senior guard Patricia Anumgba is one of the Rockets' best players, and she is playing good basketball at the right time. The guard is coming off a 19-point, 12 rebound performance in the team's quarterfinal win over the University of Massachusetts (UMass).

Anumgba also scored 24 points in the season finale against BallState.

If the Cardinals can contain Anumgba, then the odds turn in their favor to win the semifinal game.

Contact Kyle Stout with questions via email at kyle.stout@bsu.edu or on X @kylestoutdailyn.

The event took place in the multi-purpose room of the campus's North West Residence Hall, with nearly every seat taken by a student and each one given a small bag of LEGOs. Assistant Director for Career Development, Allen Johnson Jr., began the event with a deep dive into the National Association of Colleges and Employers [NACE] competencies.

The attendees then went into a group discussion about the eight different competencies and which ones they thought were the easiest, hardest, most important and more. The competencies include career and self-development, communication, critical thinking, inclusiveness, leadership, professionalism, teamwork and technology.

Johnson shared why Ball State's Career Center decided to host the LEGO-building event.

"I think a big thing is we try to take an approach where we can work with students and try to meet them where they are, but we understand that lecture-style presentations may not get the best response,"Johnson said. "Our goal is to make sure that we can give students an opportunity to feel like they can participate in these activities where they can build LEGOs and kind of act as if they're children."

Several of the students in attendance expressed that their love for LEGOs was what drove them to come as well as the opportunity to make connections.

After explaining and sharing group thoughts about the NACE competencies, students were directed prompts on what to do with their LEGOs. One of the prompts consisted of building a tower that represents their year at Ball State so far.

After each prompt, the attendees discussed as a group what their towers represented and why they chose what they built. Some of the students' LEGO creations consisted of a residence hall front desk to represent the technology competency, a staircase to highlight communication and a stage to portray professionalism.

First-year student Jackson Fuller explained why he decided to come to the event.

"I just like building LEGOs and getting to build our own thing out of them, and also because it's something that I don't get to do very often," Fuller said.

After the students completed all the prompts of building towers to represent a specific aspect of the NACE competencies and their journeys at Ball State, Johnson led them into a reflection composed of several questions such as what the students discovered about themselves and what they liked about having their ideas and thoughts shared.

The event ended with the students building Ball State Cardinals out of their LEGOs that they got to keep, and they were given specific instructions on how to put them together.

First-year Ball State student Exander Gaddie voiced his thoughts on why he thinks students enjoy events like this one.

"Not only is it educational, but it makes it fun in a way. It lets you be yourself, like nobody is telling you how to do it or what to do but rather what's on your mind and what can you build out of it," Gaddie said.

Ball State's Career Center is located on the second floor of Lucina Hall where they offer programs and services such as career coaching, interview assistance, job fairs and more.

"I think [this event] helps and offers students reassurance, and so they can learn in these spaces but also have an opportunity to have fun," Johnson said.

Contact Gracie Parkhurst via email at gracie.parkhurst@bsu.edu.

Get ready to celebrate St. Patrick's Day by giving back! Tuesday March 17, 2026 (2:00 p.m.) AT 104

On Monday, March 17, 2:00 p.m. the Applied Business Studies department is hosting a Day of Service in the Allegra Restaurant! (AT 104)Join us for a service opportunity that is: Quick, easy, fun, and a great way to earn service hours!

We'll be working together in an assembly-line format, so you can jump in and make an immediate impact. Every meal packed helps support members of our Muncie community.

Don't forget to wear green to celebrate St. Paddy's Day while you serve! Bring your friends, your school spirit, and your heart for service. We look forward to seeing you there!

With questions, contact Dr. Craig Webster,cwebster3@bsu.edu

The 91^stAnnual Student Art Show is Closing Soon - Don't Miss Your Chance to See It!

It's time for the 91st Annual Student Art Show! The School of Art's Annual Student Show displays artwork produced by students and gives students the opportunity to participate in a professional exhibition where a qualified juror selects artwork and artistic awards of distinction.

The public is invited to visit the exhibition at theThe Ned and Gloria Griner Art Gallery, located just off the Atrium Food Court in AJ 101 in theArt and Journalism Building.

Ball State University Department of Theatre and Dance's production of CATS

The Department of Theatre and Dance presents CATS at Emens Auditorium next week! You don't want to miss a spectacular evening with the Jellicle Cats at one of the performances below:

• March 20-21 at 7:30 p.m.
• March 22 at 2:30 p.m.

Directed and Choreographed by Anne Beck with Musical Direction from Michael Rafter.

The Jellicle Cats come out to play on one special night of the year - the night of the Jellicle Ball! One by one, they tell their stories for the amusement of Old Deuteronomy, their wise and benevolent leader, who must choose one of the Cats to ascend to The Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a whole new Jellicle life.

Advance tickets are only $15 for students and Ball State staff! Swing by the Emens Box Office with your friends to snag seats for the whole group.

CATS is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of The Really Useful Group. www.concordtheatricals.com

For more information, go toBall State's Communication Center.

The candidates were nominated through votes from other senators as long as the person fit the requirements and accepted the nomination to run. They were then tasked with preparing slides containing information on what they would want to accomplish if elected.

The two nominees for treasurer were current Parliamentarian Casen Lake and At-Large Senator Ava Sterrett.

Lake, a second-year political science major, is a part of the off-campus committee and is currently the parliamentarian for the executive board. Within his first year in the senate, he had written two amendments and one piece of legislation, with all three eventually passing. Lake is also a part of the Honors College, as well as an ambassador for the political science department.

Lake has three main running points: efficiency, transparency and collaboration.

The first point he discussed was efficiency. He said as treasurer, he would like to keep track of the SGA budget and find new ways to help serve the student body.

Lake said that, in an effort to do this, he wanted to look for more ways to increase the budget through more investments.

"Particularly going along with other universities that have possibly invested in their investment clubs to help use those funds for student government and increase them," he said.

He explained how it would be open to legislation in the senate and with full transparency, so students can see where the money is going and why. In the process, he hopes this will increase student voices on budget decisions.

The last point Lake brought attention to was collaboration.

As treasurer, Lake said he would want to work more closely with every senator, organization and club at Ball State to help further fulfill the needs of the student body.

The next candidate to present was Sen. Sterrett, a second-year business administration major, who is a part of several organizations, including SGA's community and environmental affairs committee. Sterrett is also the Panhellenic Delegate for the Kappa Delta sorority.

Sterrett wishes to continue current Treasurer Caroline Emmerick's teaching of Student Organizational Funding (SOF) and help support the Student Organizational Funding and Assistance Committee (SOFAC) so the senate and student body can understand how the process of requesting money from the budget works.

"I also want to ensure the senate is informed of exactly what SOF policy is, as well as what SOFAC is, and then maintain transparency with what a budget is and how it's being used," Sterrett said.

After both candidates presented, they stepped out of the room with President Chelsea Murdock, as the senate had the chance to discuss who to choose.

Sen. Addy Morey advocated for Lake to be elected, explaining that whenever they had worked together, he was reliable. She said if he was asked to do anything by anyone, he would do it.

"Those things are new and would definitely benefit the student body, especially with transparency to the student body, trying to translate all the transparency that's going on here and trying to facilitate that," Morey said.

Sen. Charley Isaacs said that while he has not worked with either candidate, from what he saw from each presentation, Lake's was more proactive and Sterrett's was more "reactive."

"From what I saw of Sen. Sterrett's presentation, it seemed to be if people had an issue or a concern, [her response is] 'Come to me personally.' It seemed to be more reactionary than proactive in my personal opinion," Isaacs said.

Sen. Lucian Kaufman, who is a part of Feminists For Action, wanted to bring attention to Lake's presentation concerning investment in other organizations possible consequences.

"He made a motion to basically offshoot some of our budget allocations to private organizations, like not organizations, but clubs, basically. And I would like everybody to kind of think about how that would affect our students, how that would affect transparency, and how that would affect the budget going forward," Kaufman said. "He is a very experienced lawmaker and very experienced delegate. I would like you all to think about how that law would affect our funding requests going forward."

After the discussion ended, SGA went into a vote between the two candidates. After a couple of minutes, the vote closed, and with 21 yays out of 27, Parliamentarian Lake won.

SGA then went into the candidate presentations for the next chief administrator, which were between Lisette Ariza and Zack Francis.

The first candidate to present was Ariza, a third-year political science and sociology major, who is a part of several organizations, including the Honors College and SGA's Off-Campus Caucus.

As chief administrator, Ariza wants to continue SGA's collaboration with the Communications Center to ensure consistent and clearly recorded meetings of minutes that can be distributed in a timely manner. She also wants to focus on senator accountability by creating a spreadsheet of student organizations with dates and times.

"When it comes to senator accountability, BeConnected is a useful platform. [However, I would like] to get your hours in for organizational visits and mak[e] an Excel spreadsheet that includes, dates, times, [and] months just so that everyone is able to see what actually works best for their schedule," she said.

After Ariza finished her presentation, she stepped out for Francis, a second-year social work major. Francis was a former on-campus chair but is now an off-campus senator and the community and environmental affairs committee chair.

Francis, similar to Ariza, wants to focus on accurate and timely minutes so SGA can get them out to the student body within 24 hours of the meeting in order to ensure transparency on what is talked about. He also wants to focus on the RoundTable Talks and make them consistent on a monthly basis, so the student body can come to the senate with more issues they potentially want addressed.

RELATED: The Student Government Association hosts its first Round Table Talk

"When it came to our roundtable talks, I thought they were such a great way to have our legislation system be an accessible body. And I'm hoping that by doing round table talks on a monthly basis and making them more known to students, [it] will be really imperative for all of us," Francis said.

Francis also wants to increase the number of organizational visits within SGA to connect more with the student body and make those visits more efficient for both parties.

The senate then went into discussion while both candidates sat outside the room. After the discussion finished and SGA went into their vote, Ariza was approved with 20 out of 27 votes for chief administrator.

After the elections had finished, SGA went into a budget request from the organizational caucus presented by its chair, Sen. Jack Correa. The request made was for a tabling event on March 12 from 2-5 p.m and for another event in late April, with a date and time to be determined, to bring awareness to safe drinking habits and give out items for safety when drinking.

The items the caucus wants to buy with the allocated money given to them would be $21 for a 32-ounce bag of assorted candy, $16 for a 50-pack of drink covers, $16 for 20 drink test strips and an inflation buffer of $10, rounding up to $63.

The budget request was approved by SGA unanimously.

Another budget request was made by the Community and Environmental Affairs Committee, presented by Sen. Ava Sterrett. The request was made for another tabling event at the Scramble Light on March 18 in order to receive input about sidewalks that may be difficult to utilize, as well as ideas on what to place in the empty space next to North Dining.

The money requested was for three Frito-Lay snack packages worth $77.97 and an inflation buffer of $6.75.

The budget request was approved by SGA unanimously.

SGA also went over nominations for the next president pro tempore, and senators were given a list of names of people who qualified to be nominated. The requirements to be nominated are that it has to be done by a senator, the individual has to accept the nomination, have at least a 2.8 GPA or above, and have been an on‑campus student for a minimum of three semesters. They also would have to be a full‑time student and have been a student senator or member of the executive board for two consecutive semesters before the election.

The current nominees are Sen. Grace Rerucha, who has accepted the nomination, and Gracie Hamilton, who was not present, with their answer still pending.

SGA will meet again next week, March 19, at the L.A. Pittenger Student Center in Cardinal Hall B at 3:15 p.m.

Contact Landon Jones via email landon.jones2@bsu.edu.

Ball State had two players on the first team: senior forward Bree Salenbien and senior center Tessa Towers.

Head Coach Brady Sallee said that these awards are a result of winning and teamwork. Sallee said the people that got recognized were because they were standing on the backs of their teammates.

"It means a lot to them," Sallee said. "When you do it with a selfless team like this, I think it's even more important."

Towers said that she was grateful to even be considered for any of the teams. The center only played around four minutes per game last season, but this season Towers is second on the team in points per game with 15.

"I just felt really grateful for everyone around me, and just for this team and the opportunities that I've been given," Towers said.

This was Salenbien's first year with the team after transferring in from Gonzaga, and the forward said that being selected to the All-MAC first team is everything that she could have ever dreamed of.

"If you told me that I was going to be where I am today and having the success I'm having a couple of years ago or even a year ago, I definitely would not have believed you," Salenbien said.

The Cardinals have shown throughout the season their ability to play through players like Salenbien and Towers. After past games, sophomore Grace Kingery has talked about how much easier it makes it for her to get open three point looks when Towers draws so much attention in the post.

Alongside Towers' post presence has been Salenbien's passing ability as a forward. Salenbien is second on the team in assists with 3.8 per game. Sallee said that the team plays through both of them in "different ways."

The head coach said that with Salenbien, the team has used her in a "Larry Birdish" way to get the ball in the forward's hands and allow her to make decisions.

"At times she has taken pressure off of our guards because she can almost be another point guard, even though she's playing the four," Sallee said.

With Towers, Sallee said the center's presence in the paint forces doubles teams and opens up shooters around the perimeter. The head coach said that Towers has done a good job getting the ball out of those double teams all year.

Sallee said that their play reflects the team's strength in sharing the ball.

"It just so happens that those two kids have been forced to share the ball probably a little bit more than they've ever been asked to," Sallee said.

Salenbien and Towers are the only two seniors on a Cardinals team that presents a lot of youth. Going into the season with so many new players, Sallee did not know where leadership would come from, but he said that every ounce of leadership the team brings is critical.

The head coach said that he has seen cultural leadership with Towers, especially with how big of a step the center has taken from last year to this year. During games, Sallee said the team has been able to turn to Salenbien.

"Bree [Salenbien] has been a real calming voice for us in games, and she's been that kid that says the right stuff when we need her to and has been big for us that way," Sallee said.

Both Salenbien and Towers are players who have taken massive steps this season from their previous years. Salenbien has more than doubled her statistics this season in points, rebounds and assists compared to last season at Gonzaga.

The forward has gone through multiple season ending injuries in her career, and her last one left her deciding if she even wanted to use her last year of eligibility to transfer. But throughout the recovery process, she did, and it has paid off for Salenbien.

"Going from thinking about being done playing basketball to where I'm at today, it just makes me emotional," Salenbien said.

Sallee said it is a little "abnormal" to see a player come in and be able to step into a role like Salenbien has. He said that something that gets lost sometimes in player leadership is the ability to be genuine and have strong character.

The head coach said that players do not tend to follow leaders missing those traits.

"The real true good leaders have that strong character to them, and they try their hardest to do exactly what they're asking others to do as well," Sallee said. "That's one of the strengths that Bree [Salenbien] has."

Towers has had a roller coaster of a collegiate career. The center spent the first two years of her career at the University of Wisconsin, but after issues with alleged mistreatment at the program and only four games played over two years, she decided to enter the transfer portal.

In her first season with Ball State, Towers only averaged 4.4 minutes per game and only appeared in 17 games. But this season, Towers has played a huge role for the Cardinals, and the growth that is shown on the stat sheet is something that Sallee said is "unbelievable."

"I've said it all year, I think she's a made-for-TV movie," Sallee said.

The head coach said that Towers did not let anybody write her story or decide what she was going to do.

"Regardless of what coaches at Wisconsin said or anybody else said, she had a different view of it all and went to work and is sitting here where she is right now," Sallee said. "It's one of the coolest things I've been a part of."

Towers said she feels like her story is special and unique to herself. The center said she has spent the last three years working tirelessly, and it is shown with the All-MAC first team award.

"Looking at where I came from to where I am now, it's just a big difference and I'm just very grateful for everything around me," Towers said.

Sallee said that Towers' story of overcoming adversity and becoming the player that she is today is something that can inspire other athletes.

"I know I'm not the only athlete that has gone through what I've gone through," Towers said. "I always enjoy telling my story and enjoy having another experience for people to live off of."

Salenbien and Towers will have the chance to keep their season going as they take on Toledo in the MAC semifinals Mar. 13 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland.

Contact Kyle Stout with questions via email at kyle.stout@bsu.edu or on X @kylestoutdailyn.

Ball State University senior and captain of Code Red, Mallory Leeper, was able to earn her spotlight by making it as one of the 48 finalists within the Colts Cheerleading auditions. It was announced on the Colts Cheer Instagram page that she, along with 47 other dancers, had been selected for the finals, where they would go to demonstrate their skills on stage at the Colts Audition Showcase on March 7, at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in Indianapolis, Indiana.

"When I got there, the environment was just so supportive, everybody was just constantly supporting one another, I, many times, forgot I was in an audition," Leeper said.

Code Red head coach Kaitlyn Molin was a Colts cheerleader for five seasons. In her first season, she was named the rookie of the year. She was also Pro Bowl Cheerleader and the overall cheerleader of the year in 2024. Assistant coach Sydney Van Meter had retired from Colts Cheer in February 2026 after four years with the team. She was also named rookie of the year in her first season. In turn, Leeper has had a lot of positive influence during the audition process.

"They helped me so much, I honestly would not have been able to get through the process without them," Leeper said.

Although Leeper did not make it to the final 2026 - 2027 Indianapolis Colts Cheer team, she still has her final Mid-American Conference tournament and National Dance Association College Nationals coming up in April.

Contact Alu Mgengo with comments at alu.mgengo@bsu.edu

Today: Winds will slowly pick up throughout the day with a high of 53 degrees. The sun will shine throughout the day with clouds moving in later tonight.

Tonight: The sky will slowly get more cloud coverage through the night with a low of 31 degrees. The wind will get more breezy as the night continues with gusts picking up over 30 mph.

Tomorrow: The morning will start off a little cold at 44 degrees although the temperatures will slowly increase throughout the day. The winds are going to start from the south southwest at 25 mph and pick up through the day slightly. The clouds will stick around all day with a little sunshine peaking through.

Seven-Day Forecast: There will be a wind advisory Friday that will last until Monday. A cold front will move in this weekend bringing in the chance for rain on Sunday and dropping those temperatures from upper 60s to lower 30s. Monday brings a 30% chance of snow. the upcoming week will start off cold, but will slowly increase in temperatures. The lows will stay moderate to the high, although on Sunday night the low will drop by 40 degrees.

- Weather Forecaster Karina Gross

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and X @NLIWeather for breaking weather updates.

NewsLink Indiana is a proud Ambassador for the NOAA Weather-Ready Nation program.

For more information about the Weather-Ready Nation program please click HERE

In volleyball, the offense tends to always get the spotlight and the crowd roaring, but they're not the only piece to the puzzle, especially in Ball State Men's Volleyball.

Ball State Head Coach Mike Iandolo emphasizes "turning points on defense" by putting the pressure on the opposing team by starting with a good serve, challenging their defense and having a good blocking defense is what works for this team.

"Something in general that we needed to get better at was ball control, specifically defense. Digging more balls and turning those into points and that starts with our defense. And for us it's about how we become our best team and for us our best team is defense," Iandolo said.

Within volleyball, the defense, specifically the middle blockers, have a split second to read the setter's eyes to successfully close the gap. And for middle blockers like Jacob Surette, this is one of the many important details that make this team shine.

Surette said that he and his teammates communicate before each play about who will fill in what roles and how they ensure that the defensive wall stays closed.

Even though the offense may bring in the crowds, the defense is what wins these games. You can catch the Ball State Men's Volleyball match tomorrow, March 11, 2026 at 6 p.m. in Worthen Arena when they take on the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Contact Emma Bergman with comments at emma.bergman@bsu.edu.

"You can kind of get a sense of if you've got a group when the lights are on they're ready to respond. We felt like it's kind of in their D-N-A they'd be ready. Just their maturity on how they've approached the whole season, you can get a sense that was rubbing off on our guys," said Detweiler.

Behind this championship victory was a season-high 19-point display from senior Lucas Bragg. Shooting 70% from the field and 75% from the arc, he felt as though the performance came naturally to him, as he claimed,

"I would say the ball just found me at the right time. There was no sort of selfishness within our team and we played really good team ball. Just making the right play, the ball just found me the most I guess. It could've been anyone on that night but it was me, so it makes me pretty happy," said Bragg.

Even though Delta got past sectionals, the job is not finished, but Detweiler loves how his team has been passing different tests throughout the season with so many ups and downs, mentioning,

"They're hungry. The best part of this group, because we've had some really good nights and really bad nights, their best quality has been the ability to just move on and turn the page and be ready for what's next," said Detweiler

Delta now turns its focus to a Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian foe, where they will face off on March 14 at one p.m.

Contact Aidan McNally with questions or comments at aidan.mcnally@bsu.edu

But the boat started to rock in the years following. 15 wins in his second season. Then 14 wins. And then in his fourth year with the team, Ball State went 12-19 and missed the Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournament for the third year in a row.

Ball State decided to move on from Lewis, a year before the head coach would have entered the last year on his contract.

"As Coach Lewis and I talked about, it was a wins and losses deal," Ball State Athletic Director Jeff Mitchell said. "The level of success after year one declined, year over year."

This year marked the third straight year the Cardinals finished 7-11 in MAC play. This year's team only took down one division one opponent with a winning record, and that was a 16-15 University of Massachusetts (UMass) team.

Aside from the numbers, Mitchell said the decision was not easy. The athletic director reiterated from his press release March 7 that the program appreciates the contributions Lewis made in his four years with the school.

"These decisions are always extraordinarily difficult," Mitchell said. "It impacts people's lives."

The Cardinals had one of their worst starts to a season ever this year. The team started conference play 0-5 and saw themselves sitting at 4-13 overall. Rumors started to swirl online that Lewis may be in the hot seat.

Ball State continued conference play poorly, and saw themselves at 3-11 in the MAC after a loss to Akron Feb. 20 on the brink of elimination. But the Cardinals finished out the year with four straight wins, and found themselves in a three-way tie for seventh place in the MAC.

There were two bids to the MAC tournament on the table for Ball State - UMass and Buffalo - but the Cardinals were on the wrong side of a tiebreaker.

Mitchell said the evaluation of moving on from Lewis was an ongoing process, but it is part of the responsibility that he has as an athletic director. Mitchell said internal conversations started to happen as Ball State hit the back half of the conference schedule.

"These decisions are never made in a vacuum, not in operations at this level," Mitchell said. "It's a broad-based approach, [and] there was alignment on that."

Even if Ball State was on the right side of a tie breaker, Mitchell said that he "does not know" if that would have affected Lewis' status.

"That wasn't a fact that presented itself," Mitchell said.

Mitchell took over as Ball State's athletic director in 2023 following the conclusion of Lewis' first 20-win season. And as college sports has progressed, Mitchell has seen the negative effects of the transfer portal contribute to Ball State's lack of success in his tenure.

The Cardinals only had four returning players this past season, and the program saw talent leave to bigger schools, like former star forward Basheer Jihad.

"Those were challenges that were beginning to surface and have intensified over the last several years," Mitchell said. "I think there was a continuity of players where it was difficult to develop, but that's not a Ball State issue; that's an issue that's pervasive across the landscape right now."

The athletic director also recognizes that winning is not easy. Ball State was one of four MAC teams to fire their head coach, along with Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan.

"Coaching in today's landscape is difficult," Mitchell said.

Mitchell wants Ball State to be in the high-end of the MAC in men's basketball, and he said that want of success is what precipitated the decision.

"I think that as we continue to find our footing in this new landscape, the more clarity we have about how we can proceed and how we can lean on the strengths of the university," Mitchell said. "We have a chance to be successful."

A big talking point online since the firing of Lewis is that Ball State's resources do not give the program a chance to succeed.

Jeff Rabjohns, a publisher for peegs.com and a part of 247Sports Network, put out a statement defending Lewis on X that got over 75,000 views.

"Ball State's resources currently allocated to men's basketball aren't close to what is needed to compete with the top MAC teams," Rabjohns said in the post. "This is about resources, not coaching. Everyone knows Lewis can coach."

But Mitchell said that the talk of resources and how to improve upon those is a near-daily conversation that the university has. He said it is a top priority for the program.

"That's a constant conversation that we have at the institution about driving more revenue, enhancing budgets," Mitchell said. "We have increased the level of support for basketball year over year, for the last three years."

Mitchell said he wishes he could "snap his fingers and give [Ball State men's basketball] more," but the athletic director did emphasize the support the program already receives.

"In addition to financial resources, we have provided staffing assistance to men's basketball, from a dedicated trainer to a dedicated strength and conditioning coach, to continuing to invest in our facilities," Mitchell said.

The transfer portal for men's basketball opens up the day after the national championship game in April, so it is go time for the Cardinals to try and find a new head coach before the portal opens up. Although Ball State is immediately in search of a new leader for the men's basketball program, Mitchell said it is "disingenuous" to put a timeline on it.

While that is the case, Mitchell said it will be his only focus for however long the head coaching search goes.

"It will be important that we have somebody prior to the final four," Mitchell said. "But certainly my time frame is going to be to conduct a thorough and thoughtful search, and that process has begun."

While the transfer portal is not open yet and nothing is official, there have been some players, like sophomore guard Davion Hill, who have put out on social media their intent to enter the transfer portal. Mitchell said he met with the team to acknowledge the difficulty of the situation and that he respects any decision they may make.

In terms of hiring a new head coach, Mitchell said there will be a five-day window where the new coach can talk to the team and make efforts to try and bring players back.

"I told them to their face, I respect [their decisions]," Mitchell said. "I also told them that we're working diligently to find a new head coach, and I hope that they have the opportunity to visit with that new head coach to talk about their future."

The Lewis era in Muncie is over. The Cardinals will look to the future with whoever Mitchell and his team decide is the best fit.

Contact Kyle Stout with questions via email at kyle.stout@bsu.edu or on X @kylestoutdailyn.

Ball State defeated Bowling Green 75-63 and will advance to the semifinals where they will play the Toledo Rockets.

RELATED: 'It's March' - Ball State Women's Basketball advances in MAC tournament after win over Bowling Green

The key for the Cardinals against Bowling Green was the efficiency of sophomore guard Grace Kingery who scored a career high 25 points. Kingery shot an impressive 52% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc, while also racking up five rebounds and two assists. The team itself shot a solid 42% from the field and 50% from three.

Head Coach Brady Sallee described the win as a "heck of a game." Sallee nodded his head at Bowling Green head coach Fred Chmiel for the closeness of the game.

"Fred [Chmiel]'s such a pro down on that other sideline," Sallee said. "He started trying to exploit some matchups and they made a couple shots on some penetrate and kick situations."

The Cardinals have played Toledo twice, beating them 72-68 and 78-71 in the two matchups.

Sallee is confident that the previous meetings will give Ball State an advantage. The head coach said he is so confident he could tell you what the other teams pregame meal is.

"It's really about putting that in front of your team and making sure they understand the plan regardless of who you play. But I know whoever it is we play, it's going to be a good one, and that's just what MACtion is," Sallee said.

As Ball State had to wait to find out who its next opponent was going to be, Coach Sallee had his scouting plan down to a tee

"I'm getting old, so I'll go back to the hotel room and watch [UMass vs. Toledo] on the computer. My staff will stay behind and watch it. But at this time of the year, you know everybody inside out. I can tell you what they ordered for a pregame meal you know," Sallee said.

The key for the Cardinals as they take on Toledo is containing junior guard Kendall Carruthers. Carruthers is the leading scorer for the Rockets, averaging 12.2 points a game. In the two teams first meeting on Jan. 7, Carruthers was the game's leading scorer with 19 points along with a pair of assists and a steal.

In their second meeting, the Cardinals kept Carruthers to 13 points, and Ball State's rebounding was likely the key.

The Cardinals racked up 50 rebounds in that second meeting to the Rockets 38, 12 of those 50 coming from senior center Tessa Towers.

Ball State now has a day of rest before their semifinal game, and a chance to go to the tournament championship for the second year in the row.

During the off day, the Cardinals are continuing a tradition they've had for some time as they're being hosted by a local high school for practice.

"We've had great luck since we've gone over there so we'll do that, then the superstition part of it will kick in and we'll prepare the gameplan in front of them," Sallee said.

Other than the practice aspect for the Cardinals, Sallee wants his team to do one thing on the off day: relax.

"At that point, it's about kicking their feet up, resting, relaxing and enjoying each other," Sallee said. "And this team has been really good at staying loose all year long. We're going to try to keep them that way. We're just going to put our best selves out there and see what we got."

Contact Rylan Crum with any questions at rylan.crum@bsu.edu or on X @RylanCrum

Tonight: This morning's storm brought cool and dreary conditions which will continue through the night. Temperatures will fall to 29 degrees, but will feel cooler due to light rainfall and strong winds. Winds will have a sustained speed of 20 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. High winds will make most umbrellas useless, so it is best to stay inside tonight.

Tomorrow: Tonight's clouds will clear letting the sun shine bright. We will begin the day at 30 degrees and a light breeze, eventually reaching 46 degrees at 5 p.m. Winds will increase with gusts reaching the high-20s in the afternoon, eventually calming in the evening.

Seven-Day Forecast: Skies will be mostly clear and temperatures will increase, reaching the mid-50s on Friday. Also, with Friday comes intense winds and gusts in the high-40s. Secure outdoor objects and watch for debris and fallen limbs. The next couple days will have mostly cloudy skies with a 70 percent chance of rain on Sunday. Temperatures will max at 69 degrees on Sunday before dropping to the low-30s on Monday and Tuesday.

- Weather Forecaster Dillinger Clark

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The season was on the line for the Cardinals, as a loss would eliminate any hope of an NCAA tournament bid. But from that point on to the end of the game, sophomore guard Grace Kingery and senior forward Bree Salenbien combined for 16 points to lift the Cardinals to a win.

"I think we really just stuck to us," Salenbien said. "We got a little crazy there for a second and I looked up and it was down to four. In that moment, I think we really stuck together and I think we did what we do."

The Cardinals took down the Falcons 75-63 to advance to the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

"You'd almost think it was March out there," Head Coach Brady Sallee said.

Sallee said both teams played like they did not want to go home, and the head coach said that is what happens this time of year.

"I just thought in that moment where they cut it to four, we became the best version of ourselves in crunch time, and got out of here with a big one and survived to Friday," Sallee said.

During Bowling Green's big run, Sallee admitted that he probably let play go too long before calling a timeout, but he said he has had trust in his team all year to answer any punch that is thrown their way. The head coach said that after the timeout, he saw his team go back to who they are.

"In that timeout, we didn't talk a whole lot of X's and O's, we talked about just who we are and getting back to who we are," Sallee said.

Only four Cardinals' players from last year's championship team are on this year's squad, so for most of the team, Cleveland was unfamiliar territory. But it did not appear that way for Ball State.

After a back-and-forth start, Ball State outscored Bowling Green 23-13 in the second quarter to ride a 14-point halftime lead.

19 of the Cardinals' 42 first half points came from forward Aniss Tagayi, center Alba Caballero and guard Zhen Verburgt: all of whom are freshman. Sallee said before the game that he was interested to see what his team would look like in Cleveland.

The head coach saw pretty quickly how his team responded to the pressure.

"To see Aniss play the way she did, to see Zhen [Verburgt] play the way she did, Alba I thought was really good," Sallee said. "This is a lot up here when you're first here."

Kingery has been on this stage before, as she played a smaller role on last year's championship squad. But Kingery is not comfortable in Cleveland just because she played in this tournament last year.

The guard grew up in North Ridgeville, which is just under 20 miles away from Cleveland. Kingery's family was in attendance, and she showed out in front of them, as she scored a career high 25 points on 5-10 shooting from three.

Kingery is playing her best basketball at the right time, as the guard has broken her career high three separate times since the start of February.

"I think just the confidence that I've had, [and] my teammates have in me and the coaches putting me in those situations," Kingery said. "They make it really easy."

In the first half, the Cardinals did not allow Bowling Green to make a single three, and only allowed three the entire game. The early defensive efforts allowed Ball State to hold a steady lead the entire way.

"We just prepare really well," Salenbien said. "We knew their personnel, running their three point shooters off the line."

Ball State took down Bowling Green 82-67 Feb. 14, and Sallee said that he had a feeling after that first game that he would see the Falcons again. The head coach said the film session after that first game was a little deeper than normal because of that that feeling.

That feeling paid off, as Ball State forced Bowling Green's two best players, sophomore guard Johnea Donahue and junior guard Paige Kohler, to a combined 9-34 shooting from the field.

"We learned a lot from the first game," Sallee said. "I'm just really proud of my team for diving in that deep to the personnel."

Leading up to this game, Sallee said that preparation for this game was just like any normal road game. But now that the team has officially advanced to the semi-finals, the head coach said the "fun begins."

Sallee said the first day of the tournament is the hardest. But now that his team has gotten past the quarterfinals, the head coach said they can unpack their bags and get their feet under them.

"There's a little bit of a deep breath for the players, they don't play tomorrow, so they can rest," Sallee said. "We're going to put our best selves out there and see what we got."

Ball State will take on No. 6 Toledo Mar. 13 in the MACsemifinals.

Contact Kyle Stout with questions via email at kyle.stout@bsu.edu or on X @kylestoutdailyn.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Shaky first quarter

Ball State got off to a slow start in the first quarter, shooting only 30% from the field and 20% from three in the first five minutes.

This slump allowed Bowling Green to get out to a quick two-point lead but right after that, it seemed the Cardinals early game nerves were gone.

In the back half of the first, Ball State jumped up to 40% from the field and 42% from three while scoring 11 points off turnovers and 12 off of fast breaks.

In a one bid conference tournament such as the MAC, weak starts could be crucial, but the Cardinals found rhythm to completely take over.

At the end of the first quarter Ball State looked like a different team than the one that started the game, finishing with three more minutes with the lead than Bowling Green and stretched the lead out to seven under a minute to go.

Don't shy away from the paint

With two solid forces in the paint with senior center Tessa Towers and freshman forward Alba Caballero, Ball State needs to emphasize paint activity from here on out.

The first half showed what was possible in the paint as they recorded 26 total rebounds, 20 points in the paint and four second chance points, all more than Bowling Green which helped them boast a 14 point lead at half.

When you have a player two inches taller than your opponent's tallest player, you have to use that to your advantage, and the Cardinals did by feeding it to Towers in the paint time and time again.

Towers' presence in the paint made Bowling Green constantly double her, allowing for open looks beyond the arc.

Towers finished the game with seven points, eight rebounds and three steals. An overall solid performance from the senior center.

Ball movement and threes

Another key to Ball State's victory tonight was how they moved the ball as they finished with 22 assists to Bowling Green's seven.

Assists are only one side of this story though as the ball movement opened up players in the paint, which allowed for open three-point shots.

The Cardinals capitalized with a 50% from beyond the arc, with sophomore guard Grace Kingery going knocking down 5 threes and senior guard Bree Salenbien shooting a whopping 66% from behind the arc.

As Bowling Green shot a poor 3-16 from three-point range, Ball State was able to take advantage with their consistency, something that can carry them in the month of March.

Contact Rylan Crum with any questions @rylan.crum@bsu.edu or on X @RylanCrum.

Tonight: Temperatures are expected to drop just below freezing overnight, so take caution when leaving your house because the precipitation we have had is likely to freeze. Winds will be around 20 mph with gusts up to 40 mph, and the rain showers are going to clear up around 7 p.m. this evening.

Tomorrow: The sun returns to our forecast, and our temperatures are predicted to reach the high-40s as we work our way through the day. It is also going to be slightly breezy tomorrow with wind speeds around 10 to 15 mph and gusts up to 20 mph.

Seven-Day Forecast: Our temperatures are going to begin to drop as we make our way later into the week, as a result of the cold front making its way across the Midwest towards the East Coast. Temperatures are going to increase slightly during the weekend but fall again early next week. The next few days are expected to be quite windy with gusts reaching 40 mph or greater on Friday and Sunday. Rain also returns to our forecast Sunday afternoon with a 70 percent chance.

- Weather Forecaster Halle Dziekan

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The Cardinals' first game of the tournament comes against Bowling Green, a team they beat earlier in the regular season 82-67, but they are no slouch as they are led by MAC Defensive Player of the Year sophomore guard Johne Donahue.

Here are three keys to the Cardinals' success heading into game one.

Scoring in the paint

As Bowling Green's biggest threat is their Defensive Player of the Year in Donahue, one of Ball State's biggest threats is senior center Tessa Towers, who was selected to the All-MAC first team. The main separator between the two? Height.

Donahue stands at 5'8, while Towers stands at 6'5. As Donahue leads the Falcons in steals with 4.2 a game, the key for the Cardinals will be being overly present in the paint.

Towers has had her best season of her career this year as she is averaging 15.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists a game. In Ball State's first matchup against the Falcons, Towers racked up 14 points and 10 rebounds.

A similar showing today will put Ball State in a good position to advance.

Slow down guard play

Bowling Green's biggest offensive threat is junior guard Paige Kohler who averages 14.9 points a game. In her last time out against the Cardinals she had a productive day scoring 17 points and two assists.

Along with being a threat on defense for the Falcons, Donahue is also their second leading scorer, averaging 11.3 points a game.

The key for the Cardinals in this facet of the game will be a solid defensive performance from freshman forward Aniss Tagayi, who averages 1.5 steals and nearly one block a game.

Sophomore guard Grace Kingery will also be a key reinforcement in the defensive backcourt as she also averages at least one block a game.

A solid defensive performance from both Salenbien and Kingery would give Ball State the edge they needed in round one.

Rebound, rebound, rebound

Heading into the postseason, Ball State has two of the top 10 rebounding leaders in the conference in Towers who is fourth with 258 rebounds this season, and Salenbien who is seventh with 222 rebounds this season.

On the opposing side, Bowling Green has players in the 10th spot, and 15th spot, a decent gap between the two teams.

As scoring in the paint should be an emphasis for Ball State, so should rebounding. With a 6 '5 Towers having at least two inches on Bowling Green's tallest player, the paint should be the place to go on offense for Ball State.

Ball State is scheduled to kick off the MAC tournament today at 4 p.m. or 30 minutes after game two.

Contact Rylan Crum with questions @rylan.crum@bsu.edu or on X @RylanCrum