Ball State men's basketball loses emotionally charged MAC contest against Miami (OH)
It’s January 20, 2024, and Ball State led 72-69 with 14 seconds left. Miami (OH) just grabbed a rebound off a missed jumper from junior guard Davion Bailey.
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It’s January 20, 2024, and Ball State led 72-69 with 14 seconds left. Miami (OH) just grabbed a rebound off a missed jumper from junior guard Davion Bailey.
Jada Cooper, now 22-years-old and in Ball State University’s Master’s program for education, has been a Ball State student and cheerleader since she was 18. She’s been a second grade teacher at Longfellow Elementary in Muncie since she was 21.
When Basheer Jihad picked up his fourth foul with nearly 14 minutes left to play in a Mid-American Conference (MAC) men’s basketball contest between Ball State and Eastern Michigan, the Cardinals led by just three points.
Editor's note: Ball State players were not made available for comments post game.
Basheer Jihad sat with a blank expression on his face.
There were 21 seconds left and Worthen Arena was loud. Ball State men’s basketball was down two to Central Michigan, but the Cardinals had just forced a turnover.
In perhaps the most intense game of the season for Ball State men’s basketball, the Cardinals lost their fourth straight game, falling 71-65 to Mid-American Conference (MAC) rival Central Michigan. Ultimately, the Chippewas (8-6, 1-1 MAC) forcing four turnovers in the last four Ball State (8-6, 0-2 MAC) possessions of the game was the most deciding factor in the final minute.
Michael Lewis emphatically closing his laptop screen at the end of his postgame press conference may as well have been his version of a mic drop. While it took 40 minutes for Ball State to lose 82-69 to Kent State, Lewis knew it was over by the end of the first half.
Ball State men’s basketball went into its biggest non-conference game of the season against the B1GTEN’s Minnesota shorthanded. With graduate student Ethan Brittain-Watts already out for the season and freshman Joey Brown suspended, three more Cardinals joined the inactive list.
Ball State men’s basketball head coach Michael Lewis was buzzing to return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the 2023 Indy Classic. After defeating SIU Edwardsville a week prior, Lewis recalled a conversation with the decision makers for the four-team showcase, saying the Cardinals were invited back after a 14-point win over Illinois State in the inaugural event last season.
Even though they spend a large chunk of almost every day together now, Michael Lewis and Basheer Jihad haven’t even known each other for two years. Ball State men’s basketball’s second-year head coach came to Muncie in April 2022, where he met the then 18-year-old for the first time.
Clayton Coll remembers the play that ended his 2023 season by heart.
Ben Carr said he grew up a Purdue University fan. A Zionsville native, Carr said he regularly attended basketball games at Mackey Arena and football games at Ross-Ade Stadium with consistently packed crowds.
Ball State University’s Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell met with Mike Neu as soon as he could following the conclusion of the 2023 season. After the Cardinals lost a one-possession game to Miami (OH) to finish their season 4-8, Mitchell gave Neu the next day off and scheduled a meeting for the morning of Monday, Nov. 27 to mull over the season.
Ball State men’s basketball coaches and players alike hoped the worst was behind them after a 24-point loss to Evansville Nov. 18. After winning the next two games by more than 15 points each, it seemed like that was the case.
“I’m probably going to cry on Saturday,” Cole Pearce said.
Despite Ball State men’s basketball moving to 5-1 with a 92-74 win over Arkansas Pine-Bluff, it was the same story as it has been throughout each of the Cardinals first six games this season.
“Bring the fight.”
Sidney Houston Jr. still remembers the heartbreak that came with the last game of the season in 2022. He still remembers the tears he shed after the Cardinals lost by one-point to finish the season with just five wins and no bowl eligibility.
Following Ball State football’s 34-3 win over Kent State, Marquez Cooper couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. And it wasn’t just because he rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown against his former team.