For the first time in nearly two years, Peyton Stovall will return to a building that contains unpleasant memories.
In 2005, Ball State University traveled to Bowling Green State University for the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament. With 6:25 remaining in the first half, Stovall was carried from the court suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
Now, after suffering another injury and sitting out a season, the junior will return to the court where he first hurt himself for the first time since the injury. Stovall said he has been 100 percent physically since his game back, but has wrestled with the mental part of the game.
"This next game put a bit of a setback on me," he said. "It's the first time going back to Bowling Green - the first time I ever saw the gym since I got hurt. That's really the thing that's been bothering me for the last couple days."
While Stovall admits that it had bothered him a bit lately, he doesn't expect it to bother him on the court.
"I think, ultimately, it's going to help me, because it's just another barrier I've got to get past," Stovall said. "I've been through two ACL surgeries, so this should be a cakewalk."
Coach Ronny Thompson said that he has not talked to Stovall about returning to Anderson Arena, where the Cardinals will play at 7 p.m.
"We're forgetting about that," Thompson said. "We haven't talked about it. Don't want to talk about that."
Another thing Thompson doesn't want to talk about is senior D'Andre Peyton. Peyton will return to the team after missing the last two games due to a suspension. Thompson declined to comment on what prompted Peyton's return to the team or what led to the suspension in the first place. Peyton will travel to Bowling Green, but Thompson won't say if the forward will see any playing time.
"[He'll play] if I feel like putting him in," he said. "I may, I may not. Honestly, I haven't given it that much thought. But he is back with the team."
Ball State will be looking to achieve something it hadn't done in almost two years - win four out of five games.
The Cardinals (7-13, 3-4 MAC) have a good shot. Bowling Green (10-10, 1-6 MAC) has dropped the last six games and is one of three teams in the MAC with only one conference win.
Bowling Green is led by Martin Samarco, the MAC's leading scorer. The senior guard averages 20.4 points per game.
"Samarco, Samarco, we have got to do a good job of containing him - we have got to do a good job on him," Thompson said. "I think this game is going to be a defensive challenge for Micah [Rollin] as well, because of the way they play. They bring their post players away from the basket and they screen, re-screen, slip, screen, re-screen, slip. So he's got to be quick."
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