Ball State University's men's basketball team will look to recover at home Sunday following a 60-54 loss to Kent State University.
The Cardinals (6-13, 2-4 in the Mid-American Conference) will play host to the Ohio University Bobcats (13-6, 4-2 MAC).
Ball State has had problems at home, dropping three of its last four home games.
"I don't necessarily see it as a problem of playing at home because we've won more games at home then on the road," Skip Mills said. "I see it more as a problem of closing games out and starting games and not digging ourselves in a hole."
Ohio has the second highest scoring offense in the league, while Ball State has the second worst. Ohio averages a total of 15 more points per game than the Cardinals.
The Bobcats also have five players averaging double figures, while Mills is the only Cardinal to average double digits. The Bobcats have dropped two games in the conference, both in overtime.
"The last two road games in the MAC, we've lost by a combined five points in overtime," Ohio sophomore Jerome Tillman said following the Bobcats victory over Eastern Michigan. "We have to get it back together and go win on the road at Ball State. We have to focus and practice and get it done."
Ohio's Leon Williams leads the conference in rebounding with 9.6 per game while Jerome Tillman is third in the conference with an average of 8.6 per game. The nearest Cardinal is Anthony Newell with 7.4 rebounds per game.
The Cardinals will possibly be without D'Andre Peyton, who was suspended during the Kent State game for an undisclosed violation of team rules.
"He's an energy guy," coach Ronny Thompson said. "He's a guy who can score. He's a guy who can rebound. He can do some various things. We need all of our guys."
Peyton's absence continues a trend that was around before Thompson's tenure. Last year both Darren Yates and Tom Howland were kicked off the team for differing reasons. Earlier this season, freshman Zack Garcia left the team after playing one minute with the team. Garcia's absence started with a suspension that Thompson declined to expand on, and then Garcia left the team and the University.
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