Finding teams to play non-conference at games at Worthen Arena isn’t always easy and Ball State coach Bill Taylor said the catch of bringing South Dakota to Muncie was a home-and-home series in the same season.
The Cardinals (3-4) host the Coyotes (4-5) in the first game of the series today at 2 p.m., marking the first ever meeting between the two teams.
South Dakota is relatively new addition to Division I basketball after joining the Summit League before the 2011-12 season, but the team has proved it belongs after beating teams like IUPUI by 20 points this season.
“It’s interesting because we haven’t seen them in person yet” Taylor said. “You’re talking about a very successful program that’s making the transition to Division I. They’re a pretty good team and one we’re definitely going to have to be prepared to play. I think it could be similar to like a Mid-American Conference opponent in the makeup of their team.”
Taylor said the main motivation of playing a home-and-home series is to simulate playing teams multiple times in conference play.
The unique part about this series, however, is the games are back-to-back in the schedule for Ball State. The team plays at South Dakota next Saturday.
Hitting 3-pointers is a big part of the Coyotes game this season. Three players have hit 13 or more shots from behind the arc and the team averages 7.5 3-pointers per game.
“South Dakota really shoot the three [well],” Taylor said. “They typically have four guys on the floor that can make a three. They stretch you out, but they do have a negative rebounding margin and attack from the inside out. Part of that is controlling the glass. That’ll be really important for us to be physical and be a presence.”
Opponents have outrebounded the Coyotes by more than four rebounds per game thus far. Cleaning up the glass has been a focus for the Cardinals for several games, and getting Matt Kamieniecki back in the lineup should help.
The junior forward sat out Wednesday’s game against Holy Cross (Ind.) with back problems that limited his production and minutes last season. Ball State’s high energy big-man has recovered well thus far, averaging 5.7 boards per game in just over 13 minutes a contest.
