With over a month until Mid-American Conference play starts, coach Billy Taylor isn’t turning his focus to the struggling half-court offense just yet.
While the lack of offensive execution has led to a bevy of turnovers in recent games, Taylor said his temporary remedy lies in the fundamentals.
“We’ve got to continue to think that big picture,” Taylor said. “In order to be successful in the MAC, we know we have to rebound.”
When Ball State (2-4) plays NAIA Division II Holy Cross College (5-5) on Wednesday, Taylor said he hopes an advantage on the glass can lead to transition opportunities for his team.
In its previous two games against Cleveland State and Butler, easy baskets have been hard to come by. Going mainly against set defense, Ball State has scored a combined 10 fast-break points in that span.
“Hopefully we can control our defensive glass, which will allow us to get our more in transition and open up our running game,” Taylor said. “If we can see some success in that regard, it will go a long way into improving our psyche and making sure we continue that going forward.”
Stopping their four-game losing streak on Wednesday would certainly help the Cardinals’ confidence, and arguably the biggest thing holding them back is the team’s poor perimeter shooting.
Over Ball State’s losing streak, the team has combined to shoot 10-of-56 (17.8 percent) from 3-point range. That total is considerably less than the last season’s 33 percent shooting from long-range.
No one has personified those struggles more than senior guard Jauwan Scaife. A career 36 percent 3-point shooter, Scaife has hit five threes in six games at a clip of just over 15 percent.
“Jauwan [Scaife] is obviously struggling to shoot the ball this season,” Taylor said. “I think he’s getting some good looks cutting off some screens—shots that he’s made for us in the past. That’s critical for our offense if he can get those open shots. We have confidence in him and just want to continue to build him up. We know once he catches that really good offensive rhythm, then hopefully those numbers will balance out.”
Balancing out the schedule after such a tough stretch of games was the motivation for playing Holy Cross and then a home-and-home series with South Dakota, Taylor said.
While the Cardinals are clearly the favorite against the Saints on Wednesday, Taylor said there are dangers involved with overestimating an opponent.
“Something I talk about a lot with our guys is respecting the game,” Taylor said. “Regardless of who you’re playing, you have to play a certain way. If you don’t come in with the right mindset and focus on the details, and you let somebody have a big night against you, then it becomes shame on you for not being prepared.”
