Nonconference records don’t mean much for Mid-American Conference teams that rarely get at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament, but success, or lack of it, in the first half of the schedule is often indicative of what to expect in league play.
Under coach Billy Taylor, Ball State has never finished better than 7-9 in MAC games when the Cardinals don’t enter with at least a .500 record in nonconference play.
If that trend continues, Wednesday’s game against Norfolk State could show a lot in terms of what to expect for the rest of the season.
Ball State (5-6) sits one game shy of that elusive .500 bubble entering its final game before the MAC season begins next week.
Wednesday’s game features two teams looking to snap losing streaks, with the Cardinals having lost their last two games and the Spartans their last four.
Ball State’s 77-68 loss to IUPUI on Dec. 23 dropped the team under .500 for the second time this season.
Norfolk State lost five seniors off last season’s 26-win team that beat Missouri in the NCAA Tournament.
Through fifteen games played, the Spartans trail their opponents in every statistical category except 3-point percentage.
Norfolk State’s struggles may have something to do with its constant travel. The team has played only two games at home this entire season.
