It’s been non-stop for Ball State Men’s Basketball. Since Christmas, the team has played 12 games, traveling over 3,000 miles over the course of almost two months. There hasn’t been much of a break in the action.
This week, the team got their first break of the conference season having a seven day rest period between games.The break also marks the halfway point of Mid-American Conference play for the Cardinals, slowly climbing out of slow start at 4-7 in MAC play.
“We went through some up and some downs and we lost some close games,” Redshirt junior guard Tayler Persons said. “That’s just the basketball season. It’s a grind, we’ve won two in a row and it’s nice to go into the BYE week with two wins under our belt. We’re only two games away from fourth in the thick of things. That first half was challenging, but we learned a lot about ourselves.”
While many might not see much positive in the Cardinals first half of the MAC season, the team is beginning to pick up momentum. After going 0-5 in games decided by less than five points, the Cardinals were able to get one to swing their way in a 72-71 win over Northern Illinois. Ball State would follow that up with a blowout 79-59 win over Western Michigan.
Alongside picking up much needed back-to-back wins, the injury list is shrinking. Redshirt sophomore guard Brachen Hazen saw court time for the first time since early December after sitting out due to a back injury. Hazen recorded 11 points, going 3-6 from deep. Hazen said that he has used this off week to readjust to the pace of play after spending so much time out.
“This BYE we has definitely been helpful leading up to Akron for me,” Hazen said. “Even today I was still a step off offensively, but I thought my defensively was better. Getting thrown into the fire in that Western Michigan game and having the game that I did gave me confidence, but it was definitely beginners luck.”
Sophomore guard Ishmael El-Amin is also expected to make his return to the court soon after sitting out due to an ankle injury. Head coach James Whitford said that these returns play a big role into the team’s success.
“It’s one thing to be down one, but it’s another to be down three guys,” Whitford said. “It really helps. I thought Brachen gives us a good lift against Western and played really well. We need him here and we need the other two guys back too.”
In the BYE week, while the team had time to work on individual skills in a controlled setting, a lot of the team enjoyed the time to rest and relax, but stay focused at the same time.
“It felt good to get some time off,” Persons said. “I got to go back to Kokomo and see my family and I haven’t seen them in awhile. I got my body right and just relaxed. We still want to comeback sharp mentally and physically.”
Focus is huge for the Cardinals as they face another challenge in Akron on Saturday. The Zips are coming off their first home loss of the season to No. 25 Buffalo by six. Akron is also the top defensive team in the MAC limiting teams to only 62 points per game. A win by the Cardinals would put them directly in a six way race for fourth place.
“They’re very physical and very good on defense,” Whitford said. “We have to be prepared about how good they are defensively and how physical they are.”
While there may be a sense of doubt after the Cardinals slow start, Whitford said for fans not to leave just yet.
“We have a good team,” Whitford said. “We’re going to play well down this stretch and just tell them to stay with us. We’re two games out of fourth place and it won’t take a whole lot here if we make run and make things happen.”
Contact Jack Williams with any comments at jgwilliams@bsu.edu or on Twitter @jackgwilliams
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