In its first game of 2024-25, Ball State men’s basketball took on Georgia State in the MAC (Mid-American Conference) - Sun Belt Challenge. Here are three takeaways from the Cardinals' 66-71 loss to the Panthers.
Shooting struggles
In the inaugural game of the season, the Cardinals were not shy about their jump shots in the opening half. The game plan seemed like it was centered around taking the three and to start out it, seemed like it was working with junior transfer Juanse Gorosito as he hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the red and black an early lead.
After those shots hit the bottom of the net, the Cardinals went ice cold from the field, ending the half shooting 26 percent (9-for-34) from the field, 28 percent (5-for-18) from three and 33 percent (4-for-12) from the free throw line. The best production for Ball State came off the bench from graduate student guard Ethan Britain-Watts who was 2-for-3 from the field, only taking three-pointers.
There seemed to be a lot of settling for jumpers and contested layups rather than a consistently run offensive game plan. The shot selection was questionable and players at times seemed indecisive on whether they wanted to shoot the ball or not, which led to a collective 32 percent (22-for-68) shooting percentage at the end of the contest.
Lack of post touches for senior Payton Sparks
When you gain a preseason All-MAC center back on your squad like Sparks, the game plan might be to get him the ball in the post, a game plan the Cardinals failed to execute. Offensively, it felt one-dimensional with so many three-pointers being shot and Sparks was very limited on his touches in the paint.
Through the first half, Sparks had only attempted three shots and was 0-for-3 on those attempts.
There seemed to be a lack of designed post-ups for the 6’10 center to allow him opportunities to get the ball in the paint. Despite the lack of touches, Sparks was able to produce in other areas notching four assists and seven rebounds by the end of the contest. But the Cardinals didn’t seem too eager to want to feed him the ball.
Jermahri Hills aggressiveness
The junior transfer looked good in his Cardinals debut, tallying 17 points to lead Ball State. The eyepopping aggressiveness of Hill was a pleasant surprise to give the red and black a boost on the inside.
Despite being a guard on the perimeter, nearly all of his shot attempts came from inside the arc with multiple rim-shaking dunks.
Hill struggled early from the field in the first half, shooting 1-for-6, with three of those shots coming from beyond the arc. He only put up two points in the half. The second half is when things began to open up for him on the inside. The Alabama native racked up 15 points in the second half, shooting 5-for-9 from the field and 5-for-6 from the charity stripe to lead the Cardinals in scoring.
Contact David Moore with comments at david.moore@bsu.edu or on X @gingninj63
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