Zach Carter is the Sports Editor of the Ball State Daily News. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.
Ball State men’s basketball has had an up-and-down season to say the least. From head coach Michael Lewis saying the team couldn't play defense halfway through Mid-American Conference (MAC) play to openly criticizing the roster because there’s been zero leadership, everything begins to blur together.
But even with those issues and losses like the Toledo game where officials decided to take away junior guard Jermahri Hill’s would-be game-winning basket, the Cardinals (14-14, 7-8 MAC) are in an OK spot. With three games left to go, they are tied with Eastern Michigan (14-14, 7-8 MAC) and Central Michigan (10-18, 7-8 MAC) for sixth place in the conference.
To make the MAC Tournament in Cleveland, Ohio, the Cardinals must be among the top eight teams. Though they are in right now, their final stretch of the regular season is not easy. After taking on Bowling Green (12-16, 6-9 MAC) March 1 and Central Michigan March 4, the Cardinals will end the season with the MAC’s No. 2 team Miami March 7.
How did Ball State get here?
Here’s a little refresher on how the majority of the year has gone. Ball State ended its non-MAC schedule with a 6-6 record. In its final game before the conference season began, the Cardinals struggled to defeat a Division III team in Anderson Dec. 31, 2024.
After the game, Lewis did not hold back.
“We just don't have the mindset that it takes to win at this level consistently,” Lewis said. “It's too difficult for us. It's too hard to overcome some of our individual wants for what the team needs."
To open the MAC schedule, Ball State defeated Kent State Jan. 4. Lewis said it was a ‘happy-ass locker room’ post-game. To me, that win showed the Cardinals had talent. However, fast forward to a few weeks later, the red and white opened conference play 2-3.
Some of the issues stemmed back to what Lewis said. Guys wanted to play their own style of basketball and the team did not gel together well. But the Cardinals finally found some pieces.
Senior center Payton Sparks began to show signs of what he was when he spent his first two collegiate seasons with Ball State (2021-22, 2022-23) near the end of the non-conference campaign. Since then, he’s recorded four double-doubles against MAC opponents and is the No. 16 player in the country for free throws attempted.
Not far behind him is Hill, the No. 24 player in the country to visit the foul line. Hill became arguably the biggest weapon on this roster pretty early in the season, but his performance in MAC play has continued to shine as the No. 6 player in the conference for points per game (15.7)
Because of that, the Cardinals now have a mindset of thinking they can do anything they want to achieve.
“We know what's at stake,” Sparks said after defeating Buffalo Feb. 23. “That’s just gotta motivate you more as a team. We just gotta keep working, and we're moving in the right direction.”
What now needs to happen for success?
After catching you up on how the Cardinals got to where they are today, here’s what needs to happen in the final games of the schedule. Though they fell to Akron Tuesday, they still sit in a decent spot.
As mentioned above, Sparks and Hill need to continue their solid seasons. But I’m looking at other members of the team to help them get over the hump. Redshirt senior Ben Hendriks dropped a season and career-high of 14 points against Buffalo. That’s the kind of spark Ball State needs in these games.
In the win over the Bulls, nine Cardinals found the bottom of the net, and four of those players — Sparks, Hendriks, Hill and redshirt senior Mickey Pearson Jr. — all scored in double-figures. This needs to become the standard for the next three games, and if the Cardinals do indeed make the MAC Tournament, it needs to go beyond those games.
After the loss to Akron, Lewis said it came down to one thing; their defense. To the Cardinals’ third-year head coach, they must improve on that side of the basketball.
.
“The consistency in which we compete defensively, it's got to be better,” Lewis said. “...We've shown the ability to do it in small stretches. It's been too difficult for us over a 40-minute game to stack possessions together to beat a team of that caliber.”
What are my overall thoughts?
Coming into this season, Ball State fans and even Lewis thought the veteran aspect of this team would propel them over the rest of the MAC. While I have thoughts on why this happened — and I will share those in my end-of-the-year column — it took the Cardinals longer than expected to become a team.
Because of that, they find themselves in the position they are in. Looking at the rest of the MAC, there is currently a one-game difference between ninth place and the teams seeded sixth through eighth. I’m saying Ball State needs to win out. Though they don’t have to, it would be the best way to secure a spot for Cleveland.
Now, will this team make it to the MAC Tournament? As of writing this, yes. I do believe they will be playing at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse for a conference title. However, this is MAC play. We see things happen that maybe you wouldn’t expect. Hell, I don’t know if anyone thought Akron would lose a conference regular-season game, but they did to Ohio Feb. 24.
Against the Zips. Ball State hung 82 points on the conference’s No. 1 team. To me, this shows the red and white have the talent offensively to hang with the best of the best. The question is whether or not their defense will show up. If they can clean that aspect up, anything can happen.
Only time will tell what Ball State’s future holds, but it will be here before the Cardinals know it.
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or via X @ZachCarter85.
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