WACO, Texas — Ball State women’s basketball is set to compete in its first NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament since 2009. The Cardinals will play No. 5 seed Ole Miss from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in the opening round.
Here is a scouting report on the Rebels.
Size advantage
Ole Miss has just four players on its roster under six feet tall. In its starting lineup, just ONE player is under six feet tall.
Ball State has two six-footers in its starting lineup and five TOTAL on the roster. Ball State has dominated Mid-American Conference (MAC) opponents with its size all season. Going into the postseason, almost every team has size and depth of size.
The Cardinals have struggled when they lose the rebound battle and are forced to make shots from deep. The biggest factor for Ole Miss is that they have that size advantage and will likely control the paint.
If Ball State can cycle its bigs, and get some Rebels into foul trouble, there is definitely a chance for the Cardinals to make a difference through their bigs. Alex Richard has been dominant since January and Marie Kiefer is Ball State’s All-Time Career Blocks leader.
Ball State big Maliyah Johnson comes from SEC Texas A&M. Her experience with the big bodies in the paint in SEC play could be a factor tonight. Johnson has shown that she can perform at a high level in limited minutes during the MAC Tournament.
It would not be a surprise if she played more minutes off the bench for Brady Sallee.
Defense, defense, defense
Ole Miss boasts the third-best defense in the SEC. The only two teams better than the Rebels? No. 1 seeds Texas and South Carolina. Two of the top programs in the nation and the two teams that battled it out in the SEC championship game.
Ole Miss gives up an average of 58.2 points per game. Ball State scores an average of 72.7 points per game. Which side can come out on top? The Cardinals’ offense or the Rebels’ defense?
Ole Miss is ninth in the SEC in scoring average, but that number is at 75.7 points per game. SEC schools are scoring a ton of points though, the league leader averages nearly 90 points per game.
The defense and size of Ole Miss will be challenging for the Cardinals. The closest team to Ole Miss they have seen this season was Ohio State. That game was an easy one to forget, a nearly 40-point loss on the road.
Ole Miss is third in the SEC in turnover margin at +7.30. The MAC league leader was at +7.19 and the Cardinals were at +2. There really is a significant difference between the MAC level to the SEC level. But anything can happen, it is March, right?
The Rebels have three players in the top-25 of the SEC in steals. Guard Sira Thienou averages 2.5 steals per game. Thienou is also a 6-foot 1-inch FRESHMAN. The size of this team jumps off the page at every position.
The Rebels are second in the SEC in steals per game at 11.50. They are fifth in the conference in blocked shots per game as well at almost five.
Offensive side
Ole Miss does not have one single player jumping off the page on the offensive end. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a scary thing. Usually, the most rounded teams compete the hardest and win more games. Those teams that rely on one player are teams that can crumble in March.
Four Rebels are averaging double-digit points, but none are higher than 11.9 per game.
A positive look for the Cardinals, Ole Miss shoots the three-ball at 30.9 percent, so if it were to turn into a shootout, Ball State has the upper hand.
With all the size, the shooting somewhat goes out of the window. Ole Miss shoots at 44 percent from the field as a team but holds its opponents to under 40 percent.
This matchup is genuinely a head-scratcher. It is easy to say the bigger team from the SEC should dominate, but anything can happen.
Sallee has reminded everyone that the Ball State staff scheduled their non-conference schedule for a reason and loaded it with marquee games for moments like this. The Cardinals knew they would be in a spot like this, and have played opponents to prepare them for it.
Winning over SEC Texas A&M, games against top-25 North Carolina, Ohio State and South Dakota State are just a few of the big-time matchups the Cardinals played. Those contests have prepped the Cardinals for games like this, and I don’t see them coming out scared.
The last time Ball State played in the NCAA tournament they played an SEC juggernaut. And they won. Can they do it again? Can they compete? Can they step up to the lights and play on college basketball’s biggest stage? Only time will tell.
Ball State and Ole Miss tip-off at 6:30 EST from Foster Pavillion on the campus of Baylor University. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
Contact Logan Connor via email at logan.connor@bsu.edu or via X @_loganconnor
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