(BALL STATE RELEASE)
Following a trip to Buffalo, the Ball State men's basketball team stays on the road to take on league unbeaten Bowling Green Tuesday night. The Cardinals have started 2021 with a pair of losses and a home game postponed, but should have some missing players back at BG. Bowling Green is 5-0 in the MAC and is coming off a home-and-home week against Central Michigan where it beat CMU by 21 and 28, respectively.
The Starting 5 - The Top 5 Storylines For This Game
1. CARDS AND FALCONS - THE SERIES
Tuesday night's game in Ohio will be the 89th meeting between Ball State and Bowling Green, a series that began in 1965. BG has won four straight in the series, including a 77-71 win at Worthen last year, which was Ball State's only conference loss at home last season. BSU is looking to snap that streak, though recent meetings between the two schools have been very close. The average margin of victory is 5.8 points between BSU and BG over the last seven meetings. Ball State's best stretch ever against Bowling Green came from 1997-05, when the Cards won 10 of 13 meetings.
2. INSIDE THE NUMBERS: TUESDAY'S MATCHUP
Bowling Green is the MAC's top scoring team at 83.7 points per game and is near the top in shooting percentage categories. Ball State has been pretty good at defending the '3' which is something BG does well (.372). Both teams are in the bottom half of the league in rebounding. As far as getting good looks goes, BG is last in the conference in blocked shots and Ball State is among the nation's best teams (58th nationally) in not having its shots blocked. Ball State needs to defend well to slow BG's attack and hit those open shots Tuesday night.
3. EASTERN BLOC TO START 2021
Tuesday's game at BG is the third in a row against a MAC East opponent - BSU just played Ohio and Buffalo while the scheduled game against western division foe WMU was postponed. Ball State returns to play against the western half of the league this Saturday when Northern Illinois comes to Worthen at 1 p.m.
4. NEXT MAN UP
Shorthanded in recent weeks - and really the entire season - Ball State had a few bright spots as players stepped up and took on bigger roles. Saturday's game at Buffalo was the first time since last year's finale at Northern Illinois that five different BSU players scored 8+ points in the same game. K.J. Walton scored 17 to lead the Cardinals, followed by Luke Bumbalough's 14 and Brachen Hazen with 11. Zach Gunn and Ben Hendriks each score eight to help provide balance.
5. MARQUEE MATCHUP IN THE BACKCOURT
Ball State-Bowling Green will feature some really solid guard play. Each team has one of the league's leading scorers and there will be no shortage of playmaking guards on the floor Tuesday night. K.J. Walton (17.7 ppg) and Ishmael El-Amin (14.7 ppg) have been among the MAC's top duos all season, and Luke Bumbalough (7.4) has strung together several double-digit scoring outings while increasing his assist totals. Bowling Green counters with All-MAC player Justin Turner (20.9 ppg) and two other starting guards who combine for 19.9 points per game.
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