Ohio and Ball State have had equal success in conference play, but the teams differ in the ways they’ve accomplished it.
The Bobcats (16-4, 4-2 Mid-American Conference) have won by creating turnovers and by leading the conference in scoring margin. The Cardinals (12-6, 4-2 MAC) have won by resisting turnovers and by leading the league in scoring defense, at 59 points per game.
Ohio is 1-2 this season when scoring 59 points or fewer, with the only win attained against Western Michigan Wednesday night. The Bobcats’ recent shooting woes have made Ball State’s stout defense an area of concern for Ohio coach John Groce.
“We’ve been up and down offensively,” Groce said. “The good news is we haven’t hit our stride offensively. We’ve been able to find a way to win some games.
“Until we can get both of them in sync on a more consistent basis, we haven’t come close to capping out yet. I’d love for it to start Saturday at 11 a.m.”
The Cardinals also have a knack for taking care of the ball. They lead the league in assist-to-turnover ratio. But at 18.4 per game, the Bobcats have forced more turnovers than any other team in the MAC and lead the league in turnover margin.
“They’ve always been great at that. They never ever beat themselves,” Groce said about the Cardinals. “You have to beat them. They’re not going to give it to you by throwing the ball away or missing block outs. We’re going to have to play well to beat them.”
Though defense and ball control have been its forte, Ball State also has the second-leading scorer and rebounder in the conference in forward Jarrod Jones, who averages 17 points and eight rebounds a game.
But the Bobcats have been pretty good going against some of the league’s best, holding six of their league opponents’ top forwards to less than 10 points per game.
“Our guys have done a pretty good job bothering those guys,” Groce said. “Sometimes we’ve given up more 3’s because of the emphasis on (those guys). But sometimes you’ve got to rob Peter to pay Paul.”
Both teams enter Saturday’s game with identical conference records, and with the new conference tournament format, the game could be more meaningful than in years past.
“I think it matters more,” guard Walter Offutt said. “The top two seeds get the first two byes, so I think it maters a little more than in previous years.”
Because the game will be aired on ESPNU, its start time has been pushed forward to 11 a.m., meaning the Bobcats will have to go through a somewhat-unfamiliar routine.
Groce said the early start time will affect everything from when they practice to what they eat.
But Offutt said the team would not be fazed by the morning start.
“It changes a little bit of our preparation as far as keeping our bodies fresh and mentally prepared for the game,” Offutt said. “But it’s on national TV and the game has big implications for our conference standing, so it’s not really a big deal.”
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