Ohio begins a five-day stint in The Convo when it hosts Ball State on Tuesday night.
The Bobcats (16-3, 7-1 Mid-American Conference) are riding a wave of confidence. They’re fresh off a blowout win over Buffalo on Friday and have cemented themselves in second place in the conference standings.
The Cardinals (10-10, 5-4 MAC) have leaped into fifth place following Buffalo’s loss. They’ve been an average MAC team for much of the season, and they rank near the middle of the pack in almost every statistical category.
Here’s a quick look at the Cardinals ahead of Tuesday’s game:
Game information
Opponent: Ball State
Venue: The Convo
Time: 7 p.m.
Watch: ESPN3
Listen: Ohio IMG Sports Network
Live stats: Live stats are provided here.
Meet the opponent
Probable starters
00 Miryne Thomas
23 Tyler Cochran
02 Luke Bumbalough
01 Demarius Jacobs
05 Payton Sparks
Individual statistical leaders
Points: Sparks (12.6 points per game)
Rebounds: Sparks (7.5 rebounds per game)
Assists: Bumbalough (3.2 assists per game)
Field goal percentage: Blake Huggins (75%)
3-point percentage: Kani Acree (55.6%)
Free throw percentage: Luke Brown (100%)
Team statistical profile
Points per game: 74.6
Rebounds per game: 35.5
Assists per game: 13.2
Turnovers per game: 14.2
Field goal percentage: 44.9%
3-point percentage: 36.4%
Free throw percentage: 68.5%
The series
Ohio leads the all-time series 51-36. The two programs last faced each other Jan. 23, 2021 when Ohio defeated Ball State 85-77.
The Bobcats have had little trouble handling the Cardinals in recent seasons. They’ve won eight of the last 10 meetings between the two programs and lost just three games to the Cardinals since the 2010-11 season.
Player to watch
Sparks — The freshman has taken the Cardinals by storm. He leads the team in points per game and rebounds, and he’s tied with Thomas for the most blocks on the team. In Ball State’s win over Miami on Jan. 25, Sparks tied his season high of 23 points and tacked on five rebounds.
