2023–24 Ball State Cardinals men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Ball State Cardinals men's basketball team represented Ball State University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cardinals, led by second-year head coach Michael Lewis, played their home games at Worthen Arena in Muncie, Indiana as members of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).[1][2][3] They finished the season 15–16, 7–11 in MAC play, to finish in 9th place. They failed to qualify for the MAC tournament.

2023–24 Ball State Cardinals men's basketball
ConferenceMid-American Conference
Record15–16 (7–11 MAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Ben Botts (6th season)
  • Lou Gudino (2nd season)
  • Jamal Meeks (2nd season)
Home arenaWorthen Arena
Seasons
2023–24 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Toledo 14 4   .778 20 12   .625
Akron 13 5   .722 24 11   .686
Ohio 13 5   .722 20 13   .606
Central Michigan 12 6   .667 18 14   .563
Bowling Green 10 8   .556 20 14   .588
Western Michigan 9 9   .500 12 20   .375
Miami (OH) 9 9   .500 15 17   .469
Kent State 8 10   .444 17 17   .500
Ball State 7 11   .389 15 16   .484
Eastern Michigan 6 12   .333 13 18   .419
Northern Illinois 5 13   .278 11 20   .355
Buffalo 2 16   .111 4 27   .129
2024 MAC tournament winner

Previous season

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The Cardinals finished the 2022–23 season 20–12 and 11–7 in MAC play.[4] They were the fourth seed in the MAC tournament where they lost to Ohio in the quarterfinals.[5]

Offseason

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Departures

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Departures
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Jarron Coleman G 6'5" 210 Redshirt junior Indianapolis, IN Transferred to Nebraska
Demarius Jacobs G 6'2" 185 Senior Chicago, IL Exhausted eligibility
Luke Bumbalough G 6'1" 180 Junior New Castle, IN Transferred to Niagara
Payton Sparks C 6'9" 240 Sophomore Winchester, IN Transferred to Indiana
Jaylin Sellers G 6'4" 180 Sophomore Columbus, GA Transferred to UCF
Darian Owens-White G 6'1" 165 Graduate student Detroit, MI Exhausted eligibility
Kaiyem Cleary G 6'6" 185 Junior Manchester, England Transferred to LeMoyne
Jalen Windham G 6'5" 180 Junior Indianapolis, IN Transferred to Morehead State

Sources:[6][7]

Incoming transfers

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Transfers
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Jalin Anderson G 6'3" 185 Junior Jackson, TN Loyola Marymount
Ethan Brittain-Watts G 6'2" 180 Graduate student Indianapolis, IN Boston
Davion Bailey G 6'4" 190 Graduate student Indianapolis, IN Southeastern CC

Source:[6]

Recruiting class

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College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jurica Zagorsak
G
Croatia 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) N/A  
Star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Joey Brown
G
Indianapolis, IN North Central 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) N/A  
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 78
Mason Jones
G
Valparaiso, Indiana 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) N/A  
Star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Zane Doughty
C
Indianapolis, IN 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg)  
Star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Trent Middleton
G
Philadelphia, PA Spire Academy 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) N/A  
Star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

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2023–24 Ball State Cardinals men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 1 Jalin Anderson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Jackson, TN
G 2 Ethan Brittain-Watts 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 188 lb (85 kg) GS Indianapolis, IN
F 3 Mickey Jr. Pearson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 207 lb (94 kg) RS Jr Lincoln, AL
G 4 Micah Bell 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 168 lb (76 kg) RS Fr Austell, GA
G 5 Davion Bailey 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Indianapolis, IN
F 11 Basheer Jihad 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 239 lb (108 kg) Jr Detroit, MI
G 12 Jurica Zagorsak 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 223 lb (101 kg) Fr Croatia
G 13 Trent Middleton 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 177 lb (80 kg) Fr Philadelphia, PA
G 14 Jack Futa 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 189 lb (86 kg) So South Bend, IN
G 15 Quincy Adams 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 172 lb (78 kg) RS Fr Frisco, TX
G 23 Joey Brown 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 184 lb (83 kg) Fr Indianapolis, IN
G 33 Mason Jones 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 219 lb (99 kg) Fr Valparaiso, IN
C 34 Ben Hendriks 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 239 lb (108 kg) RS Jr Mississauga, ON
C 54 Zane Doughty 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 224 lb (102 kg) Fr Indianapolis, IN
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: August 12, 2023

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 2, 2023*
7:00 p.m., TBA
Rose–Hulman W 85–52 
                  Worthen Arena 
Muncie, IN
Non-conference regular season
November 7, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Goshen W 101–40  1–0
 21  Jihad   7  Doughty   7  Middleton Jr.  Worthen Arena (3,071)
Muncie, IN
November 11, 2023*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Old Dominion
MAC–SBC Challenge
W 73–68  2–0
 28  Anderson   9  Anderson   2  tied  Worthen Arena (3,218)
Muncie, IN
November 14, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Oakland City W 91–51  3–0
 20  Anderson   7  Brown   3  Anderson  Worthen Arena (3,277)
Muncie, IN
November 18, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Evansville L 50–74  3–1
 21  Jihad   8  Jihad   2  Anderson  Ford Center (5,172)
Evansville, IN
November 21, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
USC Upstate W 75–58  4–1
 24  Pearson   7  Jones   6  Anderson  Worthen Arena (3,018)
Muncie, IN
November 24, 2023*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Arkansas–Pine Bluff W 92–74  5–1
 18  Jihad   11  Jihad   8  Anderson  Worthen Arena (4,071)
Muncie, IN
November 28, 2023*
7:30 p.m., ESPN+
at Little Rock L 64–90  5–2
 25  Jihad   5  Pearson Jr.   3  Jihad  Jack Stephens Center (1,081)
Little Rock, AR
December 2, 2023*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Bellarmine W 67–58  6–2
 19  Jihad   11  Jihad   6  Anderson  Worthen Arena (3,588)
Muncie, IN
December 6, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Detroit Mercy W 68–65  7–2
 26  Jihad   10  Jihad   5  Anderson  Calihan Hall (733)
Detroit, MI
December 10, 2023*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
SIU Edwardsville W 83–71  8–2
 27  Jihad   10  Jihad   5  Anderson  Worthen Arena (3,254)
Muncie, IN
December 16, 2023*
1:45 p.m., Peacock
vs. Indiana State
Indy Classic
L 72–83  8–3
 18  Anderson   8  Anderson   6  Anderson  Gainbridge Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
December 21, 2023*
8:00 p.m., B1G+
at Minnesota L 63–80  8–4
 26  Anderson   7  Jihad   7  Anderson  Williams Arena (7,261)
Minneapolis, MN
MAC regular season
January 2, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Kent State L 69–82  8–5
(0–1)
 23  Jihad   7  Anderson   5  Anderson  MAC Center (1,796)
Kent, OH
January 6, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Central Michigan L 65–71  8–6
(0–2)
 21  Bailey   11  Jihad   4  Anderson  Worthen Arena (3,612)
Muncie, IN
January 9, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Akron L 76–80  8–7
(0–3)
 27  Jihad   16  Jihad   5  Anderson  Worthen Arena (3,715)
Muncie, IN
January 13, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Toledo L 72–77  8–8
(0–4)
 25  Anderson   7  Pearson Jr.   5  Anderson  Savage Arena (4,413)
Toledo, OH
January 16, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Eastern Michigan W 76–62  9–8
(1–4)
 23  Bailey   7  Bailey   6  Anderson  George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,546)
Ypsilanti, MI
January 20, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Miami (OH) L 80–87  9–9
(1–5)
 29  Jihad   10  Pearson Jr.   6  Anderson  Worthen Arena (4,408)
Muncie, IN
January 23, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Buffalo W 87–59  10–9
(2–5)
 20  Jihad   11  Pearson Jr.   4  tied  Alumni Arena (2,007)
Amherst, NY
January 27, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Northern Illinois W 81–71  11–9
(3–5)
 28  Jihad   14  Jihad   6  Anderson  Worthen Arena (4,010)
Muncie, IN
January 30, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Bowling Green L 72–81  11–10
(3–6)
 22  Jihad   8  Jihad   3  Pearson Jr.  Worthen Arena (3,488)
Muncie, IN
February 3, 2024
1:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Western Michigan W 77–67  12–10
(4–6)
 20  Anderson   8  Jihad   5  Jones  University Arena (1,729)
Kalamazoo, MI
February 6, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Ohio L 79–84 OT 12–11
(4–7)
 22  Anderson   9  tied   5  Middleton  Worthen Arena (3,218)
Muncie, IN
February 10, 2024*
5:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Texas State
MAC–SBC Challenge
L 60–68  12–12
 19  Jihad   9  Jihad   4  Anderson  Strahan Arena (1,407)
San Marcos, TX
February 17, 2024
3:30 p.m., ESPN+
at Miami (OH) L 59–80  12–13
(4–8)
 18  tied   6  tied   3  Anderson  Millett Hall (7,736)
Oxford, OH
February 20, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Northern Illinois W 70–63  13–13
(5–8)
 19  Anderson   10  Jihad   7  Anderson  Convocation Center (1,317)
DeKalb, IL
February 24, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Eastern Michigan L 56–58  13–14
(5–9)
 18  Jihad   16  Jihad   7  Anderson  Worthen Arena (4,708)
Muncie, IN
February 27, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Central Michigan W 79–71  14–14
(6–9)
 25  Pearson Jr.   7  tied   4  tied  McGuirk Arena (1,472)
Mount Pleasant, MI
March 2, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Western Michigan L 76–78 OT 14–15
(6–10)
 25  Anderson   7  tied   6  Anderson  Worthen Arena (5,223)
Muncie, IN
March 5, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Kent State W 76–69  15–15
(7–10)
 23  Anderson   10  Jones   3  tied  Worthen Arena (3,412)
Muncie, IN
March 8, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Bowling Green L 70–80  15–16
(7–11)
 22  Anderson   9  Jihad   5  Jihad  Stroh Center 
Bowling Green, OH
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Sources:[8][9]

References

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  1. ^ "Michael Lewis". Ball State Athletics. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  2. ^ "MAC Men's College Basketball Standings - 2023-24". ESPN. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  3. ^ "Worthen Arena". Ball State Athletics. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  4. ^ "MAC Basketball Standings - 2022-23". ESPN. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "Ohio 90, Ball State 70". ESPN. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "2023-24 Men's Basketball Roster". Ball State Athletics. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  7. ^ "2022-23 Men's Basketball Roster". Ball State Athletics. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  8. ^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Schedule". Ball State Sports. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  9. ^ "Ball State Cardinals Schedule 2023-24". ESPN. Retrieved September 28, 2024.