by MUNCIE, Ind. — Ahead of the first game of the 2025-26 Ball State men’s basketball season, fourth-year Cardinals’ head coach Michael Lewis had one question.
Can this roster featuring 10 new players show a high level of energy and fight?
“We’ve just been very inconsistent in our play, our approach and everything like that,” Lewis said. “Last Wednesday was probably the best practice we’ve had, probably in my time here at Ball State. We followed that up on Thursday with one of the worst. So I wasn’t sure what we’d get.”
His question was answered Monday night as the Cardinals (1-0) defeated Louisiana-Lafayette 75-64 (0-1) in the Mid-American Conference vs Sun Belt Conference opener at Worthen Arena.
“I’m super proud of how we played, how we responded, and quite frankly, the fight which we showed,” Lewis said. “I just told them how proud I was of them.”
But while the win itself was important to the new Cardinals, there was something else that stood out besides the result. It was how it felt to be on the court in a Ball State jersey.
“I loved the energy,” junior guard Armoni Zeigler said. “Everyone was competing, and the crowd was with us. We were all just amped up.”
Though the final score favored the Cardinals, there were some mistakes in the first half of play. As a unit, the Red and White committed nine turnovers. But they made up for it in other areas as the team went 9-for-18 (50 percent) from the field in the half.
Though Ball State controlled the score for the majority of the game — leading for 30:09 of the game — they lost the lead at halftime following a 6-0 run from the Cajuns. Junior guard Amoni Zeigler said Lewis’ message at the break was clear as day.
“We had to come out and just punch first,” Zeigler said. “We just needed to keep punching and not stop. That was the message right there.”
In the second half, Ball State committed only two turnovers, and the Cardinals’ momentum at times reached a game high. Redshirt sophomore guard Davion Hill said it came down to staying in the moment.
“We just needed to be calm. We were flustered and they tried to trap off-the-ball screens,” he said. “The first game jitters with a big crowd, but we had to just come out and control the ball while making unselfish plays.”
However, the Cardinals could not get more than a five-point lead throughout most of the second half.
But in the final four minutes, things began to click. The Cardinals took an eight-point lead and followed that with solid defense to open the season in the win column. Hill led the way with 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds and had four assists.
He was followed by graduate student forward Cam Denson with 14 points, and Zeigler rounded out the top three Ball State scorers with 13. Overall, the Cardinals finished the game shooting 24-for-46 (52.2 percent) and were 8-for-15 from 3-point range (53.3 percent). They also won the rebound battle 34 to 29.
“They looked like a basketball team tonight,” Lewis said. “They didn’t look like a collection of individuals, which was good to see.”
Though it’s a long season, a win is a win to the team. Lewis said it means that they have to be even better going forward.
“It’s going to make that cold ass pizza taste much better … It’s rewarding to see because, look, I’m not easy to play for,” Lewis said. “These guys all chose to come here for a reason. We push them, we coach them. This group has been different in a lot of ways.
“You want them to be excited. Some of them had family here tonight. I told them to enjoy their family, and when we wake up tomorrow morning, it’s time to turn the page.”
Ball State will next take on Mansfield Friday, Nov. 7, in Worthen Arena. The game is set to start at 7 p.m.
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu, zachcarter039@gmail.com or via X @ZachCarter85.
