by MUNCIE, Ind. — Michael Lewis did not hold back in Saturday’s postgame press conference.
After falling to Miami (OH) 86-77 in Ball State men’s basketball’s opening Mid-American Conference game, the fourth-year head coach said there were too many mistakes. This marked the Cardinals’ ninth loss in their last 10 games.
“We’ve had some crucial, crucial breakdowns that cost us games,” Lewis said. “There are 13 points in the first half, where we made defensive mistakes that you just can’t have. We’re not built in a way where we can overcome those types of mistakes.”
The first half saw similar basketball from both the Cardinals (3-9, 0-1 MAC) and the Redhawks (12-0, 1-0 MAC). Ball State was 16-for-30 (53.3 percent) from the floor while Miami was 14-for-27 (51.9 percent). The biggest difference was the 3-point numbers as the Redhawks were 8-for-13 from deep.
Ball State just hit four 3-pointers in the first half.
To close the half, Ball State had a two-point lead with just four minutes to go. However, the breakdowns Lewis highlighted helped the Redhawks capitalize on a 13-7 advantage, putting them up 40-36 at halftime.
To open the second half, Ball State continued to make errors that allowed Miami to go on a 10-3 scoring run. Lewis said most of these moments were due to mental errors.
“Those are upsetting because they don’t require any talent. It requires discipline and mental toughness,” Lewis said. “Mental toughness provides confidence because you got to have mental toughness to overcome adversity and difficult things. Confidence without mental toughness is false bravado … I told the guys, ‘You played your ass off and you did a lot of really good things.’ But until we can clean up these crucial errors, it’s going to be difficult for us to win games.”
Although the Redhawks had the scoring run to begin the second half, the Cardinals showed a fighting mentality. Throughout the period, they cut into Miami’s lead and only trailed by two points twice. Runs such as a 9-2 run in the middle of the period showed they were hungry.
The Cardinals believed this was a sign that progress is happening.
“We are taking steps. I know it’s not the outcome we want, but we’re noticing a difference and coming out with more energy,” redshirt sophomore Kaiden Fish said. “That’s what we need … We just got to put 40 minutes together.”
However, the Redhawks also used the charity stripe to their advantage. A 74.6 percent shooting team this season, that success continued as Miami was 21-for-22 (95.5 percent).
While the Cardinals held Miami to just five 3-pointers in the second half and topped them in bench points (48-30) and paint points (40-26), they were still outscored 46-41 in the second half. Senior guard Elmore James IV led Ball State with 20 points while redshirt sophomore guard Davion Hill followed with 13. Junior guard Armoni Zeigler grabbed eight rebounds in the loss.
The Redhawks were led by junior forward Almar Atlason with 26 points, and junior guard Eian Elmore added 20.
Ball State has now lost four-straight games. While the struggles have been apparent in live action, Lewis said the same case can be found in practice.
“It’s a weird little dynamic, because [at times]I don’t think we’re very far away, but yet I think we’re miles away. We may have an above-average practice, but three or four guys in that practice are just terrible. Just awful,” Lewis said. “It’s not like the whole practice is bad. But you have a core group of guys who you depend on that just have a poor practice.”
Yet, Lewis did not stop there. He even said guys are sometimes lacking the ability to earn playing time.
“Since basketball was invented, a major rule for a player is to make your coach play you. That’s your job … End of story,” he said. “You don’t get playing time because you’re older. You don’t get playing time because you got a couple stars next to your name … We don’t have enough consistency across our roster that we know what we’re getting each and every night. And that part is frustrating and disappointing.”
Ball State now has an extended break until the Cardinals return to Worthen Arena to face Earlham (1-9) Monday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. When they return to practice Thursday, Dec. 26, Lewis implied that he wants to see the team remember where they are and whose name is on their uniform.
“You’ve got to be appreciative of what you have here …Your mind can’t be somewhere else,” Lewis said. “Your mind can’t be on what’s next, whether it’s post graduation or what you want to do … The people around you put too much on you, and you carry too much weight. You’ve got to appreciate the opportunity.”
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu, zachcarter039@gmail.com or via X @ZachCarter85.
