by MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State men’s basketball started Mid-American Conference (MAC) play with five straight losses.
However, in their last three games, the Cardinals have flipped the script, winning all three and continuing to climb up the conference standings. The reason?
They said it is because of what is happening behind closed doors.
“We’ve just been more detailed in practice,” senior guard Armoni Zeigler said. “We communicate more.”
Zeigler said the team has worked on their communication, which includes holding each other accountable. He even mentioned that this has challenged different players and there have been arguments in those moments, but they understand it is nothing serious. It is all about finding a way to win.
“I yell at Mason [Jones], and he yells at me,” Zeigler said. “It is cool [because] he is my teammate. We are gonna make each other better.”
Their most recent victory came in Saturday’s home game with Northern Illinois (NIU) as the Cardinals topped the Huskies 58-53.
Following the win, head coach Michael Lewis and players alike were in good moods.
“These guys, they keep showing up, they keep their head down and they keep working,” Lewis said. “They keep improving.”
From the get-go, NIU’s (6-13, 2-6 MAC) shooting numbers did not help the Huskies. They missed their first 15 3-pointers and finished the game 4-for-28 (14.3 percent) from beyond the arc. This helped the Cardinals (7-13, 3-5 MAC) as they led 18-8 at the 9:37 mark.
Picking up right where he left off was junior guard Armoni Zeigler. In Ball State’s last two wins, he led in points with 28 and 17. Against NIU, he tied for the most points with 18 on 7-for-15 shooting.
He said that it does not matter how well he does offensively if the team cannot match that effort on the other end.
“We know we can score, but you win a game with stops,” Zeigler said.
Throughout the game, the Huskies never let the door close on them. They hung around and cut the Cardinals’ lead to three points at the 5:53 mark. It did not help that both freshman center Preston Copeland and senior guard Devon Barnes picked up four fouls halfway through the second half.
But in the final minutes, redshirt sophomore guard Davion Hill came alive. He became lethal as he finished the game with 18 points. He led the Cardinals with eight rebounds and three assists. Behind the combination of Zeigler and Hill, Ball State’s defensive effort excelled to shut the door on the Huskies.
“I think for a lot of us, we had a hard time stepping up or talking,” Hill said. “It might have taken coach Lewis and those guys getting fired up. But at the end of the day, we’re the guys on the court and we’re the ones going to war. Those old dudes can’t do it for us when we’re out there.”
Lewis said Zeigler and Hill have stepped into the roles the coaching staff has asked them to do. Because of that, both the Cardinals and the pair are reaping the benefits of that.
“I’ve challenged them. These guys have come here for different reasons, right? They’re looking for different things or looking for more,” Lewis said. “There’s accountability that comes with that. There’s responsibility that comes with that … You asked for this, right? Here it is, man. What are you gonna do with it?
“A couple of those guys are starting to rise to the challenge of becoming, what I would say is a pretty good college basketball player at our level.”
But there was another note Lewis drove home after the game’s conclusion. During the halftime break, the 1985-86 Ball State men’s basketball roster was honored for reaching the NCAA Tournament. On Friday evening, Lewis and the current roster met with the former Cardinals.
Lewis said this was the first time the group had been on campus together for the first time since their playing days. Because of that, he asked his team to use that as fire.
“Just go out there and compete your ass off. Play in a way that they would be proud of,” Lewis said. “A couple of those guys spoke to our current team on what Ball State means to them, what their experience here means to them, what that team meant to them and how they’ve stuck together for over 40 years.
“That’s what happens when you have success and you have the experience that those guys had. I was really happy to be able to compete that way in front of them.”
The Cardinals will next head on the road to face Toledo Saturday, Jan. 31, at noon.
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu, zachcarter039@gmail.com or via X @ZachCarter85.
