Not your typical David vs. Goliath

To say that the Ball State Men’s Basketball team is undersized would be, well, an understatement. The tallest player on the roster is Anthony Newell, a forward whose 6-5 frame is more likely to be spotted on the perimeter than in the paint. Even though everyone knew size was going to be an issue entering the Cardinals’ 61-45 season opening loss to Butler, it was not your typical David vs. Goliath matchup.

The Cardinal’s slow start allowed the Bulldogs to quickly jump out to a 9-2 advantage. While Ball State’s defense did a decent job holding Butler to 31 first half points, its offense was anything but efficient. Guards Brandon Lampley, Melvin Goins, and Peyton Stovall repeatedly settled for contested jump shots. The offense failed to stretch the Bulldog defense with consistent ball movement and was thus forced to throw bricks from three point land, where the Cardinals finished a horrendous 1-14. When the ball was passed around the perimeter, the result was the same; no one was able to create separation from the defense due to poor screens. Running to a predetermined spot and standing there is not going to get the job done; contact must be made. A screener must actively pursue his ‘victim’ and establish himself in front of them, even if this means straying a bit from the original pattern of the play. I was disheartened to see this mistake occurring at the college level. Setting good screens is not only fundamental to the game of basketball, it’s necessary to experience offensive success.

Butler senior and Muncie native Pete Campbell (butlersports.com).

Early on in the second half, however, David decided to trade punches with Goliath. Ball State crept back into the contest by driving to the basket, and what was a 14 point deficit at halftime soon became a game at 39-31. In spite of their obvious height disadvantage, the Cardinals turned to their inside game to jump-start their offense. And it did just that, thanks particularly to the play of Malik Perry and Anthony Newell. Perry played much bigger than his 6-4 frame might suggest, and Newell was relentless driving into the lane on his way to a team-high 16 points. Stovall also attacked the boards and finished with 12 rebounds, including five on the offensive side, to go with his 13 points. However, Butler responded with a barrage of three pointers from Pete Campbell and A.J. Graves. Campbell’s back-to-back triples sparked an 11-2 run that put the game out of reach.

Suddenly Goliath was the one throwing stones. Just as the Cardinals turned to the inside game, their area of weakness, the Bulldogs turned away from it. Instead, they utilized their NCAA tournament-refined long range skills to end the Ball State rally. The outside game was supposed to be the weapon of choice for the Cardinals, whose roster is loaded with guards. Butler finished 8-22 from three point range and shot over 52% in the second half. Ball State was doomed by their 38% shooting performance and only had four players score more than two points.

For the Cardinals, though, it was only one game. Sure, Billy Taylor probably wouldn’t prefer an 0-1 start as head coach at Ball State, but the way his players fought back in the second half shows that his players are responsive and that fans shouldn’t be discouraged. The Cardinals return to action in search of their first win on Wednesday at 7 PM, when they welcome Wisconsin-Milwaukee to Worthen Arena. The crowd was a major factor in the first game – nearly 3,000 students filled the Nest – and a similar turnout would once again be appreciated by the team. So come and support your Cardinals!