That bad, huh?

BSU head coach Billy Taylor watches his team from the sideline (BSU Photo Services).

When a basketball team makes 12 shots in 40 minutes of play, there’s usually a pretty good chance that this team will lose. Enter the Ball State Fighting Cardinals, who endured such a spell Wednesday night. It came in the form of a 71-45 loss to Western Michigan, effectively ending the Cardinals’ winning streak at one. This streak ties a season high; Ball State won one game in a row in late December to improve to 1-11.

Slow starts to both halves eliminated all hope of a Cardinal victory. The Broncos jumped out to a 13-3 lead before seeing Ball State make its lone threatening run of the game. With the lead cut to two at 17-15, the Cardinals appeared poised to seize control. Instead, they reverted to uninspired play and entered the locker room trailing 30-19.

As a fan, Ball State’s inability to close out the first half with any sort of momentum was disheartening. But it was even worse for Coach Billy Taylor’s boys, who missed a halftime show featuring Ball State’s own Noel Kunz and his crazy yo-yo skills. In case you didn’t make it out to the game, this was the highlight. It was even announced that Kunz has qualified for a performance on NBC’s America’s Got Talent. Who knew! America’s got talent, and it’s right here in Muncie, Indiana.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, talent doesn’t win basketball games. While they may possess individual talent, these players still haven’t seemed to find success as a team. They were once again plagued by missed lay-ups, forced three-pointers, ill-advised passes, and lackluster defense. Western Michigan’s Donald Lawson felt it was necessary to punish both hoops as he threw down a monstrous dunk on each.

And here’s a pet peeve of mine: flopping. Taking a charge is one thing, and it can help your team, but flopping is another. If solid contact is not made, the officials are not going to call an offensive foul. Players either need to establish some quality contact before crumpling to the floor or stand tall and PLAY SOME DEFENSE! I know it’s easy for me to say, but these guys are playing Division I basketball and should know better.


In the end, it was an ugly loss for Ball State. Shooting 23% from the field isn’t going to get the job done – ever. Peyton Stovall and Anthony Newell contributed 18 and 13 points respectively, but most of them came after the issue was no longer in doubt. Meanwhile, the Broncos were as Kool as the other side of the pillow. David Kool and Joe Reitz finished a combined 13-19 from the floor for 28 points.

For Ball State, it was another mark in the rapidly-growing loss column. They have compiled a 2-13 record thus far, and barring a miraculous turnaround, the Cardinals are well on their way to an even worse finish than last year.

As Forrest Gump would so eloquently put it: “That’s all I have to say about that.”