Dec 9, 2006, 16:45 GMT
San Diego, CA - The 22nd-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys and Ball State Cardinals have made their way to San Diego for a non-conference clash.
This game marks the second straight for Ball State against a nationally- ranked opponent, as the club was crushed by Butler on Wednesday by a 65-41 final. The Cardinals have now lost five of their last six outings since posting back-to-back wins to open the campaign. They are 0-4 away from home, so there isn't much reason for optimism heading into this clash with the Cowboys.
Oklahoma State has won its first 10 games for just the sixth time in school history and first time in five years. On Tuesday, the Cowboys were able to defeat Syracuse in New York by a 72-68 final, and that win will certainly look good on the non-league resume.
Oklahoma State posted an 82-70 victory over Ball State in the only previous meeting between these teams back in 2001.
Ball State has struggled mightily at the offensive end through the first eight games, as it is only scoring 60.1 ppg on 37.1 percent shooting from the floor, including 22.7 percent from three-point range. Defensively, the Cardinals have been able to limit the opposition to 63.0 ppg, the most obvious reason that they have been able to post three wins. Anthony Newell is the leading scorer for Ball State, but he isn't going to scare many opponents with his 11.6 ppg. The only other double-digit scorer for the Cardinals is Skip Mills, as he is posting 10.7 ppg. Newell scored 11 points in the ugly loss to Butler, and none of his teammates managed more than seven points. The Cardinals connected on only 29.8 percent of their field goal attempts in that clash and turned the ball over 16 times.
Mario Boggan has become a star for Oklahoma State, as the forward is scoring 20.2 ppg on 63.3 percent shooting from the floor. Boggan is also a tremendous rebounder and will undoubtedly contend for Big 12 Player of the Year honors. The top guard on the roster is JamesOn Curry, as he is scoring 18.2 ppg to go along with 5.1 apg. Obi Muonelo is an outstanding freshman who adds 12.2 ppg to the mix, and Terrel Harris is posting 10.7 ppg. Oklahoma State is scoring 81.7 ppg on 50.9 percent shooting from the field as a team, and it is limiting its opponents to 66.7 ppg. Boggan scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the big win over Syracuse last time out, and Curry pitched in 20 points on 4-of-6 accuracy from three-point range. The Cowboys made good on 51.9 percent of their field goal attempts in the tilt, a major reason they were able to overcome 23 turnovers.
© 2006 The Sports Network
View blog reactions
There are currently no comments for this article. Be the first to comment! (no registration required)
Advertising
There are currently no comments for this article. Be the first to comment! (no registration required)