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2024–25 Ball State Cardinals men's basketball team

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2024–25 Ball State Cardinals men's basketball
ConferenceMid-American Conference
Record13–12 (6–6 MAC)
Head coach
Associate head coachLou Gudino (3rd season)
Assistant coaches
  • Ben Botts (7th season)
  • Justin Brown (1st season)
  • Buzzy Caruthers (1st season)
Home arenaWorthen Arena
Seasons
2025–26 →
2024–25 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Akron 13 0   1.000 21 5   .808
Miami (OH) 10 3   .769 19 7   .731
Toledo 9 4   .692 16 10   .615
Kent State 8 5   .615 18 8   .692
Ohio 8 5   .615 14 12   .538
Ball State 6 7   .462 13 13   .500
Eastern Michigan 6 7   .462 13 13   .500
Western Michigan 6 7   .462 9 17   .346
Central Michigan 4 9   .308 11 15   .423
Bowling Green 4 9   .308 10 16   .385
Buffalo 3 10   .231 8 18   .308
Northern Illinois 1 12   .077 5 21   .192
2025 MAC tournament winner
As of February 15, 2025

The 2024–25 Ball State Cardinals men's basketball team represents Ball State University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cardinals, led by third-year head coach Michael Lewis, play their home games at Worthen Arena in Muncie, Indiana as members of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

Previous season

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The Cardinals finished the 2023–24 season 15–16, 7–11 in MAC play, to finish in ninth place.[1] They failed to qualify for the MAC tournament, as only the top eight teams qualify.[2]

Offseason

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Departures

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Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Jalin Anderson 1 G 6' 3" 190 Junior Jackson, TN Transferred to Incarnate Word
Micah Bell 4 G 6' 3" 168 RS Freshman Austell, GA Transferred to South Plains College
Davion Bailey 5 G 6' 4" 200 Junior Indianapolis, IN Transferred to Incarnate Word
Basheer Jihad 11 F 6' 9" 239 Junior Detroit, MI Transferred to Arizona State
Trent Middleton Jr. 13 G 6' 3" 177 Freshman Philadelphia, PA Transferred to Delaware
Jack Futa 14 G 6' 5" 189 Sophomore South Bend, IN Transferred to Aquinas College
Quincy Adams 15 G 6' 5" 172 RS Freshman Frisco, TX Transferred to Western New Mexico
Joey Brown 23 G 6' 5" 184 Freshman Indianapolis, IN Transferred to Tyler Junior College

Incoming transfers

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Incoming transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Jermahri Hill 1 G 6' 5" 185 Junior Bessemer, AL South Plains College
Juanse Gorosito 4 G 6' 1" 190 Junior Ceres, Argentina Portland
Payton Sparks 5 C 6' 10" 265 Senior Winchester, IN Indiana
Joey Hart 20 G 6' 5" 195 Sophomore Linton, IN Kentucky
Jeremiah Hernandez 33 G 6' 5" 192 Graduate student Chicago, IL Southern Indiana

Recruiting class

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College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jai Anthoni Bearden
F
Phoenix, AZ Sunnyslope High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg)  
Star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPNN/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Kody Clancy
G
Scottsburg, IN Scottsburg High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 191 lb (87 kg)  
Star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPNN/A   ESPN grade: N/A
TJ Burch
G
Dallas, TX Texas Alliance of Christian Athletes 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg)  
Star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPNN/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Preseason

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On October 22, 2024 the MAC released the preseason coaches poll. Ball State was picked to finish seventh in the MAC regular season.[3]

Preseason rankings

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MAC preseason poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Ohio 121 (11)
2 Akron 106 (1)
3 Kent State 99
4 Toledo 95
5 Bowling Green 73
6 Miami (OH) 72
7 Ball State 67
8 Central Michigan 55
9 Eastern Michigan 36
10 Western Michigan 33
11 Northern Illinois 24
12 Buffalo 11

MAC tournament champions: Ohio (8), Kent State (3), Toledo (1)

Source:[3]

Preseason All-MAC

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Preseason All-MAC teams
Team Player Position Year
1st Payton Sparks Center Senior

Source:[3]

Roster

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2024–25 Ball State Cardinals men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 1 Jermahri Hill 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr South Plains College Bessemer, AL
G 2 Ethan Brittain-Watts 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) GS Boston University Indianapolis, IN
F 3 Mickey Jr. Pearson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Sr TCU Lincoln, AL
G 4 Juanse Gorosito 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Portland Ceres, Argentina
C 5 Payton Sparks 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Sr Indiana Winchester, IN
F 10 Jai Anthoni Bearden 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Sunnyslope High School Phoenix, AZ
G 11 Kody Clancy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 191 lb (87 kg) Fr Scottsburg High School Scottsburg, IN
G 12 Jurica Zagorsak 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So Gimnazija Jurja Barakovica Zadar, Croatia
G 20 Joey Hart 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Kentucky Linton, IN
G 22 TJ Burch 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Texas Alliance of Christian Athletes Dallas, TX
F 24 Mason Jones 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 229 lb (104 kg) So Valparaiso High School Valparaiso, IN
G 33 Jeremiah Hernandez 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 192 lb (87 kg) GS Southern Indiana Chicago, IL
C 34 Ben Hendriks 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 248 lb (112 kg) RS Sr Orangeville Prep Mississauga, ON
C 54 Zane Doughty 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 242 lb (110 kg) So Ben Davis High School Indianapolis, IN
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: November 14, 2024

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 4, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Georgia State
MAC–SBC Challenge
L 66–71  0–1
 17  Hill   13  Pearson Jr.   4  Sparks  GSU Convocation Center (532)
Atlanta, GA
November 8, 2024*
5:00 p.m., ESPN+
Franklin W 87–60  1–1
 17  3 tied   8  Pearson Jr.   6  Brittain-Watts  Worthen Arena (4,018)
Muncie, IN
November 13, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Dayton L 69–77  1–2
 25  Hill   7  Hill   3  Hill  UD Arena (13,407)
Dayton, OH
November 16, 2024*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Indiana State L 84–94  1–3
 16  Sparks   7  Sparks   4  Brittain-Watts  Worthen Arena (4,021)
Muncie, IN
November 20, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Detroit Mercy L 59–70  1–4
 12  2 tied   11  Pearson Jr.   3  2 tied  Worthen Arena (2,784)
Muncie, IN
November 25, 2024*
12:00 p.m., FloHoops
vs. Eastern Kentucky
Gulf Coast Showcase
W 63–61  2–4
 18  Hill   7  Hill   4  Hill  Hertz Arena (542)
Estero, FL
November 26, 2024*
6:00 p.m., FloHoops
vs. Florida Tech
Gulf Coast Showcase
W 94–57  3–4
 24  Hill   8  Pearson Jr.   5  Hill  Hertz Arena (289)
Estero, FL
November 27, 2024*
6:00 p.m., FloHoops
vs. Richmond
Gulf Coast Showcase
L 60–73  3–5
 22  Hill   6  Sparks   2  2 tied  Hertz Arena (311)
Estero, FL
December 8, 2024*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
at SIU Edwardsville L 69–82  3–6
 17  Gorosito   6  Hendriks   3  2 tied  First Community Arena (1,015)
Edwardsville, IL
December 14, 2024*
3:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Bellarmine W 86–82  4–6
 21  Gorosito   4  3 tied   4  tied  Knights Hall (1,572)
Louisville, KY
December 21, 2024*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Evansville W 80–43  5–6
 20  Sparks   8  Hill   3  2 tied  Worthen Arena (3,521)
Muncie, IN
December 31, 2024*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Anderson W 89–76  6–6
 25  Hill   16  Sparks   5  2 tied  Worthen Arena (3,421)
Muncie, IN
MAC regular season
January 4, 2025
1:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Kent State W 75–67  7–6
(1–0)
 18  Hill   12  Sparks   6  Hill  MAC Center (1,608)
Kent, OH
January 7, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Miami (OH) L 72–80  7–7
(1–1)
 20  2 tied   16  Sparks   3  2 tied  Worthen Arena (3,512)
Muncie, IN
January 11, 2025
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Bowling Green W 91–69  8–7
(2–1)
 19  Sparks   13  Sparks   6  Hill  Worthen Arena (4,256)
Muncie, IN
January 14, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Ohio L 71–86  8–8
(2–2)
 19  Pearson Jr.   12  Sparks   3  3 tied  Convocation Center (4,624)
Athens, OH
January 18, 2025
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Toledo L 75–93  8–9
(2–3)
 20  Sparks   9  Sparks   6  Hill  Worthen Arena (4,412)
Muncie, IN
January 21, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Central Michigan W 82–80  9–9
(3–3)
 16  Pearson Jr.   8  Sparks   5  Hill  McGuirk Arena (2,423)
Mount Pleasant, MI
January 25, 2025
4:30 p.m., ESPN+
at Northern Illinois L 66–76  9–10
(3–4)
 16  Brittain-Watts   8  Pearson Jr.   5  Brittain-Watts  Convocation Center (2,565)
DeKalb, IL
January 28, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Western Michigan L 71–74  9–11
(3–5)
 19  2 tied   17  Sparks   4  Hill  Worthen Arena (3,026)
Muncie, IN
February 1, 2025
5:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Buffalo W 89–76  10–11
(4–5)
 27  Sparks   14  Sparks   4  Brittain-Watts  Alumni Arena (2,101)
Amherst, NY
February 4, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Akron L 73–81  10–12
(4–6)
 19  Hill   7  Hill   4  Hill  James A. Rhodes Arena (1,883)
Akron, OH
February 8, 2025*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Southern Miss
MAC–SBC Challenge
W 77–76  11–12
 21  Pearson Jr.   12  Sparks   4  2 tied  Worthen Arena (3,420)
Muncie, IN
February 11, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Eastern Michigan W 86–84 OT 12–12
(5–6)
 21  Hill   8  Hill   7  Hill  Worthen Arena (3,118)
Muncie, IN
February 15, 2025
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Northern Illinois W 89–83 OT 13–12
(6–6)
 24  Gorosito   7  Gorosito   4  Brittain-Watts  Worthen Arena (3,825)
Muncie, IN
February 18, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Toledo       Savage Arena 
Toledo, OH
February 22, 2025
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Buffalo       Worthen Arena 
Muncie, IN
February 25, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Akron       Worthen Arena 
Muncie, IN
March 1, 2025
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Bowling Green       Stroh Center 
Bowling Green, OH
March 4, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Central Michigan       Worthen Arena 
Muncie, IN
March 7, 2025
6:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Miami (OH)       Millett Hall 
Oxford, OH
MAC tournament
March 13–15, 2025
 ESPN+/CBSSN/ESPN2
vs. TBD       Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 
Cleveland, OH
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Sources:[4][5]

References

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  1. ^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Standings". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  2. ^ "2024 MAC men's basketball tournament scores, schedule, bracket, TV, livestream info". Akron Beacon Journal. March 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "MAC Announces 2024-25 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll & Teams". Mid-American Conference. October 22, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  4. ^ "2024-25 Men's Basketball Schedule". Ball State University Athletics. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  5. ^ "Ball State Cardinals Schedule 2024-25". ESPN. Retrieved November 14, 2024.