SportsLine.com Report
March 16, 2000

Round 1: Cardinals bow out after good fight

Hopes were high for 11th-seeded Ball State when the Cardinals led sixth-seeded UCLA 33-32 with less than 15 minutes remaining. Then the shots stopped falling, the Bruins kicked their offense into high gear and Ball State was sent packing with a 65-57 loss in Minneapolis.

Held scoreless by a man-to-man defense in the first half, UCLA freshman Jason Kapono took advantage of Ball State's switch to a zone to score 17 points after the break. Kapono helped spark a 15-0 Bruins run early in the second half that helped UCLA overcome a 26-22 halftime deficit.

"It's just a shame that we let Kapono get away from us," Cardinals guard Mickey Hosier said. "He's such a good shooter. He gets confidence and you're going to be in trouble, and we were in trouble."

Duane Clemens led Ball State with 16 points, but hit just 7 of 24 shots while being hounded all game by Kapono and Earl Watson. Clemens missed both of his free-throw attempts, and the Cardinals got to the line just four times all game, hitting only one.

Cedric Moodie had 15 points off the bench for the Cardinals, who made their first tournament appearance since 1995.

How They Got There

Ball State earned an automatic berth by winning the Mid-American Conference Tournament, becoming the first team in three years of MAC divisional play to win a division and tournament championship.

The Cardinals, by virtue of winning the West Division, received a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament and were seeded second behind East champ Bowling Green.

By virtue of some upsets elsewhere in the bracket, Ball State didn't have to face a team seeded higher than sixth, but winning the title was still far from easy. The Cardinals defeated No. 7 Toledo 64-63 in overtime, No. 6 Ohio 70-67 and ninth-seeded Miami (Ohio) 61-58 in the championship game.

Senior Duane Clemens, the conference tournament MVP, scored 14 points to lead the Cardinals to their first NCAA appearance since 1995.

The Cardinals entered the NCAA Tournament on a six-game winning streak.

Starting Lineup

• G Duane Clemens (6-foot, 170, Sr.): The floor leader, Clemens finished fifth in the MAC in scoring, averaging 17.9 points. He is also averaging 2.17 steals and has a solid 1.85-to-1 assist-turnover ratio. Ball State went winless when Clemens missed all or a significant part of two games while battling the flu.
• G Mickey Hosier (5-11, 160, Sr.): A superb ball-handler, Hosier has a 2.59-to-1 assist-turnover ratio. Hosier is capable of scoring 20 points, especially if Clemens is in foul trouble, but his game is ball-handling and defense.
• C Lonnie Jones (6-11, 215, So.): Jones isn't a big scoring threat, but is a defensive force, as evidenced by his tournament-record seven blocked shots in the MAC championship game. "He's a great inside presence," Miami guard Rob Mestas said of Jones. "He makes you cautious on your drives. He's going to pose a lot of problems for teams in the NCAA Tournament." Jones is averaging 6.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots.
• F Theron Smith (6-8, 230, Fr.): The MAC freshman of the year averages 12.4 points and 7.7 rebounds. He's a big-game player who responded to the challenge of facing future NBA players such as Ohio's Shaun Stonerook, Northern Illinois' T.J. Lux and Marshall's J.R. VanHoose.
• F Josh Murray (6-7, 215, So.): Murray is a defender-rebounder, averaging 6.7 rebounds per game. His offensive production is minimal and he's a horrid free throw shooter (41.6 percent), but he is strong enough defensively to be a factor for the Cardinals.

Keys to Success

All Ball State has to do is to hold an opponent to 59 points or less. The last 60 times that has happened, the Cardinals have won.

The trick, is getting there.

Ball State is scoring an average of 74.6 points and allowing 68.9. It will have to turn up its defensive intensity inside and out. The guards -- Clemens and Hosier -- are accustomed to doing that, but you have to wonder how Smith -- only a freshman -- will hold up in the tournament when the pressure is turned up and the opponents get bigger and stronger.

Ball State also must improve its free throw shooting. The Cardinals ranked last in the 13-team MAC, hitting just 61.5 percent from the line. Had Ball State been more proficient there, some of its close losses would have been victories.

The Coach

Ray McCallum is one of the MAC's finest. He ranks fifth in the league in career winning percentage and has a 126-75 record in six seasons. McCallum, a former Ball State standout, has guided the Cardinals to MAC West titles in two of the past three seasons.

A solid floor coach and strong recruiter, McCallum, who has never had a losing season, is well-liked by his players. He gets the most out of them, even in defeat, and is an excellent motivator. Getting his team confident for the NCAA Tournament won't be a problem.

The Bench

Depth isn't a strength, but the Cardinals have enough shooters to keep long-range weapons on the floor at all times. Patrick Jackson (5-10, 157, So.) is a 51-percent shooter from 3-point range. Cedric Moodie (6-2, 190, Jr.) shoots 38 percent from beyond the arc. As for the big men, Brian Burns (6-9, 260, Jr.) is the best of the lot, grabbing three rebounds per game.

Offense

Ball State is content to run a half-court game and let Clemens and Hosier try to penetrate or find an open 3-pointer. Ball State can run if it has to, most often off a turnover created by either Clemens and Hosier. The guards are the focus of the offense, but opponents can't ignore Smith, who is capable of a double-double against even strong opponents. ... Ball State was 10-3 when scoring 80 or more points. ... The Cardinals average 74.6 points and hit 44.9 percent from the floor. ... Ball State was second in the MAC in 3-point percentage, hitting 38.4 percent.

Defense

Ball State likes to press in spots, but relies heavily on its guards coming up with steals in the half-court game. The Cardinals are sound inside, with Jones, Smith and Murray making up an imposing, hard-working line of defense. Jones alters more shots than he blocks. ... The Cardinals give up 68.9 points per game. ... Ball State is 3-3 when giving up 80 or more points.