Ball State, W. Michigan meet in conference play

Ball State (13-9, 6-3) vs. Western Michigan (10-12, 3-6)

University Arena in Read Fieldhouse, Kalamazoo, Michigan; Saturday, 4 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: MAC foes meet as Ball State faces Western Michigan. Ball State took care of Kent State by eight in its last outing. Western Michigan is coming off a 64-60 win over Miami in its most recent game.

STEPPING UP: Western Michigan’s Michael Flowers has averaged 17.9 points while Brandon Johnson has put up 14.8 points and eight rebounds. For the Cardinals, Tahjai Teague has averaged 15.2 points and 9.3 rebounds while Ishmael El-Amin has put up 13.6 points.TERRIFIC TAHJAI: Teague has connected on 29.2 percent of the 48 3-pointers he’s attempted and has gone 6 for 11 over the last three games. He’s also made 57.9 percent of his foul shots this season.

SLIPPING AT 70: Ball State is 0-6 when it allows at least 70 points and 13-3 when it holds opponents to less than 70.

ASSIST-TO-FG RATIO: The Cardinals have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Broncos. Western Michigan has 27 assists on 63 field goals (42.9 percent) over its past three outings while Ball State has assists on 30 of 64 field goals (46.9 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: The sturdy Ball State defense has held opponents to just 61.6 points per game, the 21st-lowest in Division I. Western Michigan has given up an average of 73 points through 22 games (ranked 246th, nationally).

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This was generated by Automated Insights, , using data from STATS LLC,