What To Watch For Vs. Ball State

It's Tech's first ever matchup with the Cardinals.

Following a week where Georgia Tech endured 3 games in 7 days with finals occurring at the same time, the Yellow Jackets had a bit more time to prepare for their most recent opponent. Unfortunately it did not result in a win, with Tech falling 67-53 to the hands of the #8 Kentucky Wildcats in Rupp Arena.

The Ramblin' Wreck won't have much time to reflect on the loss. They're back in action this Wednesday, coming back home to face the Ball State Cardinals. Tip is set for 7:00pm EST and will be televised on Fox Sports South.

Here are a few storylines to follow ahead of Tech's first all-time matchup with the Cardinals.

In The Same Boat

Like Georgia Tech & Jose Alvarado, the Ball State Cardinals also find themselves down a key player. In Ball State's fifth game of the year against Northern Kentucky, guard K.J. Walton went down with an ankle injury and has not returned to the floor since.

While not the primary ball handler like Alvarado is, Walton's absence from the starting lineup is still a significant blow. Last season, Walton lead the Cardinals in field goal percentage among starters and was third in scoring. 

Hard In (Only) The Paint

While the Cardinals do have a pair of 100 point games under their wing, statistically their defense has actually been better than their offense. According to KenPom, Ball State has a top 100 defense, sporting the 91st ranked adjusted defense with the offense only at 176th.

However as good as their defense is, it has a glaring strength and a glaring weakness. On two point shots, the Cardinals are holding their opposition to just a 39.9% clip (8th in the nation). But beyond the arc is a completely different story. They are allowing teams to shoot 37.6% on three point shots, good for 316th in the nation and the worst mark of any team Tech has played so far this season.

The Splash Triplets

To make up for the defensive deficiency at the perimeter, Ball State has 3 players who are elite at draining threes. Junior guard Ishmael El-Amin, senior forward Kyle Mallers and freshman guard Luke Bumbalough are all shooting over 38%, with the trio accounting for 74.2% percentage of their made threes despite taking just 59.6% of their attempts from downtown.

The most prolific of the three is unquestionably El-Amin. He's made exactly half of his threes (9th nationally in 3PT%) and leads Ball State in scoring (15.4).

The Man In The Middle

Because of the prowess of the Cardinals' three leading shooters, that draws a lot of defensive pressure out to the perimeter. As a result, forward Tahjai Teague has had plenty of opportunities down low in the post. According to KemPom, he's used on 26.9% Ball State's possessions when on the floor, good for top 200 in D1

The redshirt senior actually leads the Cardinals in both made field goal & attempts (52-97), field goal percentage (53.6%) and is the leading rebounder for Ball State, hauling in 8.6 per game.

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