MEN'S BASKETBALL: Cards' size not disadvantage
BSU outrebounds Boilermakers 37-32 despite lack of height
Levin Black
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WEST LAFAYETTE - All season long, fans, coaches and the media have said the biggest disadvantage Ball State University has is its lack of size.
People who follow Ball State basketball closely know no healthy player on the team's roster is taller than 6-feet-4-inches, meaning most Ball State opponents have at least one player four inches taller than the tallest Cardinal.
That was the case Wednesday in Ball State's 70-57 loss to Purdue University as the Boilermakers have five players at least 6-feet-8-inches tall. However, Purdue coach Matt Painter said it was his team who had the mismatch.
"They had the matchup, we had the matchup problem," Painter said. "They made you play a different lineup …if you had to go back and play this game again, you would play all guards against them."
For the second consecutive game the Cardinals managed to outrebound their opponent. Ball State won the rebounding battle against Valparaiso University 37-32 and beat Purdue on the glass 29-26.
Ball State coach Billy Taylor said his team has made it a point to crash the boards.
"We are undersized and our guys are really fighting in there on the glass," Taylor said. "Guys are really committed to getting on the glass and trying to limit our opponent to one and done."
Painter said Ball State's edge in rebounding was because of the Cardinals' quickness.
"You get a lot of rebounds by chasing rebounds," Painter said. "We all talk about, in theory, rebounding the basketball [and] getting it above the rim, but very few of us have guys who do get balls above the rim … There's no doubt that if you are quick to the ball and you chase it you can really get an advantage on the glass."
Leading the game in rebounds was Ball State's 5-foot-9-inch guard Melvin Goins. He snagged eight rebounds, making it the third time this season he has had at least seven boards.
In addition to grabbing a majority of the rebounds, Ball State also had more points in the paint than Purdue. The Cardinals scored 24 of their 57 points from in the paint while the Boilers mainly relied on jump shots and 3-pointers as only 20 of their 70 points came from in the paint.
Taylor said his team places an emphasis on help defense when their opponent passes the ball to one of its bigs down low.
"Our defense on the interior has been pretty solid, we're trying to swarm the basketball inside," Taylor said.
People who follow Ball State basketball closely know no healthy player on the team's roster is taller than 6-feet-4-inches, meaning most Ball State opponents have at least one player four inches taller than the tallest Cardinal.
That was the case Wednesday in Ball State's 70-57 loss to Purdue University as the Boilermakers have five players at least 6-feet-8-inches tall. However, Purdue coach Matt Painter said it was his team who had the mismatch.
"They had the matchup, we had the matchup problem," Painter said. "They made you play a different lineup …if you had to go back and play this game again, you would play all guards against them."
For the second consecutive game the Cardinals managed to outrebound their opponent. Ball State won the rebounding battle against Valparaiso University 37-32 and beat Purdue on the glass 29-26.
Ball State coach Billy Taylor said his team has made it a point to crash the boards.
"We are undersized and our guys are really fighting in there on the glass," Taylor said. "Guys are really committed to getting on the glass and trying to limit our opponent to one and done."
Painter said Ball State's edge in rebounding was because of the Cardinals' quickness.
"You get a lot of rebounds by chasing rebounds," Painter said. "We all talk about, in theory, rebounding the basketball [and] getting it above the rim, but very few of us have guys who do get balls above the rim … There's no doubt that if you are quick to the ball and you chase it you can really get an advantage on the glass."
Leading the game in rebounds was Ball State's 5-foot-9-inch guard Melvin Goins. He snagged eight rebounds, making it the third time this season he has had at least seven boards.
In addition to grabbing a majority of the rebounds, Ball State also had more points in the paint than Purdue. The Cardinals scored 24 of their 57 points from in the paint while the Boilers mainly relied on jump shots and 3-pointers as only 20 of their 70 points came from in the paint.
Taylor said his team places an emphasis on help defense when their opponent passes the ball to one of its bigs down low.
"Our defense on the interior has been pretty solid, we're trying to swarm the basketball inside," Taylor said.
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