Over The Pylon

Coach Whitford excels at holding jerseys, it’s good training for banners.

Yes, our bread and butter around these parts is football, and yes, we are going to be pigskin-centric over the next few days as Ball State plays the most “name” opponent of the year in the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday, but that doesn’t mean we have to ignore the other Cardinal sports. BSU basketball announced Wednesday that they have a schedule for the 2014-2015 season, and if that’s you’re thing, then plan ahead. To the release…

Ball State released its complete 2014-15 men’s basketball schedule Wednesday in conjunction with the announcement by the Mid-American Conference of the full league schedule.

The Cardinals will prepare for their 18 MAC games with a non-conference slate featuring marquee road trips to Utah and San Diego State in addition to games against traditional in-state opponents.

“We have put together a schedule we believe not only challenges our team but also offers a good competitive balance as we continue to build our program,” second-year head coach James Whitford said. “It was a good summer of improvement for our players, and we are excited to begin a new season.”

Utah returns the bulk of its team that won 21 games last season, while San Diego State is coming off a 31-win season and its fifth straight NCAA tournament berth. The Utah contest, scheduled for Nov. 14, is the season opener for both teams and is the second game in a two-for-one series that will see the Utes visit Muncie next season to complete the contract.

Ball State will continue its longest standing rivalry when it hosts Indiana State in the 129th all-time meeting between the teams. The Cardinals will play Valparaiso for the 61st time and IUPUI for the 10th time since 2000 with both of those games coming on the road.

The home opener at Worthen Arena is set for Nov. 17 against IU Kokomo, while the remainder of the non-conference opponents include Grambling State, James Madison, Longwood and Bethune-Cookman at home in addition to Eastern Illinois on the road.

Ball State begins its MAC schedule Jan. 7 at Eastern Michigan and plays its first league home game three days later against Central Michigan. As always, the Cardinals have two games against each fellow West Division team, including defending regular season league co-champions Toledo and Western Michigan.

Additionally, the Cardinals drew home-and-home matchups with Kent State and Bowling Green from the East Division. Ball State also has home games against East opponents Ohio and Buffalo while traveling for road games at Akron and Miami University.

The MAC Tournament is scheduled to begin March 9 with first-round games on campus sites. The top four teams will receive byes straight to Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena.

Want the basketball schedule in handy printable form? Then you can go ahead and get that baby right here. The biggest game, and also the most meaningful with the backstory of Rick Majerus is the season-opener at Utah. No “name” Indiana opponent like the Hoosiers, Butler, or Purdue, but there is Valpo, Indiana State, IU-Kokomo, and IUPUI. Fire up!

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