Malik Perry News

Ball State junior forward Malik Perry obviously didn't exactly check out the schedule and say, "Hey, this is the perfect time for me to take a break and miss a game or two." But as good fortune would have it for the Cardinals, that's exactly how it played out.

Consistently inconsistent sums up Ball State nine games into this basketball season.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Ball State coach Billy Taylor smiled Saturday as he reflected on the effort his players provided in the second half against No.

Brawley Chisholm barely showed up on the stat sheet for his effort Monday night against North Carolina Central.

MUNCIE - Ball State leads North Carolina Central 28-23 at halftime. The Cardinals led by as many as nine points.

Jarrod Jones had 16 points and eight rebounds, Terrence Watson scored 12 points and Jauwan Scaife added 10 for Ball State .

There is no way to quantify momentum. Although if Saturday is any indication, it doesn't count for much.

Ask different people and you get slightly different answers about what the Indiana State men's basketball team has been doing in its nine-day layoff since its last game.

MUNCIE -- A sizable student-body contingent showed up Wednesday night to Worthen Arena, wearing red T-shirts that said, 'Protect The Nest.' The only protection the crowd provided Ball State came in the form of a count down as the shot clock wound under 10 seconds with the Cardinals scrambling for a shot on virtually every possession.

No reason to mince words. Throw out the flowery adjectives and the basketball game tonight pits a program on the mend against the darling of mid-majors. Ball State plays host to No.

Botched layups, bricked free throws and self-induced turnovers proved to be a recurring theme Saturday when Ball State lost 60-58 to UC Davis.

MUNCIE -- For anyone in this SportsCenter highlight-reel era who still cares about basketball fundamentals, Worthen Arena proved to be just about the worst possible place to watch a game Saturday afternoon.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Dreams of Ryan Brooks driving to the basket for a layup or Juan Fernandez draining a 3-pointer, or the Temple student body chanting, 'Ole, ole, ole, ole' or Lavoy Allen dunking in their grill probably prevented some Ball State players from sleeping soundly last night.

Far removed from the New York City street courts where he honed his game, Ball State senior point guard Brawley Chisholm turned in a breakout performance Friday night in the 88-78 victory over Valparaiso.

MUNCIE -- Some of the numbers Ball State put up Friday night in its season opener dated back to the glory days when the Cardinals finished their seasons with more wins than losses.

Section: SPORTS Originally published: 10/20/09 at 12:02 AM EST Last update: 10/20/09 at 3:26 AM EST Ball State University men's basketball coach Billy Taylor looked refreshed as he sat before the media at Worthen Arena.

Billy Taylor held his first press conference for the 2009-10 season on Monday afternoon at Worthen Arena.

Ball State graduated four of the five players that averaged more than 4.1 points per game for last season's MAC West co-champs. In total, the Cardinals no longer have the guys who produced 60.1 percent of their points and played 53.7 percent of their minutes.

MUNCIE, Ind., March 8 -- Ball State University issued the following news release: The Ball State men's basketball team suffered its second straight overtime loss Sunday afternoon as the Cardinals fell 55-53 to Eastern Michigan in extra time at Worthen Arena.