# 2024–25 Ball State Cardinals men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Ball State Cardinals men's basketball team represented Ball State University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cardinals, led by third-year head coach Michael Lewis, played their home games at Worthen Arena in Muncie, Indiana as members of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

## Previous season

The Cardinals finished the 2023–24 season 15–16, 7–11 in MAC play, to finish in ninth place. They failed to qualify for the MAC tournament, as only the top eight teams qualify.

## Offseason
### Departures

Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Jalin Anderson | 1 | G | 6' 3" | 190 | Junior | Jackson, TN | Transferred to Incarnate Word |
| Micah Bell | 4 | G | 6' 3" | 168 | RS Freshman | Austell, GA | Transferred to South Plains College |
| Davion Bailey | 5 | G | 6' 4" | 200 | Junior | Indianapolis, IN | Transferred to Incarnate Word |
| Basheer Jihad | 11 | F | 6' 9" | 239 | Junior | Detroit, MI | Transferred to Arizona State |
| Trent Middleton Jr. | 13 | G | 6' 3" | 177 | Freshman | Philadelphia, PA | Transferred to Delaware |
| Jack Futa | 14 | G | 6' 5" | 189 | Sophomore | South Bend, IN | Transferred to Aquinas College |
| Quincy Adams | 15 | G | 6' 5" | 172 | RS Freshman | Frisco, TX | Transferred to Western New Mexico |
| Joey Brown | 23 | G | 6' 5" | 184 | Freshman | Indianapolis, IN | Transferred to Tyler Junior College |

### Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Jermahri Hill | 1 | G | 6' 5" | 185 | Junior | Bessemer, AL | South Plains College |
| Juanse Gorosito | 4 | G | 6' 1" | 190 | Junior | Ceres, Argentina | Portland |
| Payton Sparks | 5 | C | 6' 10" | 265 | Senior | Winchester, IN | Indiana |
| Joey Hart | 20 | G | 6' 5" | 195 | Sophomore | Linton, IN | Kentucky |
| Jeremiah Hernandez | 33 | G | 6' 5" | 192 | Graduate student | Chicago, IL | Southern Indiana |

### Recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight |
| Jai Anthoni Bearden F | Phoenix, AZ | Sunnyslope High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Kody Clancy G | Scottsburg, IN | Scottsburg High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 191 lb (87 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| TJ Burch G | Dallas, TX | Texas Alliance of Christian Athletes | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Preseason

On October 22, 2024 the MAC released the preseason coaches poll. Ball State was picked to finish seventh in the MAC regular season.

### Preseason rankings

MAC preseason poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Ohio | 121 (11) |
| 2 | Akron | 106 (1) |
| 3 | Kent State | 99 |
| 4 | Toledo | 95 |
| 5 | Bowling Green | 73 |
| 6 | Miami (OH) | 72 |
| 7 | Ball State | 67 |
| 8 | Central Michigan | 55 |
| 9 | Eastern Michigan | 36 |
| 10 | Western Michigan | 33 |
| 11 | Northern Illinois | 24 |
| 12 | Buffalo | 11 |
MAC tournament champions: Ohio (8), Kent State (3), Toledo (1)
Source:

### Preseason All-MAC

Preseason All-MAC teams :
| Team | Player | Position | Year |
| 1st | Payton Sparks | Center | Senior |
Source:

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Georgia State MAC–SBC Challenge | L 66–71 | 0–1 | 17 – Hill | 13 – Pearson Jr. | 4 – Sparks | GSU Convocation Center (532) Atlanta, GA |
| November 8, 2024* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Franklin | W 87–60 | 1–1 | 17 – 3 tied | 8 – Pearson Jr. | 6 – Brittain-Watts | Worthen Arena (4,018) Muncie, IN |
| November 13, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Dayton | L 69–77 | 1–2 | 25 – Hill | 7 – Hill | 3 – Hill | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| November 16, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Indiana State | L 84–94 | 1–3 | 16 – Sparks | 7 – Sparks | 4 – Brittain-Watts | Worthen Arena (4,021) Muncie, IN |
| November 20, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Detroit Mercy | L 59–70 | 1–4 | 12 – 2 tied | 11 – Pearson Jr. | 3 – 2 tied | Worthen Arena (2,784) Muncie, IN |
| November 25, 2024* 12:00 p.m., FloHoops | vs. Eastern Kentucky Gulf Coast Showcase | W 63–61 | 2–4 | 18 – Hill | 7 – Hill | 4 – Hill | Hertz Arena (542) Estero, FL |
| November 26, 2024* 6:00 p.m., FloHoops | vs. Florida Tech Gulf Coast Showcase | W 94–57 | 3–4 | 24 – Hill | 8 – Pearson Jr. | 5 – Hill | Hertz Arena (289) Estero, FL |
| November 27, 2024* 6:00 p.m., FloHoops | vs. Richmond Gulf Coast Showcase | L 60–73 | 3–5 | 22 – Hill | 6 – Sparks | 2 – 2 tied | Hertz Arena (311) Estero, FL |
| December 8, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at SIU Edwardsville | L 69–82 | 3–6 | 17 – Gorosito | 6 – Hendriks | 3 – 2 tied | First Community Arena (1,015) Edwardsville, IL |
| December 14, 2024* 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Bellarmine | W 86–82 | 4–6 | 21 – Gorosito | 4 – 3 tied | 4 – tied | Knights Hall (1,572) Louisville, KY |
| December 21, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Evansville | W 80–43 | 5–6 | 20 – Sparks | 8 – Hill | 3 – 2 tied | Worthen Arena (3,521) Muncie, IN |
| December 31, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Anderson | W 89–76 | 6–6 | 25 – Hill | 16 – Sparks | 5 – 2 tied | Worthen Arena (3,421) Muncie, IN |
| MAC regular season |||||||||
| January 4, 2025 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Kent State | W 75–67 | 7–6 (1–0) | 18 – Hill | 12 – Sparks | 6 – Hill | MAC Center (1,608) Kent, OH |
| January 7, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Miami (OH) | L 72–80 | 7–7 (1–1) | 20 – 2 tied | 16 – Sparks | 3 – 2 tied | Worthen Arena (3,512) Muncie, IN |
| January 11, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Bowling Green | W 91–69 | 8–7 (2–1) | 19 – Sparks | 13 – Sparks | 6 – Hill | Worthen Arena (4,256) Muncie, IN |
| January 14, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Ohio | L 71–86 | 8–8 (2–2) | 19 – Pearson Jr. | 12 – Sparks | 3 – 3 tied | Convocation Center (4,624) Athens, OH |
| January 18, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Toledo | L 75–93 | 8–9 (2–3) | 20 – Sparks | 9 – Sparks | 6 – Hill | Worthen Arena (4,412) Muncie, IN |
| January 21, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Central Michigan | W 82–80 | 9–9 (3–3) | 16 – Pearson Jr. | 8 – Sparks | 5 – Hill | McGuirk Arena (2,423) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| January 25, 2025 4:30 p.m., ESPN+ | at Northern Illinois | L 66–76 | 9–10 (3–4) | 16 – Brittain-Watts | 8 – Pearson Jr. | 5 – Brittain-Watts | Convocation Center (2,565) DeKalb, IL |
| January 28, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Western Michigan | L 71–74 | 9–11 (3–5) | 19 – 2 tied | 17 – Sparks | 4 – Hill | Worthen Arena (3,026) Muncie, IN |
| February 1, 2025 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Buffalo | W 89–76 | 10–11 (4–5) | 27 – Sparks | 14 – Sparks | 4 – Brittain-Watts | Alumni Arena (2,101) Amherst, NY |
| February 4, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Akron | L 73–81 | 10–12 (4–6) | 19 – Hill | 7 – Hill | 4 – Hill | James A. Rhodes Arena (1,883) Akron, OH |
| February 8, 2025* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Southern Miss MAC–SBC Challenge | W 77–76 | 11–12 | 21 – Pearson Jr. | 12 – Sparks | 4 – 2 tied | Worthen Arena (3,420) Muncie, IN |
| February 11, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Eastern Michigan | W 86–84 $^{OT}$ | 12–12 (5–6) | 21 – Hill | 8 – Hill | 7 – Hill | Worthen Arena (3,118) Muncie, IN |
| February 15, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Northern Illinois | W 89–83 $^{OT}$ | 13–12 (6–6) | 24 – Gorosito | 7 – Gorosito | 4 – Brittain-Watts | Worthen Arena (3,825) Muncie, IN |
| February 18, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Toledo | L 66–67 | 13–13 (6–7) | 16 – 2 tied | 9 – Sparks | 6 – Hill | Savage Arena (3,947) Toledo, OH |
| February 22, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Buffalo | W 80–66 | 14–13 (7–7) | 18 – Sparks | 11 – Hill | 4 – Hill | Worthen Arena (5,276) Muncie, IN |
| February 25, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Akron | L 82–87 | 14–14 (7–8) | 26 – Hill | 9 – 2 tied | 6 – Gorosito | Worthen Arena (3,210) Muncie, IN |
| March 1, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Bowling Green | L 52–61 | 14–15 (7–9) | 15 – Pearson Jr. | 7 – Tied | 2 – Tied | Stroh Center (2,125) Bowling Green, OH |
| March 4, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Central Michigan | L 67–69 | 14–16 (7–10) | 21 – Hill | 9 – Sparks | 3 – Sparks | Worthen Arena (2,844) Muncie, IN |
| March 7, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | at Miami (OH) | L 66–79 | 14–17 (7–11) | 18 – Hill | 11 – Tied | 5 – Burch | Millett Hall (7,893) Oxford, OH |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. |||||||||
Sources: