For two months, Toledo played subpar defense, alternating between disinterest and detachment.
But it was the nonconference schedule and the Rockets did have impressive wins. Surely, the back-to-back Mid-American Conference champions would resemble the program that went 32-7 over the past two seasons.
Instead, the same undisciplined, uninspiring defense from November and December showed up in the new year on Tuesday, as Ball State breezed into Savage Arena for the MAC opener and left with a 90-83 victory that was barely in doubt.
“It’s unacceptable,” junior point guard RayJ Dennis said. “It’s definitely something we can fix. It’s not singling out one person. Everybody can fix something one-by-one, and it’ll work out for us. We got to get it figured out soon.”
Toledo shot 51.7 percent and only turned the ball over four times. Yet, it trailed by double digits for nearly 10 minutes because Ball State shot 52.5 percent, made 11 of 22 3-pointers, and outrebounded Toledo 41-21.
The Cardinals (10-4, 1-0) had 12 offensive rebounds to UT’s three, and outscored the Rockets 14-0 in second-chance points.
“Our [defensive] percentages are just too high,” Toledo coach Tod Kowalczyk said.
The Rockets (9-5, 0-1) rank among the worst teams nationally in field-goal percentage defense and scoring defense.
“There’s no question that’s where it starts, but some of it is [our opponents],” Kowalczyk said. “Look at the teams we’ve played. The one where I was disappointed with our effort was Marshall. We’ll obviously grade the film and see how many points [Ball State] earned. But I have a feeling tonight they earned a lot, meaning that we did a hell of a job and they hit some tough shots.”
It started early, with Ball State opening up a 24-11 lead after making 10 of its first 14 shots, including four of five 3s. The Rockets rallied and only trailed 40-37 at halftime, but the Cardinals began the second half on a 9-0 run.
For the next 17 minutes, UT only got within six points once.
“Everybody might have one lapse here and there. It’s never one person consistently,” sophomore guard Dante Maddox, Jr., said. “If every person did something a little bit better, the outcome would be a big difference.”
A surge in the final minutes pulled Toledo within two points twice. However, Ball State’s free-throw shooting — and some whistles that Kowalczyk took issue with — kept the Rockets from tying the game or taking the lead. (The Cardinals were 17 of 20 from the line.)
UT’s only lead was 2-0 in the opening 24 seconds.
“Obviously, we’re frustrated that we lost,” Dennis said. “We have a really competitive group. But it’s a long season. It’s just one loss, but we definitely have some things to work on. We’ll watch the film and get it figured out.”
After taking a one-year sabbatical in torching Toledo, Ball State guard Jarron Coleman had 26 points. The Rockets undoubtedly wish he had stayed at Missouri instead of returning to Muncie. In six games against UT, he’s averaging 19.5 points. He had a career-high 33 points in the 2021 MAC tournament.
Demarius Jacobs had 25 points, as he and Coleman combined for 51 points on 17-of-29 shooting from the field and 7-of-12 from 3.
“Those two guards had elite nights,” Kowalczyk said. “They were unbelievably efficient.”
Jaylin Sellers (10 rebounds), Mickey Pearson (nine), and Basheer Jihad (eight) combined for 27 rebounds, six more than Toledo’s entire team.
“We got to figure out a way to rebound the ball better than that,” Dennis said.
But the Rockets are not agitated, alarmed, or overreacting. Asked if the two-time defending MAC champs are a victim of their own success, with the fanbase growing concerned about UT’s defense, Kowalczyk wouldn’t concede an inch, delivering an incredulous response that was part-retaliatory and part-pep talk.
“There’s no panic,” he said. “There’s zero panic. There might be panic by you, there’s not panic by me. You’ll be panicked on Twitter. I’m not panicking one bit. I will not be. I trust these guys, I love these guys. There is no panic. Zero.”
First Published January 4, 2023, 4:13 a.m.
