Ball State, Akron eye conference win

Ball State (9-6, 2-0) vs. Akron (12-3, 2-0)

James A. Rhodes Arena, Akron, Ohio; Friday, 9 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Ball State squares off against Akron as both teams look to remain unbeaten in MAC games. Each team has two wins in conference play this season. Ball State easily beat Buffalo by 20 in its last outing. Akron is coming off an 84-69 win over Western Michigan in its most recent game.

STEPPING UP: Tahjai Teague is averaging 13.9 points and 7.9 rebounds to lead the way for the Cardinals. Ishmael El-Amin is also a primary contributor, producing 14.4 points per game. The Zips have been led by Loren Cristian Jackson, who is averaging 16.4 points and 4.9 assists.

KEY CONTRIBUTOR: Jackson has either made or assisted on 47 percent of all Akron field goals over the last five games. Jackson has accounted for 32 field goals and 26 assists in those games.

UNDEFEATED WHEN: Akron is a perfect 12-0 when it holds an opponent to 79 points or fewer. The Zips are 0-3 when opponents score more than 79 points.

STREAK STATS: Akron has won its last nine home games, scoring an average of 77.9 points while giving up 57.6.

DID YOU KNOW: Both Ball State and Akron are ranked at the top of the MAC when it comes to 3-point shooting. The Cardinals are ranked first in the conference with 9.7 3-pointers made per game this season while the Zips are ranked first at 9.7 per game.