Opening Tip:
– This marks the fourth meeting between Ball State and Northern Kentucky with the first meeting taking place at Worthen Arena when the Norse defeated the Cardinals by a score of 69-67 on Dec. 8, 2012. Ball State won its last meeting against NKU last season by a score of 77-51 in Highland Heights, Ky. Grace Kingery had a break through performance scoring a personal high of 23 points after draining seven 3-pointers which ranked sixth in the Cardinals’ single-game record books.

Sallee Strong:

–Brady Sallee is known for developing his players into strong shooters,over the years. In the last two seasons the Cardinals have ranked in the top 75 nationally in offense. In 2023-24 the Cardinals were 53rd in offense averaging 72.7 points per game while in 2024-25 Ball State finished the year ranked 72nd averaging 72.5 points per game.

Career Day For Two Cards at IU Indy:

It was a career day performance for two Cardinals on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025 when Ball State defeated interstate rival IU-Indy by a score of 81-72. Both Bree Salenbien and Tessa Towers had career high 20-point performances. Salenbien and Towers also tallied personal bests in rebounds with Salenbien pulling down 12 rebounds and Towers finished the day with 10.

Road Warriors:

Under head coach Brady Sallee the Cardinals have played well on the road for the last 14 years under his watch. The Cardinals are 112-74 (.599) from 2012 until present on the road. Ball State’s best season playing away from home was in 2020-21 when the Cardinals posted an 11-2 mark. Ball State is 2-0 this season on the road with defeats at Arkansas State and IU Indy. 

In the Nation:

The Cardinals rank third in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (37.5) and 18th in rebounds per contest (50.50). Ball State is only 1 of 136 team in the nation that are currently undefeated. Both Bree Salenbien and Tessa Towers rank 21st in the nation in double-doubles with one apiece. Karsyn Norman sits at 19th in minutes played (37.34) while Salenbien is 21st in rebounds per contest (12.0).

Home Sweet Home:

John E. Worthen has been good to Brady Sallee and the Cardinals. Sallee has guided Ball State women’s basketball to a 134-57 (.701) record in the last 14 seasons at home with its best showing being in 2022-23 with a 15-1 ledger. This marks the 33rd years of Worthen Arena which opened it 1992.