MUNCIE, Ind. — Friday marked Ball State men's basketball's biggest test of the season so far, and the Cardinals did not give Kent State a challenge.
BSU (13-6, 4-2 MAC) fell at the top-ranked Golden Flashes (16-3, 6-0 MAC) 86-65, a game that was never truly competitive as KSU lived up to the hype as one of the Mid-American Conference's top teams, at least defensively, in recent years.
Head coach Michael Lewis commended his opponent postgame, calling them "without a doubt" an NCAA tournament team. Lewis even said he apologized to KSU head coach Rob Senderoff in the handshake line "for our league not being better, top to bottom, to help him.