The Road to Fairfax

Will history repeat itself? Only a year ago, Donan Cruz in his 1st season as head coach, led Ball State to their first MIVA championship in 20 years. The Cardinals then hosted 3 MIVA tournament matches in their own palace-Worthen Arena. BSU won 3 consecutive matches sending them back to the NCAA tournament for the 1st time since 2002. After spending most of this season in 3rd and 4th place, the Cardinals went on a flight that saw them win 7 of their final 8 matches to claim a share of the MIVA championship with Ohio State and Loyola. BSU then won the tiebreaker and once again will play every MIVA tournament match in Worthen Arena where they have been nearly invincible the past 2 years. BSU will play Saturday versus Quincy at 6:00 and if victorious will meet the winner of Lewis and Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday. If BSU wins their semifinal match, the Cardinals will play for the tournament championship and the automatic NCAA bid a week from Saturday versus the winner of the bottom bracket, where Loyola and Ohio State are the favorites. NCAA appearances at BSU do not grow on trees with men’s and women’s basketball being great examples. Home court advantage is only an advantage if you have a large and boisterous crowd behind you. BSU will need Cardinal fans to come out in full force and get behind Cruz’s Cardinals. Will history repeat itself? We will soon find out!