Brescia vs Ball State prediction: K'Jei Parker and a rebuilt Ball State open the Capko era against Brescia
With barely a sixth of last season's minutes back, the NAIA visit is Ball State's first real look at what new coach Chris Capko has assembled.
- Ball State should control an NAIA opponent at home, but this is a first regular-season test for a nearly new roster and coaching staff.
- Watch K'Jei Parker's shooting: he hit 40.8% from three at UMass last season and scored 19 in the latest exhibition.
- No spread or total has been posted yet; last season's pace ranked 355th, a slow baseline to weigh once a total appears.
A new coach, a new roster
Ball State finished last season 12-19, and almost nothing about that team is left. Players on this year's roster logged just 16.6% of last season's minutes, so last season's numbers say more about the program than about the group taking the floor in Muncie.
Chris Capko, named the program's 21st head coach in March after serving as associate head coach on Andy Enfield's staff at SMU, rebuilt mostly through the portal. Brescia, an NAIA member coached by Matt Karn as of his February 2025 appointment, is the first regular-season opponent.
Parker is the headliner
Capko has known K'Jei Parker his entire life, and the UMass transfer already looks like the focal point. He made 40.8% of his threes there last season and scored 19 points in a 78-70 exhibition loss to Purdue Fort Wayne this week.
He has company in the backcourt. Zaon Collins averaged 4.6 assists at Fresno State, and Javion Guy-King posted a 110.6 offensive rating at Central Arkansas. Senior forward Mason Jones is the steady holdover, a starter in 30 games last season.
Exhibitions raised questions
The preseason was not kind. Ball State lost 87-55 at Purdue on Oct. 18 before the Purdue Fort Wayne defeat. Last season's offense was the real weakness: it scored 105.9 points per 100 possessions, which ranked 286th of 365. The defense had a bite worth watching for, forcing turnovers at a rate that ranked 41st. Against Brescia, the margin matters less than whether the new guards share the ball and the offense finds a rhythm before MAC play opens Dec. 2 at Akron.
Key players
- K'Jei Parker (Ball State): Shot 40.8% on 157 three-point attempts at UMass last season and scored 19 in the latest exhibition.
- Zaon Collins (Ball State): Averaged 11.6 points and 4.6 assists at Fresno State last season.
- Mason Jones (Ball State): Played 30.9 minutes per game last season and made 36.9% of his threes.
Numbers that matter
| Returning minutes | 16.6% | Share of last season's minutes held by players on this year's roster, so last season's team stats are a weak guide. |
|---|---|---|
| Parker's 3-point % | 40.8% | His mark at UMass last season, the best perimeter shooting on the roster. |
| Last season's pace rank | 355th | Ball State played among the slowest tempos in Division I last season under the previous staff. |
| Last season's forced turnover rank | 41st | The defense's best trait last season, though the personnel has changed. |
Brescia vs Ball State: quick answers
When is Brescia vs Ball State?
Monday, November 9, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET.