Ball State, Alabama to square off in the 2016 Men Who Speak Up Las Vegas Main Event

The Cardinals will try to stem the Tide from rolling them over in a non-conference matchup this upcoming season.

Ball State and Alabama are set to play a match as part of the "Men Who Speak Up Las Vegas Main Event", a season tournament that enlists "Middleweight" and "Heavyweight" brackets. The tournament will  feature Coastal Carolina, Valpo, BYU and St. Louis. amongst others yet to be named.

The announcement was made on Twitter this past Thursday:

Here it is. The 2016-17 @AlabamaMBB non-conference schedule! #RollTide #BuckleUp pic.twitter.com/EeAcrXZ2yC

— Alabama M Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) July 27, 2016

The Cardinals had one of their best seasons in recent memory in 2015, finishing first in the MAC West Division with an overall record of 20-13 (10-8 MAC). In 2014, Ball State had finished with 5 wins. putting head coach James Whitford on the hot seat. Ranked as a 5-seed in the MAC Tournament, Ball State was upset in the first round by 11-seed Miami on their home floor, preventing a run at he NCAA Tournament.

The Crimson Tide finished 10th in the conference, with a total overall record of 18-15 (8-10 SEC.) They will be led by head coach Avery Johnson, who enters his second year with Alabama after an NBA coaching career that lasted seven years. The Tide were bounced by Creighton on the road in the first round of the NIT last season.

The game will be played in Tuscaloosa, with the winner moving on to the semi-final round in Las Vegas. The time for the game has yet to be announced.