| Mode: | Basketball |
| Year: | 2016–17 |
| Team: | Ball State Cardinals |
| Conference: | Mid-American Conference |
| Division: | West Division |
| Short Conf: | MAC |
| Record: | 21–13 |
| Conf Record: | 11–7 |
| Head Coach: | James Whitford |
| Hc Year: | 4th |
| Asst Coach1: | Jason Grunkemeyer |
| Asst Coach2: | Danny Peters |
| Asst Coach3: | Brian Thornton |
| Stadium: | Worthen Arena |
| Champion: | MAC West division co-champions |
| Bowl: | CIT |
| Bowl Result: | First Round |
The 2016–17 Ball State Cardinals men's basketball team represented Ball State University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cardinals, led by fourth-year head coach James Whitford, played their home games at Worthen Arena as members of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 21–13, 11–7 in MAC play to finish in a tie for the West Division title. As the No. 4 seed in the MAC tournament they defeated Western Michigan in the quarterfinals to advance to the Semifinals where they lost to Akron. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they lost in the first round to Fort Wayne.
The Cardinals finished the 2015–16 season 21–14, 10–8 in MAC play to finish in a tie for the West Division championship. They lost to Miami (OH) in the first round of the MAC tournament. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they defeated Tennessee State and UT Martin to advance to the Quarterfinals before losing to Columbia.
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naiel Smith | 1 | G | 6'4" | 200 | Junior | Graduate transferred to Texas Wesleyan | ||
| Rocco Belcaster | 5 | F | 6'7" | 221 | RS Junior | Left the team for personal reasons | ||
| Bo Calhoun | 12 | F | 6'6" | 245 | Senior | Graduated | ||
| Gill Bik | 21 | F | 6'7" | 227 | Senior | Graduated | ||
| Jeremiah Davis | 24 | F | 6'4" | 210 | RS Senior | Graduated | ||
| Nate Wells | 52 | C | 7'1" | 247 | RS Senior | Graduated |
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jontrell Walker | 1 | G | 6'1" | 188 | Junior | Transferred from Incarnate Word. Under NCAA transfer rules, Walker will have to sit out for the 2016–17 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility. | ||
| Doudou Gueye | 35 | C | 6'10" | 250 | Senior | Transferred from South Carolina. Will eligible to play since Gueye graduated from South Carolina. |
|-!colspan=9 style=| Exhibition|-!colspan=9 style=| Non-conference regular season|-!colspan=9 style=| MAC regular season|-!colspan=9 style=| MAC tournament|-!colspan=9 style=| CIT