FalconBlog--Triumphs and Trials in the BGSU Falcon Nation

Falcons Win Again

The Falcons went down to Huntington, WV last night and picked up a nice win (79-78) on the road. We burst out to a 16-0 run in the second half, and then had to cling on to win when Marshall missed a shot in the last few seconds.

Marshall is 3-8--not a good team, and I think that now that we are 7-3, we need to maybe temper our enthusiasm a little. Don't get me wrong...I'm thrilled to see us winning. But we are playing a pretty weak schedule.

In fact, according to Sagarin only three teams in D1 hoops have played a weaker schedule than we have. Note this:

Furman, who we lost to is 3-6. Central Arkansas, who we lost to is 1-7.

Arkansas State, who we split with, is 5-7, and ranked #252 in the nation (out of 336).

Troy is 4-7 ranked #214.

South Alabama is 4-5 (ranked #171).

Wright State is 5-5 (#220).

Northern Colorado is 1-9 (#324).

In fact, we have yet to play even one team that is a stretch for our team. And, its going to get even a little worse, because we play Michigan Tech (not D1), Jacksonville State (2-7, #307), and UW-Green Bay (#152, probably our toughest pre-MAC game).

I'm not trying to be negative and I'm not being a pessimist. I am merely pointing out that things could get tough in MAC play, that this is a young team, and we could have some struggles ahead.

There is one reason, however, to be optimistic. He emerged last night...his name is Nate Miller, a transfer to BG from UNC-Wilmington. Last night, he played 27 minutes with 19 points and 10 boards, our first double-double in god-knows how long. He was 7-13 from the field, and helped us battle to even in the rebounding battle, where we have been destroyed in recent weeks.

His reputation is as a tough 6'3" inside guy, like Anthony Stacey. If he can continue to contribute like he did last night, I believe this team becomes a serious contender on the floor against any MAC team--not better (yet), but in the discussion.

We'd start like this:

F Marschall
F Miller
F Dusan
G Samarco
G Hamblet

From the bench, we'd bring Lefeld, Clements, and Sims (primarily), with Polk, Larson, Moten (who also may be coming around), Bland and Guerin.

That's kind of a bipolar post, I realize. I believe the program might have turned the corner, but there could still be a rough road ahead until we're a little closer to the finish line.