Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty

So, here come the BobKitties, and they arrive at Anderson Arena with their back to the wall.  Despite a decent record, OU is 0-3 in MAC play and has to come onto the floor with a desperate need to get a win.

They have been a hot and cold team all year.  They started their season with four straight wins over 200+ RPI teams, followed by three losses (@Marshall and @Tulsa included).  They followed that up with a three game winning streak, beating Eastern Kentucky and Illinois State teams.

From there they have lost five of seven, including a loss to Pitt and a nice win over IUPUI.  as mentioned, they have lost their first 3 MAC Games, Kent and Akron in Athens and then @Miami.

Bowling Green swept the series with OU last year, picking up a nice win in Athens to start their winning streak and then winning at BG to clinch the regular season title, and then again in the MAC tourney.

I think if we look at the two teams, they are pretty evenly matched.  Looking at the BG offense against the OU defense, we can see that OU is used to forcing turnovers, and BG has been weak on that of late, so the Falcons will be under pressure to control the ball.  On the other hand, they do foul a lot, and given BG's strong free throw shooting of late, that has the potential to be a nice advantage.

College Basketball

Now let's look at the four factors for the OU offense and the BG defense.  As you can see, the teams are pretty even.  OU shoots a little worse than BG is used to having teams shoot, but the Bobcats are a little stronger on the boards and get to the line a little more than we are used to.

NCAA Basketball

OU is led in scoring by Armon Bassett, an Indiana refugee, and DJ Cooper, a highly recruited FR who is probably the leader for MAC Freshmen of the Year.  Their other double figure scorer is Steven Coleman, who is a SO and was on the all-freshmen team last year.  (As an aside, this year apart, I think Groce is in the process of building a really nice team down there).

They rotate 9 guys getting 10 minutes or more a game.

I don't really think this game is a lot different than any other game.  If BG can build off its defense and rebounding and actually get out and defend the 3, they are going to be tough to beat.  If they can get some consistent scoring on top of all that, then they have a formula they can use to win a lot of MAC games.  Now, OU is on the road and facing an 0-4 conference start, and they are really up against it.  I think we can expect them to play very hard and with a high degree of urgency.

I am looking forward to this game, though.  It would be nice to get the win, a 2-game winning streak and re-establish ourselves in the MAC race.  I'm also looking forward to seeing if BG can build on the victory and continue a strong level of play.