Akron Beats BG....Same Old Story

Ouch.  Honestly, it is pretty incredible.  Akron has now beaten BG 20 out of the last 21 games.  I would be very surprised to find out that BG has a similar streak against any MAC team and would actually be surprised to find out that there are too many similar streaks among any of the MAC teams.  It is just amazing.  The Zips have completely owned the Falcons and last night was the most owningest of the them all.

The game was close for the first few minutes, but then Akron went on an unbelievable 27-2 run to literally put the game out of reach.  That's 10 minutes of completely one-sided basketball.  From there BG was down 23 and never got closer to 14--and that was an anomaly--as the Zips cruised to an easy victory, handing BG their first MAC loss.

College Basketball Stats

Look, lots of teams are going to lose at the JAR this year.  It is hardly a season-ender, and we had been on a nice winning streak.  There's still a long way to go.  That said, it was sobering.

Based on media reports, Akron played very physically and according to Coach Jans, BG was simply unable to respond.  He put that mostly on himself...said he needs to figure out how BG responds when the other team gets very physical.  That's Akron's trademark, but you don't want to get a rep as a team that can get pushed around in this conference.

BG did not have a good night on either end of the floor.  The Falcons allowed 1.08 points per possession and scored .8.  When you look at the chart below, you can see what happened.  Remembering that the most important of the four factors is shooting, look at the gap.  No team can win (or lose) with that gap.  BG shot 33% and 20%, while Akron shot 55% and 32%.  The Zips made 84% of their 2FG attempts.  BG handled the ball better and rebounded better, but it could not be overcome.  The Zips made only 11 of 21 FTs, or the game would have been more one-sided.

NCAA Basketball

Individually, BG was hamstrung inside from the beginning.  Parker was hobbling and Dickerson and Holmes had 2 fouls in the first half.  BG was at a disadvantage on the inside to start with and then that happens and, you know how it turned out.  Henderson finished with 11 points and Holmes 10, both on 4 of 9 shooting.  BG's point guards REALLY struggled shooting

So the team's goal moving forward is to make this game "one of those nights." No better chance will exist than a home game against an improving Ball State team Saturday.