Men's Basketball Poll

With a short break in the football schedule, we have a chance now to take a peek into the BG men's basketball program.  A bigger preview is on its way, but here's the stuff from the "experts."  Virtually everything I have seen puts BG #5 in the East, ahead of only Miami.  That includes kenpom, Blue Ribbon and the MAC Media.

Speaking of which, here is how the MAC media sees things shaking out.

MAC East Division MBB Preseason Poll (first place votes)
1. Buffalo – 166 points (24)
2. Kent State – 139 points (2)
3. Ohio – 127 points (3)
4. Akron – 84 points (1)
5. Bowling Green – 82 points
6. Miami – 32 points

MAC West Division MBB Preseason Poll (first place votes)
1. Western Michigan – 169 points (22)
2. Ball State – 156 points (8)
3. Toledo – 107 points
4. Eastern Michigan – 103 points
5. Northern Illinois – 57 points
6. Central Michigan – 38 points

MAC Tournament Champion: Western Michigan (10), Buffalo (9), Ball State (5), Kent State (2), Toledo (2), Bowling Green (1), Miami (1)

Which means one person--whoever that might be--voted for BG to win the MAC Tournament.  I'll just leave that right here.

No BG players made the pre-season All-MAC.

In the Kenpom, BG has a 238 ranking.  That's out of 351.  The other two Huger years BG was 249 (last year) and 230 the year before.  So consistency, of a sort.

These predictions are expected and reasonable.  BG's roster is filled with guys with virtually no D1 minutes played.  This class of freshman has the chance to be the ones that turn us around.  If you look back at BG's recruiting over the years, the Falcons have never brought in a critical mass of players who can compete effectively like Akron, Kent and OU have.  This could be the start, but they also need to be coached and developed and supplemented.

I'm optimistic, but it might take a year or so.

Anyway, more to come.