Out of the Clouds, Back onto the Court

OK.  So, the glow needs to fade for BG as they move on in MAC play.  Next up is @WMU, which on one hand appears to be one thing...but then, you know, could be another.

We all know the expected result.  BG is first place.  WMU is in last place.  They are 0-8.  Their average margin of defeat has been 16 points.  Their closest loss was five points, to OU.  They lost to BG at the Stroh by 31 a little over two weeks ago.  Their stats are the stats of a last-place team.  They lost their last game--a rivalry game with CMU--by the highest margin since 1908.  In fact, three of their last four games were 25+ point losses.  On the surface, there's no reason to think they will be trouble for BG.

On the other hand...I remember a game in AA when BG was on a seven-game losing streak.  Miami was in first place.

You will know this as the "Cole Magner" game.

After the game, Charlie Coles said:

“I think their need for a win was far more than our need for a win,” Miami coach Charlie Coles said. “We came in here in first place and they had lost seven games in a row, so there is no way you can have kids as hungry as their kids were.”

So, there's that.  And then there's a Bowling Green team trying to re-focus on this game after a lifetime experience at the Stroh on Friday.  Tailor-made for a letdown---and, of course, Toledo's coming up on Saturday.

So, it's not in my DNA to think BG has this one in its pocket.

Here's the way it looked when BG went wire to wire to beat WMU at the Stroh.  BG did not shoot the ball especially well, but WMU shot it way worse, had a lot more turnovers and did not get to the offensive boards as they are accustomed to.

The Broncos had .67 points per possession, which is their worst since 2013.  They have been better in the three games since then, but below 1 point per possession in the blowouts.  So, you can expect them to be better than they were in the first game.

Here's the interesting thing.  BG scored 1.11 points per possession in the first game.  MAC average is 1.03.  THAT WAS WMU's second best MAC defensive performance of the season.  So, while WMU will probably score more than they did at the Stroh, they could also give up more, too.

Anyway, on paper, this wouldn't happen, but on the floor, you have to be ready to go.

No one scored in double figures for WMU in the first game.  In MAC games, Seth Dugan is the leading scorer at 17.3 per game.  He's shooting 58% and getting 8.8 RFP.  Michael Flowers is scoring 15 PPG but on 38% and 36% shooting.  Jared Printy DNP against CMU, I have no idea why.