BG MBB Heads to Athens

 The road does not get any easier for the MBB team.

Next up is the OU Bobcats...who are playing as well as anyone in the MAC.  When BG faced them the first time, they were in the midst of a tough start.  They were on their way to a 1-3 MAC start and four non-conference losses to 200+ teams.

Things turned around.  Since the 1-3 start, they are 8-2 in MAC play, with their only losses @UA and @UT.  They beat Akron at the Convo in their last game, and they are 7-1 in MAC play at home and have won their last 7.

In the first matchup, BG led wire to wire, making 50% of their 3FGs.  They also had an edge on offensive rebounding.  (BG made 12 3FGs that day, their season high.  They have 9 in the last 3 games.

Anyhoo, Thomas had 20, his high as a Falcon.

OU is the #2 offensive team in the MAC and #5 on defense.  BG is still #5 in offense, but have been "scoring challenged" of late.  The Falcons are #9 in defensive efficiency. 

OU is the best shooting team in the MAC and BG is #9 on defending the shot. OU takes the most 3FGs in the MAC, and make 37%, #4 in MAC.  They lead the MAC with 55% on 2FGs.  They take excellent are of the ball and are pretty good at getting to the line and make 74% when they do.  They do not seem to contest the offensive boards, which will force BG into a half court game, just as Miami did.

BG is the #11 shooting team in the MAC.  OU does force some turnovers.  There is an opening for BG on the offensive boards, but OU is good at keeping opponents off the line, which is something BG has relied on.

Progress at this point would be BG getting into the paint and make some shots, and hope that maybe they have a shot to get to the line.

Jaylin Hunter is scoring 14.5 PPG. He makes 63% of his 2FGs, #5 in the MAC.  He also makes 33% from 3FG. He leads the MAC with 4.9 APG and is #5 in ratio. AJ Clayton is scoring 12.5 PPG, on 67% and 40%, the top overall shooter in the MAC and #5 in efficiency. Shereff Mitchell scores 12.2 PPG on 50% and 34%. Aidan Hadaway is their leading rebounder with 5.1 per game, though they spread them around to a bunch of guys.

So here we go. BG is 3-4 on the road in MAC play.  It will be interesting to see---only game of the night in the conference.

"Scoring Challenged"

Well, the UT win did not create momentum.  In fact, BG slipped right back into the rut they were in before the UT game, failing to make shots and eventually losing the game.

This one hurts.  BG led for 27 minutes of the game. Not by a lot, but as long as we weren't making shots and they weren't making shots, the Falcons were able to lead.

BG was up 6 with 12:41 left to play in the game....when Miami started to make shots.  They went on a 15-0 crippling run--sparked by two 3FGS by Anderson Mirambeaux, which is like watching a howitzer launch--and led by 9 with about 8 minutes left.  BG did rally, and had it to 2 with 1:30 left, but Miami broke a guy free at the rim, Humphrey had to foul, he made both FTs and went on to score the last 6 points of the game to win by 8.

After the game, Coach said we are "scoring challenged" and he was right.  No surprise there.  He said when you don't make shots you have to get to the line and Miami did a good job of defending us in the paint without putting us on the line.  The refs let 'em play--pretty evenly, I thought--and Simon said that BG needed to make shots, even with contact.

Coach Srulovich said on the radio that Miami did not crash the offensive boards, got back to force us into half court and then packed the zone in.  BG did get penetration...BG took 47 shots in the paint. And made 17.  They were 9 of 23 inside the protected area.  Both are disasterous.

As Coach said, "you have to put the ball in hole."

Again, dropping Toledo out, it was BG's 4th straight game under .92 points per possession.  The thing is, this one was at home.   Further, Agee was 9 of 17.  The rest of the team was 14 of 54.

Agee continues to be a stud.  He's just a non-stop, energy machine under the basketball.  He scored 20 with 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal and 1 turnover.

No one else was in double figures.  They held Hill to 8 on 4 of 13 and 0 of 2 shooting. He shot only 1 FT and had 4 turnovers.  It was not his night.

Or BG's.

So, things get a little tougher now.  They got to OU to play a Bobcat team that is the hottest team in the MAC right now. BG is 2 games out of 9th and 1 game ahead of the two teams that are one game behind them.  They should still make Cleveland, but it's no lock.

MBB to Face Miami at Stroh

And we're back.

Really looking forward to the game tomorrow...coming off the big win, tough match-up, another traditional rival.  Hopefully a good crowd.  Only two home games left.

And hopefully whatever demons BG chased into the cold night in Oxford in January are still out in the cold.

Miami is 7-7, one game behind BG in the standings.  Since BG beat them at Millet in January, they are 5-4 in MAC play. They have lost 3 of their last 5 MAC games but blew CMU out by 28 at Millet in their last game.

Their only win over a top-tier MAC team was a good one...Akron in Oxford.  On the other end of the spectrum, they have lost to NIU and WMU, twice.

The previous game went to BG in Oxford.  Miami had a 6-point lead with 4 minutes left to play. BG had been pretty flat heading into that part of the game, but picked up the pace there, and closed on a 12-5 run, including a Marcus Hill special to land the dagger.

The game followed a pretty common pattern.  BG was outshot, but had an edge on turnovers and on the boards and a huge edge at the line, ending up +9 and leaving Travis Steele complaining about the officials.

Hill had 23 on 13 shots.  Agee double-doubled and Thomas had 14.

7'0" FR Reece Potter had a career night, scoring 17.  He's only been in double figures twice since then. Mirambeaux came off the bench and had 12.  He is their leading scorer but takes a ton of shots.

They are #6 in the MAC in offense. They shoot well, take care of the ball and are decent at getting to the line, but are last on the offensive boards.

They are #3 in the MAC in defense. They are #3 on the shot and #4 in forcing turnovers...and slightly below average on the defensive boards and keeping opponents off the line.  

Frankly, with their stats, they should be better than 7-7.  Part of that is probably the big win over CMU.

It would be great to see BG generate some momentum.  It won't be easy coming off that big W on Friday, but they've had an extra day off and seen what they can do.  Go Falcons!

Sweet Victory

How's that work for you?  What a night.  Incredible crowd.  Just an electric environment.  Enough Rocket fans to make it spicy.  And our boys delivered in a big way.  My heart was pumping for hours afterward.  It is just crazy how good it makes me feel.  So proud of our boys.

As we all know, we came in playing poorly.  You get on home court, you bring in our rivals...and the formulas changed.

It was no fluke.  On this day, we were better.  BG led for 28 minutes, UT for about 9. UT's biggest scoring run was 6.  BG led for the last 21 minutes of the game.

The first half was tightly contested.  There were 4 lead changes and 6 ties. Each team led for about 8 minutes.  BG's biggest lead was 7, UT's was 4.  BG led by 1 at the half.

BG came out of the locker room hot and scored the first 8 points of the half, setting the tone for the half.  It was never a one-score game again. 

UT chipped it to 4 with 14 left to play, but a Thomas FT, a stop and a Hill second chance basket had it to 7.  With 11 left, BG running off a Cochran turnover hit Spurgin for a dunk that brought the house down to make the lead 11.

UT got it to 5 with 4 minutes left when Da'Shawn Philip hit an absolute dagger 3FG from the corner late in the shot clock.  He's not our leading scorer, but he seems to be around when plays are made to win. That made it 8...UT got it to 6 and BG got a fast break off a missed FT and Hill made it 8 with 2:31 left. 

UT missed 3FGs on consecutive possessions and Hill was fouled, converted 2 FTs and BG was up 10 with a minute to play.  That was the game, but, you know, it's like a vampire, they are never dead until the stake goes into the heart.

It was pandemonium.  Suddenly, everyone in the arena is a long-lost friend.  Noise...civilized court storm.  A red-faced Tod Kowalczyk forced into a handshake line.  Damn straight.  It was the best.

As you can see here, BG won three of the four facets and neutralized the fourth. In the previous game, UT kept BG off the offensive boards and off the line, but not this time.

BG ended up with 1.14 points per possession, and UT had 1.02.

I thought BG's shot selection was ideal.  The average team takes 37% of their shots from 3FG.  BG is 11-2 when they try less than that. They are 6-1 when it is under 30%.  This game was 22%, BG's lowest of the season.  BG made 55% and 33%.  Maybe the biggest key was at the line. BG made 18 of 21 and were +5 at the line, something that doesn't often happen to the Rockets.

But make no mistake, the game was won on defense.  UT is an OK defensive team that scores very efficiently.  This was their 3rd worst game in MAC play in terms of offensive efficiency.  It was their 2nd worst in terms of turnovers. They made 40% on 2FGs, their worst in MAC play.  They took only 3 shots inside the cylinder and were 7 of 19 in the paint/outside the cylinder.

BG just played really hard on defense.  UT is hard to guard.  They move the ball and when the scramble is on, they keep the ball moving.  BG had the match this time.

Marcus Hill had 31 points.  It wasn't his greatest night...he was 11 of 22 and 0-2 from the field. He was also 9 of 11 at the line.  Add 6 rebounds, 1 assist, no turnovers, 1 blocked shot and 2 steals.

If something like that might interest you.

Phillip had 11. That's 3-3 and 1-4, but that one was a clutch, gotta have it dagger. Add 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals with 2 turnovers.  Love this guy.

Agee had 10 on 4 of 8 shooting and 2-2 at the line.  11 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks.  And, yes, 6 turnovers.  But don't lose the headline here. UT had no answer for him.  He was a wrecking ball on the glass.  Tod will be seeing Agee in his dreams. Finished the game +14.

Thomas had 10.  He was 2 of 4 and 1 of 2.  Also 2 steals in 35 minutes.  He was a calming presence with the ball.  Also +14.

Coach said after the game that Spurgin was sick this week.  With Towns back (6 points and 3 rebounds in 23 minutes) he was able to go only 22 minutes.  I think the depth will help him stay fresher. Humphrey was back and had solid minutes. Greer played only a little and Edwards not at all.

One last thing.  With 6:30 left, UT switched to a full-court press, a solid move against us.  BG turned the ball over and then needed a timeout when they couldn't get the ball in. BG moved the ball effectively through the press the rest of the way.  I don't think we had any more backcourt turnovers.  In our recent history, it hasn't always been that way.

BG moves to 8-6.  The win pretty much ensures they will go to Cleveland, though it isn't clinched yet.  Even more importantly, depending on today's games, they have a shot to get some distance on #6.  Playing in the 4/5 game is better than the 3/6 game.

Miami comes to town on Tuesday.  Let's hope to build some momentum heading into Cleveland.  Coach said at CMU he thought we had turned the corner on defense.  If so, we can still be the team no one wants to see at RM.

Rockets Part II

Quick preview, we all know what we are getting here. The Rockets are tied for first place and are having another good year.  They just keep chugging along.  Rocket fans I have talked to figure that this year--with a team with less marquee talent--is the year they break through to the Big Dance.

BG battled the Rockets at Savage, leading by 5 points with 12 minutes left.  For about 4:30, the Rockets executed at a high level and BG did not and when the dust settled the Rockets were up 9 and ended up winning by 16.  At the highest level, you have to perform at a high level consistently...even a four minute lapse is deadly.

UT has 1.26 points per possession, a total befitting their traditional strong offense.  They shot the ball well and took care of it.  Meanwhile, BG shot the ball decently, but UT kept us off the offensive boards and the free throw line--two things we really rely on--and that was what they needed.

UT defends without fouling.  They are #1 in the MAC and #25 in the nation in opponent FT Rate. They are #64 in fouls per game, but they play at a higher pace, so tempo-free the rate is lower.  They average 7 more FTs a game than their MAC opponents.

Dante Maddox is #3 in the MAC in 3FG.  Raheem Moss is #8 in scoring.  Tyler Cochran is #7 in rebounding. 

BG comes in playing really poorly.  They are going to need to make some shots to compete.  But what better time than a rivalry game to get a fresh start.  We have been better at home. Hopefully, the Stroh will be rocking.

BG MBB Loses to CMU in OT Again

 As they say in the UP, "uff da."

That was a tough one.

Only in the MAC.

For the first half, BG played their 5th straight half of unwatchable basketball. And this was probably the worst of the lot.  BG shot 5 of 20 from 2FG and 0 of 10 from 3FG.  CMU shot awful, too....10 of 24 and 2 of 10.  Add in 7 BG turnovers and the Falcons hit the locker room down 11 and even that was a miracle.

I will give the Falcons credit.  They battled in the 2nd half.  Overall, things only got a little better on the margins, but they got the game to OT.

BG shot 11 of 21 from 2FG and 1 of 6 from 3FG for the second half.  CMU also shot poorly...7 of 17 and 4 of 11.

The difference was free throws.  BG was 14 of 19 at the line for the half and CMU was 2 of 6.

It was well into the second half before it looked like a competitive game.  BG was still down 8 with 12 to go...38-30!!

BG went on a 7-0 run....a huge run in a game like this to cut it to 1 with 9 left and then CMU nailed a 3FG to put it to 4.  BG got it to 1 a couple more times and then took the lead with 4:50 left on a Thomas 3FG...BG's only 3FG of the game.

CMU took the lead right back, though.  Just inside 2 minutes, BG got a turnover, Jason Spurgin ran the floor and dunked the ball and BG had a 1 point lead back.  BG got a stop and board and ran clock, with Agee hitting a 2FG to put BG up 3. 

Pritchard hit 2 FTs (:46) to cut it to 1.  BG ran clock, Hill missed a driving layup but Agee had the board and hit the 2nd chance hoop with an and-one and BG was up 4 with :19 to go.

I know, right?  After all that, in a position where you should win the game.  94% chance, according to kenpom.

Derrick Butler BANKS a 3FG with :11 left.  They fouled Spurgin, who split the pair. BG up 2 with :10 left.  As the clock ran down, Vasko drove into the key, threw a shot up, lost control of the ball and it flew in the direction of the backboard and bounced into the basket.

Cruel fate.

OT was rough to watch.  CMU had three bigs fouled out, and yet BG made 1 basket.  CMU made 2.  Game was tied and BG had the ball with 1 minute left. BG got a shot clock violation, which was pretty emblematic.

CMU ran the clock to :08, Taylor drove into the lane and scored to put CMU up 2.

BG ran the ball up floor to look for a transition advantage, and called timeout with 3.5 left to set a play when it didn't materialize.  They lobbed the ball in to Agee who kicked it back to Hill who missed the shot in heavy traffic and that was it.

Look, CMU is a good defensive team.  BG's 29% EFG was its worst since a 1999 game against WVU, which a good BG team lost by 46. The 6% 3FG shooting was the worst in 14 years.

So CMU is a good defensive team, but probably not the best we have seen in 14 or 25 years.

62-60. IN OT.

Hard to see getting outshot and out-turnovered like this and making it to OT. BG was +17 at the line.

Agee had 18 points.  That's 3-8 and 0-1 shooting, but 12 of 14 at the line, 11 boards, 2 steals, 3 blocks and 3 turnovers.

Hill? 15 points, on 6 of 22 and 0 of 1 shooting.  That's a huge win for the defense. He added 8 rebounds.

Thomas had 11 on 2 of 2 and 1 of 8 shooting.

Spurgin is struggling.  Luckily, with Towns back really for the first time, they were able to hold Spurgin to 26 minutes.  He's played a lot for a big.

Towns played 24 minutes and had 11 rebounds.  Great to see him back.  He had only played 21 minutes total in two games since his early December injury.

DaJion Humphrey did not see action.

Coach said that BG's defense was improved and that "when the offense comes around" we can be a force in Cleveland.  At one point we were #4 in offensive efficiency in the MAC...now #6.  Reversing that trend is critical, especially as an undermanned team that has, of late, been easy to game plan for, battles fatigue.

BG has been under 30% from 3FG (27% actually) in its last 5 games.

BG is now 7-6 with the Rockets coming in Friday night. They are in 5th place.  You'd like to fall no further than 6, so you have a probable match up with CMU, a team you took to OT twice, or OU, a team you beat.  BG is only 1 game out of 8th and two games ahead of Ball State, the #9 team.

This has been a better season than expected.  And they are in the dark forest right now.  It will be interesting to see if it comes around.

CMU MBB Redux

Central Michigan is the clear surprise team in the MAC.  CMU was picked last in the MAC before the season and they are #3 and holding.  They have a bad loss to UB, but their other losses are @UA and @OU. They have beaten UT. They destroyed WMU in their last game and they won their Sun Belt game.  Three of their best players have missed at least one game in the last couple weeks and yet the beat goes on.

They were terrible last year...Kevin Miller transferred to Wake Forest.  Jesse Zarzuela went to Oregon.  MAC FOY Reggie Bass went to Kent.

And here we are.

We played a couple weeks ago and it was a double OT thriller that CMU gutted out without Harding and Pritchard.  BG had the ball with 1 minute left in OT and up 4, and yet the game went to a second OT.  And BG had the ball down 1 at the end of the 2nd OT and failed to get a decent shot.

Look at this.  BG was ridiculously outshot for a game that went into 2 OT.  But, they took excellent care of the ball and got to the line more, ending up +11.  CMU held BG to 43% 2FG and 21% 3FG shooting and that's not a winning position to be in.

CMU is the 2nd best defensive team in the MAC.  They allow .95 points per possession for the entire year and BG has never reached that level on defense for any MAC game.  They are the hardest team to shoot against in the MAC overall, hardest on 2FG and #2 on the 3FG.  BG meanwhile is the #7 shooting team in the MAC.  They also lead the MAC in not giving up FTs, which is something BG relies on.

They are 8th in offense, which makes that result in BG all the more disappointing.  Anthony Pritchard leads them with 14 PPG and 4.3 APG.  Taylor, Harding and Butler score 11 PPG each.  Harding is really good on 2FG (2nd in MAC) and Butler on 3FG (5th in MAC).  Aidan Rubio is #2 in MAC from 3FG.  Taylor is 6'6" and leads the team in rebounds and is #9 in block%.

This is a rough patch in the BG schedule.  They are clearly skidding and have played two clunkers in a row.  They are going to need to rally or this week could get pretty ugly.

MAC Reset

So with 6 games left, here's a look at how things stand.

Basically, four teams are battling for the 4-7 seeds right now. 

BG plays 2 of the top 3 and none of the bottom 3.

OU plays 1 of the top 3 and 2 of the bottom 3.

KS plays 2 of the top 3 and 1 of the bottom 3--has only 2 home games left.

Miami play 2 of the top 3 and 1 of the bottom 3.

So, I'd say OU has the easiest route, Miami next, BG next and Kent last.  The 4 seed would play the 5 seed.  At 6 it would be CMU, 7 would be UT and 8 would be Akron.  You'd like to avoid those if possible.

 

BG MBB Loses to Short-handed Eagles.

Well, that one is going to leave a mark.

Facing a 2-9 EMU team playing without starters Julius Ellerbe and Orlando Lovejoy, BG lost by 9.  It was a little closer at the end, but the score probably does tell the story.  EMU led for 36:38 of the game, BG for less than 2 minutes.  In reality, it was pretty one sided, even if BG did make a run to steal the game late.

It is close whether the 18 point home loss to #312 Bellarmine or this loss is worse....but it's pretty bad either way.  EMU came in ranked #332 and, as mentioned 2-9 in MAC play.  True, BG is without Towns, Smith and Felt....but this was one you needed when you see the next two opponents.

It was pretty bad right from the drop.  Acuff was unconscious...with 11 minutes left in the half, EMU was up 20-9 and Acuff had 15 points.  The lead stayed over 10 most of the way until halftime.  BG had it to 6 with 5:23 left when Acuff answered with a 2FG.  BG had it to 7 inside the last minute and with a stop might have done something, but they did not get the stop and went to halftime down 9.

It was a dreadful half for BG, who shot 26% overall and 14% from 3FG against a 2-3 zone that had me thinking Rob Murphy was still in the building. BG was also 6-10 at the line.

The second half started even worse.  Three minutes in, the lead was 15.  BG rallied a little, went on a 12-2 run to get the lead to 5.  A stop would have played well at this point, but Acuff hit a 3FG instead and a couple minutes later the lead was 10. With 9:17 left BG had it down to 3, but EMU split a pair of FTs, got a stop and Acuff hit a 3 to make it 7.  

BG was down 8 with 3 minutes left.  BG went to full court pressure and was actually effective at it. With 1:53 Philip knocked the lead to 6 and then hit a transition layup off a turnover to make it 4 with 1:41 left.  Unfortunately, those were the last points BG would score.  There's a blocked shot, missing the front end of a 1-1, a highly questionable charge on Agee off a backcourt turnover, etc.  EMU won 69-60.

The lead was never one possession with BG having the ball in the second half.

BG shot 42% overall and 33% from 3FG in the second half, which was better but still really poor. The difference was that EMU shot similar numbers for the second half, which ended up tied.

BG ended up with .88 points per possession, which is just terrible. It's WORSE than the Louisiana game.  EMU finished at 1.01, which is not great but approaching average at least.

Shooting decided the game.  BG had the edge on turnovers, rebounding was pretty close as were FT attempts until the end.  BG made only 10 of 19 FTs.

The thing is, EMU was the easiest team to shoot against in the MAC coming in...and BG made nothing.  

Acuff ended up with 35 of 7 of 10 2FG shooting and 5 of 11 from 3FG, 5 of 11 at the line and 10 rebounds.

Marcus Hill had his streak of 20 points games broken.  He had 19, but it was rough.  He was 5 of 15 from 2FG and 1-5 from 3FG.  That's a victory for the EMU defense. Also 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 turnover.

Thomas had 13, but similar to Hill, had 1 of 4 from 2FG and 3 of 8 from 3FG.

Tough night for Agee (13 rebounds though), Spurgin and Greer.

So, BG is now 7-5 in MAC play, with their next games @CMU and hosting UT.  As I watch this, CMU is up 25 on WMU at McGuirk.

Staring down the barrel at 7-7.  They hold a 3 game lead over the last team out, BSU, with 6 to play.  You'd like to get yourself to #5 so you can have a better shot at making the semis, but that's looking tough.

BG's lost 4 of the last 6 in MAC play. Their kenpom is 247.  BG finished last year at 286.

BG is short-handed and I think might be having some fatigue catch up to them.  In addition, they might have been a little ahead of schedule early, and those chickens are coming home to roost.  I still like our direction, but I think we are seeing it is going to be a little more of a process than we hoped after those first MAC games.

But today's loss is an absolute disaster.  EMU was down 2 starters...just a season-wrecker.

EMU, MBB, Part Deux

Next up, the Eagles.  Part II.

BG now faces the Eastern Michigan Eagles, the first team BG has played twice this season. 

They were picked 11th in the MAC, which is where they are right now.  BG has now beaten them 9 straight and 10 of 11.

They came to BG at 7-5 and 5-5 in D1 games, ranked #305 in the nation.  BG won that one in OT, and EMU is 2-10 since that date, 2-9 in MAC play. They beat Kent in YPSI, also in OT, and then beat UB in YPSI.  They have fallen to 336 entering this game.

As mentioned, the first game went to OT at the Stroh.  BG trailed by 8 at the half and needed a stop in regulation to force OT, which they got and they needed another one to clinch the win, with Hill blocking an Acuff shot to close it out.

While exciting at the time, subsequent events suggest it was closer than it needed to be.  BG fell 12 spots in kenpom with the win.

The stats were as close as you would expect.  The difference was fouls.  EMU committed 29 fouls, which is amazing--there are no tactical catch-up fouls in there.  BG made 24 of 38 at the line, (63%) and EMU made 9 of 14.

It is the most FTs BG has made (tied) and taken in a D1 game this year.  BG is #44 in the nation in FTs attempted per game.  BG got to the line 42 times last year against Morgan State, the highest for the year in the MAC.

The game had the top two scorers in the MAC facing off.  Tyson Acuff had 31 and Hill had 35, as the battle lived up to the billing.  Agee had 19 and 11.

Since then...

Hill now leads the MAC in scoring, in MAC games and all games. In MAC games, Acuff is now #5.

They have played without Julius Ellerbe, who started the BG game, for the last 5 contests.

The Eagles are 11th in offensive and defensive efficiency.  They are last in shooting and defending the shot.  They are the worst 3FG shooting and the worst 2FG defense. They are decent on most other things, though they are last in getting to the line and 11th in FT shooting.  They get only 14% of their points at the line...nationally it is 18%.

As mentioned, Acuff is having more issues in MAC games.  His shooting is down to 48% on 2FG and 20% on 3FGs, of which he has tried 64.  He also leads the team with 3 assists per game. Orlando Lovejoy scores 10.4 PPG on 48% 2FG shooting, also not great. Jalin Billingsley leads the team with 4.9 RPG.

Kenpom has BG winning at 66% and ESPN at 76%.  This is one BG needs to win.

Long Day in the Cajundome

 Woof.  Probably one of those days you'd rather forget.

It started OK.  BG was making some shots and had a four-point lead at parts of the early first half.  BG led by 2 with 10 minutes left. 22-20  86-60  For the next 30 minutes, BG was outscored 66-38. The Cajuns had a 10-point lead in the last minute of the first half and the game was a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game.  BG trailed by as much as 28 on their way to a 26-point defeat.

Remember, this is the second-best team BG has played, after Akron, according to Kenpom.

It was a long day in Acadiana.  But if I need a trial lawyer down there, I got a firm.

The game went off at 65 possessions, which is slow for us.  In fact, BG seemed to be trying to slow it down, with Hill dribbling out shot clocks in the first half in the high 1-4.  BG had .92 points per possession, their 4th worst of the season and only time under 1 point per possession since MAC play started.

Remember, ULL is 2nd in the country in 3FG% and they do force turnovers.  In this game, BG shot 19% from 3FG (worst of the year) and had 21% turnovers, which was the worst since the WKU game. So, they did what they do.  BG made 56% from 2FG, which is pretty good, but took 38% of their shots from 3FG.  I was hoping for something more in the range of the 24% they took against UB. Our offensive rebounding was decent, but BG got to the line only 14 times and made only 8.

Louisiana meanwhile torched the BG defense.  Their 1.32 points per possession was BG's worst game of the year. They made 60% from 2FG (second worst) and 50% from 3FG (third worst).  They maximized their shots by taking care of the ball.  They didn't get much on the offensive boards and only got to the line 15 times but made 11.

 

Marcus Hill continues to be a stud for the Falcons. He had 22 on 10 of 15 2FG and 0 of 2 on 3FG.  He has six rebounds, but 21 assists over 4 turnovers. Agee had 14 on 5 of 7 shooting, 7 rebounds and five turnovers. The rest, including Thomas, Spurgin and Greer, it wasn't their night.

The good news is that this one doesn't count.  Next up is @EMU and then a tougher one @CMU.  BG is playing a short rotation (Sam Towns was DNP) and has lost 4 of 6.  They will need to find a way to rally to stay where they are in the standings.  It has been a fun year...no complaints.

Football Adds Two

 A couple late football verbals for the coming year....I see where Braabs was a PWO, no idea about Sorensen.

One is a QB, Jonny Sorensen. He is from Hobart, IN.  247 gave him 3 stars and yet BG was his only reported offer. He's 6'2" and 195 pounds.  Here is some info from his Twitter feed.

• 2,118 Total Yards
• 27Tds
• 62% cmp
• 123 QBR
• Track State Qualifier (He is a sprinter).
• 1st Team All-Conference 
• 3.9 GPA
• 1240 SAT

The other is Ocean Braabs, who is from Ann Arbor Pioneer.  He's 6'3" and 190, a WR/TE.  His father has a heck of a story--I actually remember this game.  Ocean was Detroit News All-West as an End.  He was All-SEC as well.  (Means more).  He visited EMU, WMU and Miami and some FCS schools, including Ferris State.  Is referred to as a "standout" in multiple places.

Ocean, Jonny.  Welcome to the Falcons.

Ragin' Cajun Preview

The MAC-Sun Belt Challenge concludes tomorrow.  Probably be decided by then, but who knows.  BG has been assigned Louisiana (Lafayette), the Ragin' Cajuns, in the Cajundome. 

They have been to the NCAA Tournament 11 times, including last year.  They made deep runs in the early 1970s before recruiting violations resulted in them being the first NCAA school to get the death penalty.  

Their coach, Bob Marlin has been there 14 years and has won 59% of his games. 

As mentioned, they won the Sun Belt last year after tying for 2nd in the regular season.  They were 26-88 and had a kenpom of 88 and lost to Tennessee by 3 in a game that was not close most of the way.

Then they experienced something that MAC fans are familiar with.  Their star player, 6'10" Jordan Brown, first-team All-Sun Belt and scoring 19 PPG and 9 RPG--transferred to Memphis.  There was an illness, rumors he left the team and he has played 108 minutes this season.

This is the first meeting between the two teams.  BGSU says in the game notes that BG has played 320 unique opponents.

The Rajin' Cajuns are 15-9 this year with a kenpom of 132, which ranks just slightly ahead of Toledo.  Speaking of which, they lost by 9 at Savage this year.  They beat UB by 8 on a neutral floor.  They were 8-8 at one point and have won 7 of 8 since then and are 4th in the Sun Belt. the #17 ranked conference.  The MAC is #24.

The teams play at nearly an identical pace--68 possessions per game. 

These numbers are all games, adjusted for schedule.  (BG has played the #348 schedule overall, ULL #144).  As you can see, this is very even.  ULL is an above-average offensive team and average on defense.  BG is average on offense and below average on defense.

These numbers are all games, but not adjusted.  As you would expect, though, they are pretty similar. The Ragin' Cajuns take pretty much a normal proportion of 3s, and make 35% from 3FG and 52% from 2FG.  BG, for its part, is really weak defending the 3FG.  Rebounding will be a key battle. Though they don't get to the line a ton, ULL makes 75% at the line, #49 in the country.

Things will be more interesting when BG has the ball. BG's MAC opponents have been packing it in on them.  ULL leads the nation in 3FG defense....27% and is #32 in forcing turnovers and #43 in steals. They are #339 defending the 2FG and terrible on their defensive boards..  A game plan like the UB and BSU wins looks good.  They give up a ton of FTs, which can work for BG or against them.  When you have a good shot and they foul you and then you convert 65%, that's tough to work with.

Their leading scorer is Kobe Julien, a 6'6" JR who was third-team All-Sun Belt two seasons ago.  He scores 18 PPG on 52% 2FG and 35% 3FG shooting, which is pretty efficient.  He also averages 4.8 RPG and has 19 blocks and 27 steals on the year.

Next is Themus Fulks, a G. He scores 11.3 PPG a game, on 43% and 21% shooting.  Which is not efficient.  He is #2 in the Sun Belt with 4.5 assists per game, and #6 in A/TO ratio.  

From "Cajun Pride Swamp Tours"

Hosana Kitenge is 6'8" and a Junior JUCO product, born in England. He scores 11.3 on 55% 2FG shooting and adds 5.7 RPG. 

Joe Charles is 6'9" and scores 11.3 PPG.  He's a stretch, making 54% and 39%. He's second in the Sun Belt with 9.9 RPG. 

So here we go.  Kenpom and ESPN give us a 21% chance of winning.  Based on the current kenpoms, this is the 2nd best team we have played all year, behind Akron.  Will be a great chance for us to rally and pick a win for the MAC homestretch.

Falcon MBB Beats UB

The UB Bulls, who are losing in ways they haven't since their days when they entered the MAC came into the Stroh Tuesday.

They were without a starter (Anquan Boldin) as was BG (Da'Shawn Philip, along with Sam Towns).  It was a competitive game for a while, but BG eventually took the momentum and won moving away.

In the end, BG led for more than 30 minutes, while UB led for 2 minutes.

As mentioned, the game was competitive through the first half.  The game was tied with 4 minutes left in the first half. BG went on an 8-0 run to close the half out, including a Marcus Hill buzzer beater.

BG had the lead up to 10 but UB battled it back to 2 with 16 left.   BG responded going on a modest 13-5 run to push the lead to 10.   For the last 11 minutes of the game, the lead was never in single digits again, getting as high as 19 before settling in at a 14-point final.

Coach talked in the post-game about looking to push the pace.  He wants us scoring "80, 90, 100" points a game. The game was played at 75 possessions, the second-highest in MAC play for BG.  BG had a good offensive game, at 1.15 points per possession, while holding UB to .97. It was the best D1 defensive game for BG since Hampton...of course, UB came in with low rankings on both sides of the ball.

BG shot only 25% of their shots from 3FG, their lowest of the season. They made 63% of their 2FGs, which was their best non-d1 result of the season.  BG was 4 of 15 from 3FG. BG did not have a strong game on the offensive boards, and committed too many turnovers, but had 19 FTs, making 17 of 19, reversing what has been a serious weakness.

It was only the 3rd time in MAC play BG has outshot an opponent.

As mentioned in the preview, UB takes the most 3FGs in the MAC.  They look 46% of their shots from 3FG against BG, but made 33%, above their average.  They made 54% of their 2FGs shooting. They had similar games to BG on turnovers and the boards, and were badly outscored at the FT line.

Marcus Hill had one of those nights. He scored 27, on 11 of 16 shootings (all 2FGs), 5 of 6 at the line, six rebounds, 4 assists and 2 turnovers.

Agee had 18 and 10, making 7 of 10 from the field. Spurgin had 14, making 4 of 6 from 2FG and 2 of 5 from 3FG, plus 6 rebounds. Trey Thomas scored 11 on 1 of 3 and 1 of 4 shooting, but 6-7 at the line, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 turnovers, plus 2 steals.

So BG goes to 7-4 in the MAC, tied for 4th with Ohio.  Coach says that the current level of pace and offensive output is "unacceptable to me."   The Falcons have a tough road matchup with the Ragin' Cajuns and the remainder of the week off before heading up to Ypsi.

UB falls to 1-9.

UB MBB Arrives in BG in down year

 The Buffalo Bulls.

Wow.

Only five seasons on from a historic 32-4 season, they have hit rock bottom.  I have to guess this is only temporary....but it's still striking.

They let Jim Whitesell gone after he couldn't keep the magic from Hurley and Oats going.  That was an interesting decision. He was 45-27 in MAC games and only had one non-winning season and that was his last year he was 9-9.

3rd-team All-MAC G Curtis Jones transferred to Iowa State. Second-leading scorer Zid went to UTEP. 4th leading scorer Laquill Hardnett went to Arkansas State.  Fifth leading scorer Armoni Foster graduated. Sixth-leading scorer Isaac Jack is at Dayton.

They hired George Halcovage III, a 37-year old Villanova assistant. They kept five guys from last year and brought in only 2 transfers....and five freshmen.  OG.

They were picked 6th in the Blue Ribbon and 9th in the MAC media poll.

It has not worked out like that at all.

They are 2-19....1-19 in D1 games, with a win only over CMU.

It has been a rough year.  They are #11 in experience and near the bottom of the MAC in most measures.

They have not lost a game by less than 10 since January 6.  Two games ago they lost to OU by 21, and then by 31 to Kent in Buffalo.  Their kenpom is 349.  There are 362 teams in the country. 

Just a rough season.

More on the players in a minute.

UB has the stats of a 1-19 team.  They are 11th in offense and 12th in defense in the MAC. BG is pretty one-dimensional...#4 in offense and #10 in defense.

UB plays at 69 possessions a game, about what BG does.

So, here is one thing.  UB is 11th in shooting, 11th in turnovers, 5th in offensive rebounding and 12th in getting to the line. They lead the MAC in 3FG attempts, but make only 27%, which is 11th. They are 9th on 2FGs. 

Now, having said that, here is one thing.  BG is the easiest team to shoot against in the MAC to date. They are 12th defending the 3FG....their opponents make more than 40%.  BG is #7 defending the 2FG.

BG doesn't force turnovers but is #4 on the defensive boards and #4 at keeping opponents off the line--though UB is significantly below BG's average.

When flipping it around, we see where BG had a chance to make a mark.  BG is only #9 in shooting, but UB is #11 defending the shot.  BG takes good care of the ball and UB is #11 at forcing turnovers.  BG is really good on the offensive boards, and UB is #11 on the boards.  BG leads the MAC getting to the line and this is the one thing UB does well.  They also lead the MAC in that.

Their leading scorer is Sy Chatman. He is a 6'8" Illinois State transfer who red-shirted last year in Buffalo.  He scores 18.7 PPG on 53% 2FG and 34% 3FG shooting. He's #5 in blocked shots and also averages 4.9 RPG.

Isaiah Adams is the 2nd leading scorer.  He averages 12.6 PPG on 55% and 23% shooting. He's 6'6" and was their leading returning scorer.  He missed several games in December but has played in every MAC game.  Also, he is #6 in the MAC in assists.

Jonnivius Smith is their leading rebounder at 9 RPG, which is 3rd in the MAC. He played at Seton Hall before coming to UB...where he played last year.  He went to Crestwood Academy in the Toronto metro, same as Trey Thomas.

So, this is what it is.  A game BG needs to win, especially at home.  Everyone else is notching a win here....

Falcon MBB Loses in Double Overtime

 Well, crap.

BG was facing the team directly above it in the standings.  That team was down its #1 and #3 scorer.  BG had the ball more than once with a chance to win the game.  Alas, this equaled a loss.

I give CMU credit.  They came in undermanned and played a really tough game.  They scored better than they normally do and gave BG fits on the defensive end.  That's a well coached and gritty team. They had two players play 47+ minutes. It was their second straight 2OT win, this one on the road.

In Coach Simon's words, "we did not play very well."  That was especially true on the defensive end.

More on that in a minute.

Central led almost all of the first half and BG did not lead at all. They led by no more than 8, however, and BG had closed hard, reducing an 8-point lead with 1:43 left to 3 at the break.

Note that CMU led by only 3, despite outshooting BG 67% to 39%,  So, you figure those numbers are both bound to change. 

BG took the lead less than two minutes into the half. What came next was an outstanding half of basketball. Both teams led by 5 once, but most of the time it was 0,1 or 2.  BG had their 5 point lead with 3:43 left, but failed to score again in regulation, including a possession where they got two shots at the basket.  CMU had the ball with :11 left and the game tied, but BG got a stop to send the game into overtime.

BG scored the first five points of the first overtime. At that point, there was 2:12 left.  BG still led by 4 with :52 left and one free throw coming.

Phillip missed that FT, CMU scored, Hill turned the ball over and CMU scored again.  Tie game.

BG had :11 to go and the ball.  They called timeout, but never really got anything going.  BG's move is to isolate Hill and let him drive to the basket. CMU was having none of that.  They ran 3 guys at him and we just couldn't get the ball out and when we did they were able to recover.  Hill missed a jumper and the game was onto the 2nd OT.

BG was up 1 with :41 left and the ball. Same thing, CMU blanket defense on Hill, Philip ends up late shock clock missing a 3FG.  McMillan drove down and hit a layup to put the Chips up 1 with :11.  BG had one last shot, but Hill could not convert and there it was, a 1-point win.

It's disappointing.  We had chances to win in both overtimes and missed FTs hurt us all the way.  CMU game at us really hard and we didn't have an answer on those clutch possessions.  Up 4 inside of 1 minute in the first one.,..with a FT coming...you gotta win that one.

The game was played at a glacial 59 possessions/40 minutes.  CMU was making shots and BG was in the half court and the Chips--playing zone and man--gave BG fits all night.

Take a look at this.  There are not many teams when the shooting is that far apart and the game is decided by 1 point. CMU took only 13 3FGs, the lowest rate by a BG opponent this year.  They made 54% on 2FGs and 38% on 3FGS.  Those 2FGs were a combination of wild shots that went in and BG playing terrible perimeter defense and allowing easy layups.  Coach said it was "unacceptable" and that our 1-2-3s have to keep their men in front of them.

BG meanwhile, shot 43% and 21%.  The CMU defense was packed in and BG took 45% of their shots from 3FG, leaving that 21% number pretty deadly.

What kept BG in the game.  Well, first, they made 4% turnovers.  That's their second lowest since 1999.  (Two oddball facts. Three of the five lowest turnover games have been against CMU...and BG has lost 4 of the 5 lowest turnover games).

BG did not succeed on the offensive boards....they had a big number but missed a ton of shots...and BG did get to the line and was +11 at the line.  Sadly, they were 21 of 32 (66%) and a couple more of those, especially when trying to extend the lead, and the whole thing is different.

Also, BG had shots to make and they didn't. Inside the paint but outside the restricted area, BG was 1-11.

Marcus Hill had 22 on 7 of 17 2FG shooting and 1 of 3 from 3.  He was 5 of 9 at the line, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 turnovers.  He's a tough dude.  It was VERY physical on the inside.  A random touch on the perimeter was a foul, but in the paint there was no foul unless bone was sticking out.  They made him work for it and then took him out of the key situations at the end, and BG didn't have another answer on the perimeter.

Agee had a big game, scoring 20 and adding 14 rebounds. He was 6-11 shooting, (all 2s), 8 of 12 at the line and 4 assists over 1 turnover.  Some Falcons had a tough night.  I give Thomas credit for trying to step up given the pressure on Hill, but nothing was falling for him.

So, BG is 6-4 in the MAC, loser of 3 of 4 and 2 straight at home.  Three of their losses have come to the teams in front of them--and two of those on the road--and then a loss to Kent.

It was a disappointing loss and really one we should have won.  I know we are 15-7, but we are building here.  Looking forward to what is ahead.

Big Game! MBB plays CMU.

The two biggest surprise teams in the MAC will go head to head at the Stroh on Saturday.

BG was picked 6th and they are in 4th.  CMU was picked absolutely LAST and they are #3.

Should be a good one.

CMU made the tournament last in 2003--when coached by one-time Falcon Jay Smith.  They had Chris Kaman, a 7'0" giant who played 13 years in the NBA.  After Smith, they brought Ernie Zeigler in, along with his 5-star recruit son Trey. Keno Davis coached for 9 seasons and now Tony Barbee is in his 3rd year.

Since 2003, CMU has only had 4 winning seasons in MAC play.  (You can't judge by their overall record because under Davis, CMU played four NAIA teams per year.

They lost their MAC opener to Buffalo in Mt. Pleasant, UB's only D1 win this year. Since then, they have won 7 of 8, winning @BSU, @EMU, KSU, UT, MU, @NIU and CMU.  Their only loss was @OU.

The teams have split the last 10, with BG winning 3 of the last 5. They split the games last year, each team winning on the road.

Key note is that their leading scorer, Anthony Pritchard, and Markus Harding, their third-leading scorer, were both injured in the last game, a 2-OT win over NIU.  We will have to see if they play.  It's a different game if they don't.

So what has improved for the Chips?  It's a remarkable story.  Kevin Miller transferred from last year's team and is at Wake Forest.  Jesse Zarzuela went to Oregon.  MAC FOY Reggie Bass went to Kent.

They were terrible last year, finishing #343 in the nation based on kenpom. They were the worst offensive team in the MAC and one of the 12 worst in the country.  They were last in the MAC in shooting and turnovers.  The defense wasn't much better, #9 in the MAC. 

This year, the offense is better....up to #9 in the MAC...but the defense is elite, #2 in the MAC overall.

To see how that plays out, you have a poor offensive team against a poor defensive team, and a good offensive team against a very good defensive team.  Makes for an interesting game.

CMU has really improved on turnovers, moving up to #4 in the MAC.  The rest is poor. They take a low amount of 3FGs.  They are #7 on 2FG shooting and #10 from 3FG, leaving them #10 in #EFG.  They are 8th on offensive rebounding and #9 in getting to the line.  Most of these are pretty similar to BG's defense, except for field goal shooting.  If they start to make shots, we have a problem.

Here things are more interesting.  CMU is the toughest team to shoot against in the MAC, with 27% from 3FG and 47% from 3FG. They don't force a lot of turnovers, but they are really good on the defensive boards and keeping teams off the line.  BG faced something similar at BSU and they will need to excel again on the boards, especially if there are a lot of missed shots.

Anthony Pritchard is their leading scorer at 16.6 PPG, at 54% 2FG shooting and 21% 3FG shooting. He also averages 5.1 RPG and about 2 steals a game and 41 assists.  He's a transfer from Tulsa.  He was last seen with an ice pack on his shoulder.

Brian Taylor is the 2nd leading scorer.  He's scoring 12.3 PPG on 56% and 18% shooting.  Has missed all 14 3FGs in MAC play.  He also leads the team with 8.4 RPG. 

Their 3rd leading scorer is Markus Harding at 11 PPG.  He has missed all 14 of his 3FGs in MAC play. Watch out for Aidan Rubio, the 2nd best 3FG shooter in the MAC.  Had an offer from Southern Utah.

So one we go.  Should be a very interesting game.  BG needs to defend home court.