MAC Portal Review

 The Portal is cutting a swath through the MAC.  The game has truly changed for us.

Akron:

No players in portal...had an old team

Ball State:

Quincy Adams (transferred to DII)

Jalin Anderson---15.8 PPG

Micah Bell--Averaged 6 minutes

Joey Brown--Averaged 9 minutes

Trent Middleton, JR--6.2 PPG

    Preston Sparks returning from Indiana

Buffalo:

Isaiah Adams--12.8 PPG

James Graham--Played 11 games

Kanye Jones--played 9 games, 8 PPG

Jonnivius Smith--8 PPG

    Noah Batchelor in from Maryland--highly recruited, averaged 7 minutes in two years

Central Michigan:

Noah Adamczyk--DNP

Derrick Butler--10.7 PPG

Jemal Davis--5.5 PPG

Markus Harding--10.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG

Max Majerle--4 PPG

Paul McMillan IV--8.3 PPG

Anthony Pritchard--MAC Co-defensive player of year, 1st team All-MAC

Aidan Rubio--40% 3FG shooter.

Eastern Michigan:

Tyson Acuff--MAC leading scorer, 3rd team All-MAC

Julius Ellerbe--2.5 PPG

Cyril Martynov--7-footer, played 12 minutes a game

John McGriff--15 minutes a game

Derik Pranger--9 GP

Javante Randle--6 minutes a game

Connor Serven--18 minutes a game

Andrew Wells--5 GP

Kent State:

Reggie Bass--former MAC FR of Yr at CMU

VonCameron Davis--13.8 PPG, MAC HM

LA Hayes--14 GP

Jalen Sullinger--Third team All-MAC

Miami:

Ryan Mabrey: 6.8 PPG

Jacquel Morris--13 starts

    Kam Craft, Xavier coming in. DNP this year.

Northern Illinois

Xavier Amos--14 PPG

Will Loving-Watts--MAC All FR, 7 PPG

Yanic Konan Niederhauser--7.3 PPG

Zarique Nutter--15.4 PPG

Zion Russell--4 PPG

Ohio

Quinn Corna--7 GP

Toledo

Tyler Cochran--2nd team All-MAC

Dante Maddox--2nd team All-MAC

Re'Heim Moss--2nd team All-MAC

Ben Wight--9 MPG

Western Michigan

B. Artis-White--All-MAC HM, 10.4 PPG

Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro, 9 PPG

Seth Hubbard--14.1 PPG, leading scorer

Hill in Portal, Simon Staying

In this week's edition of As the Hoop Turns, there are two significant updates.

The first one, chronologically, was that Marcus Hill entered the portal.  He said that he was open to returning.  Online reports show that he has received a large number of offers from high-major schools.  As I noted on twitter, the Detroit News is reporting that Tyson Acuff, the MAC's leading scorer from EMU, is getting $200,000 NIL offers. If Hill is in that range, you cannot blame him for taking a look.  Love to have him back.   Wish him the best no matter what.

Speaking of taking a look, we went through a few days where it looked like Tod Kowalczyk and Todd Simon were dueling for the Utah State job.  It would be a big raise and in a six-bid conference.  Last night, they both "withdrew" a few hours before Utah State named Jerrod Calhoun of Youngstown State.

Anyway, that bullet was dodged.  BG has had two prominent one-and-dones in the modern era--Bill Fitch and Chris Jans--and each led to the wilderness.  It will be interesting to see if that impacts recruiting--it seems like less, since the players aren't looking at a four year commitment anymore.

That puts Agee, Hill, Edwards and Greer in the portal, with Pardon and JUCO Preston Squire known to be incoming.  We don't know about the other players, but anyone can, assuming the Senior Night guys.  One commented has said that Jason Spurgin is considering playing at BG or as a pro, presumable in the NBL in Australia.

More on the portal later.....

MBB Portal Update

Latest portal update for Men's Basketball....PJ Edwards has entered.

PJ was a 3-star recruit when he went to UCF.  He was there for one year and came to BG.  He made 5 starts early and consistently got minutes in the upper teens until the Louisiana game.  No idea if he was battling an injury, but in BG's last 10 games he played only 4 times for a total of 24 minutes.

Wish him the best as he moves along.

I saw one post on X that I thought was revealing.  It was from a Detroit News reporter who said that Tyson Acuff, the MAC's leading scorer who is leaving EMU, was expecting to make $200,000 next year.  Trey Townsend from Oakland is at $500,000.

Anyway, BG has only lost 3 guys and one major contributor.  (As of 11:10 on Wednesday). UT's top 3 scorers are now in the portal.

It's a new world.

BG MBB Update--two in portal

So, a quick update.  BG played a tough game against Purdue Fort Wayne and had a shot at the end but couldn't get the shot to fall.  They played without Rashaun Agee, who was on the sideline, and it showed.

The season ends at 20-14.

The portal opened on Monday.  As of 8:30 AM on Friday, two players are in the portal from BG:  Rashaun Agee and EJay Greer.

In today's world, Agee is no surprise.  A hugely improved player who was second-team All-MAC and called an "elite" offensive rebounder by Tod Kowalczyk,  he will see what fortune holds for him.  He carried this team in many ways this year....you saw on Wednesday what it looks like without him.  Best of luck to him.  He gave us everything he had and stuck the coaching transition out.

The other is EJay Greer, who played sparingly as a FR.  I saw on Twitter that someone was saying that EJay had told them he wants to play a guard and BG had him at F.  He's 6'8" and 170.  In the MAC, he had the potential to present match-up issues at G or F.  He had a typical FR season, but I thought he showed promise.  In the old days, it would have been a pleasure to watch him develop.  Best of luck to him as well.

Of the 15 players on the 3 All-MAC teams, five (Agee, Moss, Sullinger, Acuff, Cochran) have all entered the portal.  Four of the remainder were seniors or grad students, though I don't know what that means for their eligibility.

I believe BG is not done with players going to the portal.  I don't have any inside info....but you had those guys on senior night, and Agee and Spurgin said they had made no decisions at a presser in Cleveland, and our staff is showing up as offering a lot of guys.

FWIW:  Preston Squire, a BG signee from Salt Lake Community College, is the #40 JUCO player in the country based on jucorecruiting.com.

BG MBB With At Least One More Game

So, the Falcons get one more home game, at least.  Who knows what happens after the first round.  Having said that, this opponent is what we used to know as IPFW, Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne.  The Mastadons. They are now just Purdue Fort Wayne.

We have played them four times, but not in 10 years.  They are, after all, a D1 program that we can easily travel to.  The 'Dons have won 3 of 4, including 1-1 at BG.

They had a similar season to BG, actually.  They ended 2023 at 13-2 and 4-0.  They played 2 non-D1 games and played the #358 non-conference schedule in the country, among the 4 worst.  BG's, which was not tough, was #324.

And they had more problems in the conference schedule.  They ended up 7-9 in 2024, finished 11-9 and lost to Oakland in the Horizon Tournament.

The Horizon is the #20 ranked conference and the MAC is #25.

They are an efficient offensive team.  They play at a high pace and shoot a lot of 3FGs. They make 37% from 3FG and 54% from 2FG, both of which are really good.  They also take excellent care of the ball.  They are poor on the offensive boards and average at getting to the line, along with #10 in their league at making FTs.

They are also an efficient defensive team.  They are average at everything except forcing turnovers, which they are really good at.  That's going to be a test for BG's ballhandlers.

Their leading scorer is Jalen Jackson, #10 in the Horizon at 16 PPG.  He makes 53% from 2FG and 41% from 3FG, which is really good.  He was third-team all-conference.

Also, third-team All-Conference was Rasheed Bello. He scores 14.9 PPG on 49% and 34% shooting. He also leads the team with 4 assists per game. Quinton Morton-Robinson and Anthony Roberts also score 13 PPG---remember that there are a lot of possessions here.

Eric Mulder leads them with 7.2 RPG. 

Kenpom gives them a 54% chance of winning the game.  I will be there.  It has the potential to be a nice game.

Now there are 8

 

Now 56 elapsed years since BG has been in the NCAA tournament.  Here is the company we live with now.  There are 8 now, as St. Francis (NY) left this list by eliminating their athletics program. They are the 2nd to voluntarily and permanently exit...Centenary dropped to DIII a while back.

Columbia: Last appeared in 1968
Tennessee Tech: Last appeared in 1963
Maine: Division I since 1962
New Hampshire: Division I since 1962
Dartmouth: Last appeared in 1959
Army: Division I since 1948
Citadel: Division I since 1948
William & Mary: Division I since 1948

Sadness Accrues

I said in the preview that Kent was unlikely to hit 50% from 3FG again, like they did in the first game between the two teams.

Sadly, I was right. They made 67% and that was largely the difference.

Since 1999, the kenpom era, BG has only allowed a higher 3FG% once, and that was an early Huger game against Evansville in 2017 when the Purple Aces made 80%.  The most BG has allowed and won was 64% vs UT in 2012 at the Stroh.

So, that's a problem.  Even worse, the 3FGs were just daggers, late in shot clocks, stopping BG runs.

As Coach said, "it was their night."

Kent led for 30 minutes.  BG never led by more than 5 and that was early.  Kent was in control of the game most of the way.  They showed in both of the games in Cleveland that they are very difficult to come back against.

BG battled foul trouble in the first half, with Thomas and Agee both with 2. Agee played 8 first half minutes and had 0 rebounds.  Yet, BG was only down 6, so going into the locker room you had to believe we had a shot.  And Kent can't keep making 3s like that, can they?

The lead stayed in the 6-8 range for the first 7 minutes of the second half.  BG made a little mini-run to get it to 3, but Rollins converted an offensive rebound, BG missed a shot and a second chance, and Davis came down for an old-school 3-point play and it was back to 8.  BG knocked it back to 6 and then Santiago nailed a 3FG to make it 9 with 11 left. 

BG got it to 6 with 7 left, but Kent scored the next 5 to go up 11, and the fat lady was singing.

Kent ended up at 1.19 points per possession, BG's 4th worst MAC game.  BG ended up at .98 points per possession, their 5th worst MAC game.

BG shot 49% from 2FG and 20% from 3FG, which is really tough.  Kent also kept BG off the offensive boards--partly with Agee on the bench and partly with Hornbeak getting 8 defensive boards.  BG made 16 of 17 at the line, ended up +7, but it wasn't enough to make up for the shooting disparity.

Marcus Hill had a solid 22 for BG, shooting 7 of 13 and 2 of 5. He added 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 turnovers.  Agee and 15 and 7 in 28 minutes. Made all 7 FTs.

So, from here.  First, BG could end up in one of those ancillary post-season tournaments. Beyond that, it's the next steps for modern college basketball....roster retention and construction.  

People were focused on the senior day guys, but anyone can leave.  Last year, of the 15 guys on the top 3 All-MAC teams, only 3 came back.

SUU's AD said that Todd Simon's players don't leave...we shall see.  But even people who have already transferred can now do so.

I'll do a season review.  In total, it was a good season.  As they used to say on midmajority.com, it always ends with a loss.  I'm optimistic about the coaches.  What we need is clear (shooters), but I'm on board and counting the days to when we are back at The Stroh.

CMU Recap/KS Preview (MBB)

Well, now.  What a time that was.  I'm telling you...you follow a team...there are good times, they are bad times.  And then a night like today.  So proud of our guys.  I know.  One game.  A quarterfinal.  A big win in a hard fought game.  CANNOT WAIT for the next one.

And Toledo....we WON'T see you at the game.

It was a competitive, if low-scoring game.  CMU led for 18 minutes, but never by more than 6.  BG's biggest lead was at the end.  Neither team had a scoring run more than 8 and there were 9 lead changes and 10 ties.  Both teams were in touch the entire way.

Fittingly, it was tied with 3:35 left.

Then, BG closed with the run that decided the game and sent their fans home happy.  BG finished the game on a 11-1 streak.  Actually, that's not exactly right.  It was Trey Thomas 11....CMU 1.

And 3 rebounds.

It started with 3:01 left when he pulled an offensive rebound down and BG reset before Thomas hit a floater in the paint.  2:50 left, BG took :45 off the clock and scored and were up 2.

BG gets a stop on a missed 3FG, Thomas clears the board. BG runs offense, and with 2:01 left Thomas nails a 3FG to put the Falcons up 5.

CMU calls time.  Butler gets to the rim, Spurgin fouls him and Butler, a 76% FT shooter, splits the pair.  BG up 4 with 1:55 left.  BG ran the shot clock all the way down before Thomas was fouled going to the rim.  He made both free throws, BG up 6 with 1:25 left.

The teams traded empty possessions and with :52 left Markus Harding was barelling to the rim, but Agee blocked his shot--one of the plays of the game--and Hill grabbed the board.  BG was not in the bonus yet, so it took CMU 3 fouls to get BG to the line with :37 left.  Everyone in our section remembered the game at Mt. Pleasant where BG was up 4 with :19 left and lost in OT, so we were all riding it out.  

BG got two more stops, and Thomas added 2 more FTs and 1 more rebound and it was over.

Sweet victory.

Here's how it worked out.  Yes, BG struggled to shoot against CMU again.  As noted, they are hard to shoot against.  BG was 38% from 2FG....but 35% from 3FG, which was enough to make the difference.  Just as importantly, BG held CMU to just 44% overall, 40% on 2FG and 33% on 3FG.  BG lost the turnover battle, too.

But, like the games in which BG has succeeded, they won on the boards and got to the line. That rebound number is impressive.  It was BG's 2nd best offensive rebounding game of the year and their 4th best defensive rebounding game.   Finally, BG won the FT battle.  BG held CMU to 40% on 2FG and committed only 10 fouls and only 4 in the second half. BG made 79% from the line, with 15 of 19 while CMU was 4 of 6.  Yes, sir.

Trey Thomas started the season injured and hasn't always seemed to be on track.  But he was all of it in this one.  He scored 20, shooting 1 of 2 from 2FG, 4 of 8 from 3FG, 6-6 at the line, all in crunch time, 6 rebounds and 1 steal.  If something like that interests you.

Rashaun Agee.  What can you say? A career high 17 rebounds.  He's as good a rebounder we have had since Nate.  He has 320 rebounds this year. Wiggins had 362 in his senior year and then you're back to Cornelius Cash before you get a higher number.  He added 13 points and a monster crunch time block.

They held Marcus Hill to 11 on 3 of 14 and 1 or 2 shooting.  He also had 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 turnovers.  Coach said after the game that he does more for us than score.  He never left the floor.

So, Kent is next.  BG played them once and lost in OT at the Stroh.  Here's the way it looked for that game.  Look familiar?  The only difference was that BG can't let Kent shoot like that.  They were 50% on 2FG and 47% on 3FG.

In fact, there's a good chance they don't shoot that well tonight, even as the #2 3FG shooting team in the conference. 

They are big and physical.  For my money, the most consistently physical team in the MAC.  They seem to be willing to commit 10 fouls on every possession and dare the ref to call them.  Also, they blocked 5 shots against UT and held them to 44% on 2FG. 

In general, they have not been great on defense....#10 in the MAC, which is what had them in 8th place.  They are good on turnovers and defensive rebounding, but give up a ton of FTs and have been easy to make 2FGs against.  They certainly were not last night. (Not to rag on UT, which I already did, but they just seemed flat the entire time.)

I kind of see a similar game to last night and the first meeting.  Kent is favored, 58% chance of winning on kempom, 64% on ESPN and 1.5 points in Vegas.  

Kent is also tournament tough.  They are used to playing in the tournament and succeeding.  For me, the key will be for BG to get more stops than we did the first time.  Here we go!!!!!

BG/CM MBB Preview

 OK, here we go.

BG makes their first MAC tourney appearance since 2021, when they played with a badly hobbled Justin Turner and still had a shot to win until Jermaine Marshall, logging less than 10 minutes a game, nailed 2 of his 4 career 3FGs in the closing minutes to beat the Falcons.  At the time, I said you could kind of feel a window closing and that was, in fact, what happened.

This year's team is facing CMU...a team BG lost at home in 2OT and in Mt. Pleasant in OT.  BG struggled to shoot against them in both games...2 of their 4 worst shooting games for the season.  (Worst and 4th worst).  The fact that either game went into OT was a miracle. BG shot 35% and 43% from 2FG and 6% and 21% from 3FG.

So, there's a reason for that.  To start with, BG is the #10 shooting team in the MAC.  Add to it that CMU is the hardest team in the MAC to shoot against.  (They are the best defensive team overall, as well).

So why were those games close?  In the first game, BG was +11 at the line and had 3 turnovers to CMU's 16. Also, note that CMU played without Anthony Pritchard and Markus Harding in this one.

In the second game, BG was +17 at the line, double the offensive rebounding while having 6 more turnovers.  BG was up 4 with :19 left to play in this one.

CMU doesn't usually foul as much as they did to BG in the first two games--two of their 5 worst MAC games in free throw rate.  That can also impact BG's FG%, because you are getting fouled every time you have an open shot.  While struggling much of the year, BG finished #7 in the MAC in FT%,

So, look, BG nearly beat these guys both times...but didn't.  In a sense, the road OT game against a fully stocked CMU lineup is actually the bigger accomplishment.

BG's game plan is normally below average shooting, low turnovers, good offensive rebounding and getting to the line.  Based on the first two games, they have a long way to go to get to below average.  That's also going to include making some 3FGs, because I expect CMU to pack it in and guard the paint, which is the percentage play against the Falcons.

Even so, this is an entirely winnable game for BG.  Kenpom gives BG a 56% chance of winning, though their formula penalizes CMU for a dreadful 2023 portion of the schedule.  They are better than that now. Vegas has BG -2.5 and a 67% chance of winning.

I'm really looking forward to this game.  Somebody is going to win 3 games this weekend.  Maybe it's us. With a win, based on UT's history, we get Kent in the final and who knows?

Two Falcons Make All-MAC

Below are the All-MAC awards as selected by the coaches---they can't vote for their own guys.  As you can see, Freeman and Simmons were unanimous choices.  I don't have any problem with the guys you see here...Barbee's team was picked last and finished #4.

BG has two guys honored.  Marcus Hill is first-team All-MAC, certainly well deserved.  And Rashaun Agee was second-team, also well deserved.  In fact, he had a first-team All-MAC season, but you can't argue with any of the guys who made it ahead of him.  You could say the same for Jihad. That's how it goes sometimes.  

Really proud of these guys.  Marcus and Rashaun carried this team on their shoulders most of the way.  Rashaun might have shown more improvement in one year than any player since Richaun Holmes.  Both of them play unbelievably hard on every possession.  I thank them for helping to make this an enjoyable year and for being Falcons.

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2023-24 MAC Men’s Basketball All-MAC Teams & Specialty Award Winners

Coach of the Year: Tony Barbee, Central Michigan

Player of the Year: Enrique Freeman, Senior, Forward, Akron*

Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Anthony Pritchard, Junior, Guard, Central Michigan

Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Tyler Cochran, Junior, Guard, Toledo

Freshman of the Year: Javan Simmons, Forward, Toledo*

Sixth Man of the Year: JaVaughn Hannah, Sophomore, Guard, Western Michigan

* - unanimous selection by 11 opposing head coaches

All-MAC First Team 

Ali Ali, Senior, Guard, Akron

Enrique Freeman, Senior, Forward, Akron

Marcus Hill, Junior, Guard, Bowling Green

Anthony Pritchard, Junior, Guard, Central Michigan

Ra’Heim Moss, Junior, Guard, Toledo

 

All-MAC Second Team 

Basheer Jihad, Junior, Forward, Ball State

Rashaun Agee, Senior, Forward, Bowling Green

Jaylin Hunter, Senior, Guard, Ohio

Dante Maddox Jr., Junior, Guard, Toledo

Tyler Cochran, Junior, Guard, Toledo

All-MAC Third Team 

Brian Taylor, Graduate Student, Guard, Central Michigan

Tyson Acuff, Junior, Guard, Eastern Michigan

Jalen Sullinger, Junior, Guard, Kent State

David Coit, Junior, Guard, Northern Illinois

AJ Clayton, Junior, Forward, Ohio

All-MAC Honorable Mention

Greg Tribble, Senior, Guard, Akron

VonCameron Davis, R-Junior, Forward, Kent State

Anderson Mirambeaux, Senior, Center, Miami

Darweshi Hunter, Graduate Student, Guard, Miami

B. Artis White, R-Junior, Guard, Western Michigan

 

MAC All-Freshman Team

Arne Osojnik, Guard, Eastern Michigan

Eian Elmer, Wing, Miami

Will Lovings-Watts, Guard, Northern Illinois

Javan Simmons, Forward, Toledo

Sonny Wilson, Guard, Toledo

 

MAC All-Defensive Team

Greg Tribble, Senior, Guard, Akron

Enrique Freeman, Senior, Forward, Akron

Anthony Pritchard, Junior, Guard, Central Michigan

Tyler Cochran, Junior, Guard, Toledo

Ra’Heim Moss, Junior, Guard, Toledo

BG Adds Cornell Brown to Staff

 BG lined up a new defensive line coach, and this guy has a long history of coaching and playing at the highest levels.  His name is familiar--Cornell Brown.

He is still from the Loeffler-verse.  He was an assistant at Virginia Tech with Scot.  He also graduated from Virginia Tech, was a two-time  All-American, and played for 7-years in the NFL and won a Super Bowl with the Ravens.

Last year he was with the New Orleans Breakers and the year before that the Calgary Stampeders. In college, it was Tarleton State, Marshall, Virginia Tech and Norfolk State.

You can see the details about the record at all these places here.

This was a key hire. The D-line is critical to any team's success and I think BG has done an excellent job developing talent at that position.  It might be the area that most contributed to our 10-6 record in MAC play the last two years.  Certainly, Brown has the credentials...love to see the results this year.

Falcons Close With Home Win, Finish #5

BG beat Ball State last night and finished 5th in the MAC.  The Falcons were picked 8th and with the new guys and the new staff, this was a favorable result.  In the 22 years since WVU, this is only our 8th winning record in MAC play.

The Falcons will play CMU at 1:30 on Thursday.  This is a much more favorable matchup than one of the top 3...BG took CMU to overtime twice and you have to believe we have a shot in this one.  And some motivation?

The sobering news of the night was senior night.  Jason Spurgin, Trey Thomas, DJ Phillips, Rashaun Agee and Sam Towns each were honored, received their commemorative framed jersey, etc. 

That's sobering because, with the exception of Phillips, all of these guys have eligibility remaining.

This is a space to watch.  We've had guys go through senior day and decide to return, and that's always a possibility. As far as that goes, anyone on the roster could leave.  BG has two players signed...Preston Squire and Jaxon Pardon.

On the bigger picture, this is the world we live in now.  Last season, of the 15 players on the All-MAC team, only 2 returned.  Eight were out of eligibility and the remainder transferred.

Last year, we had to recruit ten new guys...this year, maybe five or more.  Every one of those guys played significant minutes.

The actual game was a solid performance for BG.  Coach says guys are healthy again, the energy is back, and the shot making is coming back.

BG led by 9 at the half and had the lead up to 12 with 10 minutes left to play in the game.

Ball State played hard, cut the lead to 3 with about 7 left and to 1 with 4:29 left.  

What happened next is what makes basketball such a great sport.  With 4 left, Hill was under pressure and found Humphrey, who nailed a 3FG dagger and was fouled.  Missed the FT, but BG up 4.  BSU threw the ball away on the fast break, BG came up and--after replay--it was determined the Jihad had flagrantly fouled Spurgin.

Jason hit both FTs and then on the possession took an absolute dime from Hill and nailed the 3FG, giving BG a 9-point lead.  Two possessions, less than one minute, and the game went from in the balance to over.  Humphrey nailed another key 3FG with 1:15 left.

BG led for 36 minutes of the game, which is a good sign you are on the right track.  They outshot BSU, and only were -2 at the line after making 15 of 18.

So, onto Cleveland we go.  Proud of our guys. It has been a very good season.  See everyone in Cleveland.

This is it. It's the last game (MBB)

 So, here we go.  The last game of the regular season....hard to believe, seems like yesterday we were tracking whether the Bewley twins were going to play.

If BG wins and Miami loses, the Falcons finish 5th.

If BG wins and Miami wins, then it depends on who wins the #1 spot.  If it is UT, than BG is 5th.  If it is UA, then Miami is #5.  UT wins the tiebreaker over Akron.  Also applies to a two-way tie at 9-9 with BG and Miami.

If BG, Miami and Kent tie at 9-9, BG is 6th.

If BG, Miami, and WMU tie at 9-9, BG is 5th.

If BG, Kent and WMU tie at 9-9, BG is 6th.

If BG, Kent, Miami and WMU tie at 9-9, BG is 6th.

At 5th, BG plays CMU.  At 6th it is OU.

The opponent is Ball State, who are trying to get into the tournament.

BG and Ball State played earlier this year, with the Falcons picking up the road win.  The Falcons had a multi-possession lead for the last 8 minutes of the game.  Ball State got the lead to 4 with 3 minutes left, but BG blasted the lead back out again and won by 9.

It was BG's best shooting game of the MAC season.  They made 53% on 2G and 50% on 3FGs.  They had an OK day with turnovers but was great on the offensive boards. BG was 15 of 20 at the line, but -3 for the game.  BG had 1.21 points per possession, their second best MAC game.  Ball State had 1.08.

Hill had 28 in his best offensive game of the season. He was 11 of 16 from 2FG and 2-2 from 3FG. Spurgin had 17 and 7, Agee had 14 and 10.

Ball State leads the MAC in getting to the line, FT% and the percentage of points coming from FTs. Beyond that they are average in FG shooting and turnovers, and slightly less than average on the offensive boards. They are #5 with the 3FG.

On defense, they are pretty much average across the board, although they are #3 in keeping their opponents off the line.  They are somewhat vulnerable to the 2FG.

They are led by Basheer Jihad, who is #4 in the MAC in scoring. He makes 40% on 3FGs. He also leads the team with 8.4 RPG, which is #3 in the MAC.  He's clearly first-team material. 

Jalin Anderson scores 15 PPG and is #4 in the MAC in assists, Davion Bailey and Mickey Pearson score 13 PPG. 

They have 4 MAC wins on the road.

Last chance to see BG at home...and a chance to finish strong and head to Cleveland looking to shock the world.

BG MBB....onto Cleveland.

 Well, you have a team picked to finish 8th....with a shot at 5th or 6th.  It has been a good season.  A ways to go, and more needed in future years, but this was a a good start.  After two years not even in the top 8, the Falcons will play for the title in Cleveland.

The game with WMU was entertaining.  There were 8 ties and it remained close most of the way, even though BG did not trail in the 2nd half.  It was tied once.

With 5:35 left, BG led by 6.  WMU rallied and had it down to 1 with 2:36 to play.  The game remains afoot.  BG ran the clock down and then Jason Spurgin drained a 3FG to put BG up 4. The hated Lobsinger bricked a jumper (schadenfreude) and BG came down, missed a shot, but Agee had the glass, which he followed up with a basket and a foul, which he converted.  BG up 7 with 1:11 to play, and the game was over.

That's what games come down to.  And BG's bigs made the plays that were needed to secure a nice road victory.

BG had 1.11 points per possession, which has been a winning number--if rare--over the last few games.  They held WMU to .99.

To start with, BG outshot WMU.  That's usually led to a win, which it should.  Neither team shot great.  BG was 54% and 29% and WMU was 51% and 29%.  BG tried BG tried 28% of their shots from 3FG, a typical number for them. When they beat WMU the first time, BG got outshot. 

BG also led on turnovers, kept a board-crashing WMU team off the boards, got offensive boards themselves and made 12 of 16 at the line, for +3.

Rashaun Agee had another big game.  He had 17 on 6 of 11 shooting, 5 of 6 at the line, 15 rebounds, 4 assists and no turnovers.  If that might be something that is of interest to you

Spurgin, who Coach says is healthy for the first time in weeks, had 16 on 5 of 7 shooting and 2 of 5 3FG shooting.  With 5 rebounds a 3 turnovers.  He was running the floor and making shots like he was earlier, and did it in 28 minutes.

Marcus Hill only had 13, but it was on 6 of 10 and 0 of 1 shooting.  He appeared to press the issue less.  That's not a lot of points, but an efficient night.  Also, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 turnovers. Trey Thomas had 10 on 10 shots and 6-6 at the line.  Greer had 15 in 12 minutes, making 2 of 4 from the field and 1 of 2 from 3FG.

The last game is at home against Ball State, which can still make the tournament with a win. BG will play CMU or OU....CMU would be interesting given the OT games we played previously.  Anyway, a good year and more to go.

The Football Schedule is Out!

 Finally!

First, you are going to want to watch this....pretty funny....

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 🗓️ 🅳🅴🆃ⓐⓘ🅻🆂 ⬇️#ToTheMoon 🟠🟤 pic.twitter.com/1JCtLSe7S6

— BGSU Football (@BG_Football) March 5, 2024

Here's another ChatGPT prompt for Scott

Write a plan to hold a 28-10 halftime lead against your rival.

 I kid.  I kid.

So here it is.  This is a much different picture than last year.

Let's start.  First, we have a bye week between our P4 games, and we follow the second one with a home G5 game.  Much better than what we had last year.

Toledo--while away--is on Saturday, as it should be and will be two of every four years.

Out non-pod games worked out OK...we keep Kent and Akron and add Ball State (who we beat last year) and WMU, who we beat last year in Kzo0.  There's @CMU as well.  

If we are playing like we hope, the key games will be on 10/12 and 10/26 in our pod.  I have no idea how good the other teams are, but we don't face OU, a top MAC team last year and usually a good team.

Here are the number of P4 games played by MAC teams.

• Akron 3
• BSU 2
• BG 2
• UB 1
• CMU 1
• EMU 1
• Kent 3
• Miami 3
• NIU 2
• OU 2
• UT 1
• WM 2

Anyway, there it is.  Plan your life now.  Love to see us make a run this year...we have a lot of guys who are finishing their eligibility....and this schedule seems a little more workable.

Rematch: MBB vs. WMU.

Two games left.

A win or Ball State loss, and BG is going to Cleveland after 2 years away.  It could happen with two losses...but not under all circumstances. They can also finish 5th or 6th, which would place them against CMU or OU (probably) as opposed to UT or Akron.

WMU has had a weird season.  Picked to finish near the bottom of the MAC (10th), they burst out to a 4-0 start in the MAC.  They were 4-1 when they played BG and the game looked like an important battle in the top of the standings.  Both teams have found some reality since then.  BG won the game.  WMU at one point lost 5 straight games in the MAC.  They have rebounded and won 3 of 4, beating Miami and UB in Kzoo, lost @EMU and then won @BSU in the most improbable fashion.

You have undoubtedly heard.

Both teams are 8-8 and tied for the last playoff spot (also including Kent).

WMU is 5-2 at home in MAC play.  BG has won 3 of the last 5 in Kzoo, but there have some pretty rough years for the Broncos.

This is a kind of typical BG win.  BG was outshot, as WMU made 53% from 3FG and BG actually made 37%,  BG won the turnover battle, had an incredible game on the offensive boards and made 23 of 27 at the line.

BG led by 16 in the second half.  WMU rallied and BG had a 1-point lead inside of 2 minutes.  BG got a basket and then three stops in the last minute and BG hung on to get the win.

Overall, WMU is #8 in the MAC in offensive efficiency. They are average at shooting and getting to the free throw line....they are #1 in offensive rebounding and #12 in turnovers.  As you can see above, those trends played out in the first game.  They are the worst FT shooting team in the conference.

They are 4th in defensive efficiency.  That's #4 defending the 2FG and 3FG. They don't force turnovers and give up free throws, but are #4 on the defensive boards.

Owen Lobsinger (I did not make that up, though it sounds like the name you give your Mom when you don't want her to know who you were really out with) had 25 on 7 of 7 from 3FG. He has made 20 in the 11 games that followed.

Marcus Hill had 28, although it took 26 shots.

WMU has a transfer C, a 7'0" who does not start and usually plays less than 20 minutes.  He's a force when out there.

So here we go.  On the road, this is a tough matchup.  Hopefully, the Falcons break out of their slump and don't leave it all to the final game.

So, on paper this would appear to be a tough matchup, as a scoring challenged team against one of the better defensive teams.

Some football updates

 Just a few things from football...no the schedules are not out yet but people are waiting impatiently.  Should be any time.

Spring practice is underway.  BG has a lot of injuries.  This includes Conner Bazelak, who has surgery in January, and Orth, neither of whom will be ready until June.  Coach has them in intensive, Loeffler-led film study.  Better them than me.

Meanwhile, Lucian Anderson will get the reps for spring and Loeffler has advised him to practice like he is the guy.  This isn't bad...Anderson is in line to compete for the top job next year, along with anyone else who might arrive by them.  BG is offering QBs all over the place and there's always the portal.  But this is a chance for Anderson to position himself for that role. He is a redshirt FR this season.

Running backs are also thin.  We expect Stewart back by camp, but the role Keith played is open.  No help was found in the portal but Coach hinted that there could be a player or players in the freshman class who get snaps this year.

Diego Neri is in the portal. He was Academic All-MAC and played in all the games last year, mostly on special teams.  I suspect he got to spring practice, wasn't where he hoped to be on the charts and wants to look elsewhere.  Wish him nothing but the best.

One factor might be that BG has moved Trent Simms to LB.

This is a pretty big season.  BG has gone from awful to decent.  Last year, we lost to the better teams in the MAC and ran wild through an extremely weak part of the schedule.  We were better.  But we need to go from decent to contending for the title, which is just as hard if not harder.

Hopefully, the schedule is slightly more favorable--though it will remain challenging so long as we have to go to two P5 games like Penn State and Texas A&M.  There will be a conference game in the week between those two games, so we can hope it won't be against a top team.  Our G5 game is at home and not against a team likely to go undefeated.

I think continuity was the way to go.  I am not convinced that we will break the 5-3 MAC ceiling...but it would certainly be great to see it happen.

Falcons Lose at OU

BG played a more representative game on Friday night, but ultimately OU made a couple shots down the stretch and BG couldn't respond and that was that.  OU has only lost once at home in MAC play.

While probably not the highest exhibition of the Art of Basketball, it was a competitive and entertaining game.  Neither team led by more than 7, there were 11 lead changes and 7 ties.  OU lead for 21 minutes, BG for 8.  Presumably 11 minutes tied.

The game was also tied at the half.  OU led most of the way in the 2nd half.  BG had the game tied, though, with 8 minutes left, and with about 3 minutes left was down 4 and got a huge break when Boals got T'd up.  Thomas and Agee hit 4 FTs to tie the game. 

Sadly, BG would score only 2 points in the game's last 3 minutes.

After the FTs, BG needed a stop to harness some momentum.  Instead, Hunter came down, after being ice cold all night, and dropped a 3FG.  BG failed on two possessions, OU one, and the Bobcats had the ball back and Clayton drained a 3FG with :30 left and that was the game.

BG shot better than they have recently.  They didn't shoot well, but they shot better.  Only 24% from 3FG, 46% on 2FG and 27% on 3FG.  BG was 16 of 29 in the paint. The problem was that BG turned the ball over at a historic rate. That turnover rate is about the 10th worst since 1999, and the worst since VCU in 2018, and that's a team that is known for turnovers.  BG had a big game on the offensive boards--though it didn't seem to contribute to baskets--and BG got to the line and made 18 out of 20, which kept them in the game.

Overall, .93 points per possession, a rough night, and a losing number. 

BG's defense was decent, holding OU to 1.04 points per possession, well below their season average of 1.14.  Their shooting was also well below their normal average and they had more turnovers than normal.  OU did have their 3rd best MAC game on the offensive boards.  And they also shot FTs well and ended up only -4 to BG.

Agee continues an outstanding season.  Agee had 17 on 6 of 8 shooting, 11 rebounds, 5 of 6 at the line and 4 turnovers. (Fun fact, in the last 10 games Agee has tried only 3 3FGs). 

Thomas had 15 on 1 of 3 from 2FG and 2 of 3 from 3FG, 7 of 8 at the line and 3 turnovers.

Hill had 12 on 5 of 12 and 0 of 1 shooting, only 2 of 2 at the line, and 6 turnovers and 3 steals.

So, BG is 8-8 in MAC play and @WMU on Tuesday.  It would be nice not to play Ball State in the final with a trip to Cleveland in the balance.