BG heads to Mt Pleasant (MBB).

 Well, the march goes on.

CMU is next.  They are in Bowling Green's league in terms of transfer problems.  Six of their top 7 scorers left after last year.  They are 5-11 in D1 games.  They have four non-D1 wins.  They had the MAC's best pre-MAC win with a one-point victory at George Mason (73).

They had a rough schedule to start MAC playing, losing to OU and @UA and @UT.  Things got easier, and they are 3-2 in their last five. They beat EMU by 19 in Mt. Pleasant, won @NIU, lost at home to BSU, won @WMU and then last Tuesday lost @UB.  At 3-5 in MAC play, they are one game ahead of BG.

We have split the last 10 meetings.  BG and CMU played three times last year, with the Chips winning both regular season matchups (both in OT, one in 2 OT) and then BG winning in Cleveland. 

CMU plays the slowest pace in the MAC and has a defensively-oriented team.  They are #3 in the MAC in defense and #7 in offense.  BG is #6 in defense and #11 in offense.

Looking at the CMU defense, they are strong in all facets.  They are #4 against the shot, #2 in creating turnovers, #5 in defensive rebounds, and #4 keeping teams off the foul line.  They are very tough inside, defending the 2FG 4th in MAC.  As you might expect, hey have the highest percentage of 3FGs attempted against them, and are #7 defending the 3FG.

BG is #9 shooting the 2FG and #11 shooting the 3FG.  They are average protecting the ball and on the offensive boards.  The only thing they do well is getting to the foul line.  They are coming off their worst offensive game in the MAC season.

On the other side, CMU is an average offense in the MAC.  They are #11 in attempting 3FGS...for good reason, they are #10 in making them.  They are #8 in 2FG. They are #5 in taking care of the ball and #3 on the offensive boards.  They do not get to the line much.  BG is not a bad defensive team.  They are #10 against the shot overall, and #12 against the 2FG, which would make this looking like a tough matchup for the Falcons.  They will need strong play from Felt and everyone will need to rebound to keep CMU off the boards and second-chance points.

Their leading scorer is Jacori Heady.  He is a 6'6" transfer from Bethune-Cookman.  He is scoring 14.9 on 53% 3FG shooting and 13% 3FG. He averages 7.4 RPG, which is #5 in the MAC, and making 82% at the line. 

Their top player is Anthony Pritchard, who transferred from Tulsa and played with CMU last year. He scores 14 PPG on 41% and 35% shooting and only 50% at the line. He is #5 in the MAC with 4.8 APG.

Kyler Vanderjagt is a Belmont transfer.  He is scoring 11.6 PPG on 64% and 38% shooting.  He has not started a MAC game all year. 

Ugnius Jarusevicius is a 6'10" Lithuanian who has also been a productive scorer. He transferred from Cal State-Bakerfield.  He has missed the last 3 games with an injury and we will have to see if he will play tomorrow.

If BG has any hope of getting this turned around, this is one they will need to exceed expectations in. Right now, the spread and the moneyline are off the board.