Getting to know the opponent: Tarleton State.

Tarleton State is in the Texas A&M system in Texas.  We don't have this in Ohio....in Texas they have six.  That includes the University of Texas system (Austin, Arlington, UTEP, Rio Grande...nine in all), the Texas State system, (seven schools, Texas State, Sam Houston State, Lamar), the Texas A&M system (including East Texas, Prairie View, Tarleton, Texas A&M Corpus-Christi, and seven others).

It was founded in 1877 by John Tarleton, a prominent local settler.  As seen below.

He also had a pet duck named Oscar P., who is buried next to him.

It became a university in 1973 and is located in Stephenville.  Die-hard football fans will be familiar with Stephenville, because it is the school where Art Briles won four state championships.   Other notable people include Jewel, Brock Holt, Kevin Kolb, three world champions in rodeo, and Jarrett Stidham.

Tarleton has been D1 since 2020, after 26 years in DII.  They are the Texas, but were once known as the Plowboys.  (Until 2019, their women's teams were the TexAnns.)  They have a 24,000 seat stadium and put 20+ in it three times a couple years ago.

They play in the UAC which is a football only partnership between ASUN and WAC.  Tthey won the UAC last year and beat North Dakota in the 2nd roiund of the NCAA tourney before losing in the quarters to Villanova. 

They were 12-2 last year and finished #6 in the FCS polls.

They are coached by Todd Whitten.  He has coached there for 16 years with a 151-87 record.  He went to SFA where he was a QB and was drafted in baseball and signed a UDFA with New England.  He played one game during the strike.

He is in the SFA hall-of-fame.  He has been coach of the year 7 times.

George Sick of Watching Baseball

Eddie talked first about QB. He said it was a tough decision.

Austin took it hard but has embraced the role.  My aside is that this is what you want.  You don't need a player who is happy to not win the job. One other thing...you OSU people are your starts.  OMG.  You're taking his ranking at a HS senior, have not seen him once since then and yet still carries "4-star" around his neck).

Jay got the job because of his stats, his big plays his command of the huddle and being a dual-threat QB.  And actually playing for two years.  Someone tried to say we might need Austin because he had played in some big venues, but Coach said he had played "a few snaps" and Jay had started for two years.

Tarleton is explosive.  They have great talent and great coaching.  Their WRs will challenge our backfield...will be critical to keep them in front of us.  Also, the old saw that your biggest improvement is between week 1 and week 2 works in their favor this week.

There were ominous words about the OL.  He said he expects them get better each week. They will be tested Saturday, and they are young and inexperienced.  "Growing pains."  

We haven't seen our OL play against someone else.  we will see how we match up front in first quarter or so.

Team is healthy-ish.  Nobody out for the year. 

The team also released the depth chart, which is below.  Of course, to your normal fans, they are mostly all strangers.

The big question mark is the o-line, which lost a lot.  At the end of last year, we had the following players with the following career snap counts returning

Sanchez moved to C, leaving Bolyn at G.  I think we expected Bolyn to go to C.  Alex Harris moved to the other G.  Thomas stayed at RT, and the LT is either Gabe Funk or Kraatz, meaning we got five of those six guys in one way or the other.   Funk is an App State transfer who played in one game there.  He was here in January.  Most of all, I think we expected Travis Robertson to start at T for BG...he's a FR who we stole back from UCLA and he is in third-spot at LT.  Note also that Theo Andall is on the depth chart after coming from the London version of the NFL Academy. 

QB we have talked about.  WR is guys who have yet to really excel at their position. TE is mostly for blocking....I expect us in 12 and 22 a lot.  The one proven position is RB.  Dendy was a stud last year and Amarchee has played himself onto "or" level with him.  Amarchee was highly recruited out of Michigan and having two backs will really help if the line can get them into space.

Defensively, I don't think there were many surprises and I think we will be decent.  Kostus was all-MAC at CMU.  Selah Brown is a Louisville transfer.   We are familiar with Myles Bradley and Dorian Pringle.  Sanders Ellis was highly productive for George at TN State, went to Purdue, wasn't used and now is at BG.  Was FCS all-american.  JoJo Johnson is returning All-MAC.  Andrews came to BG through HS (Erasmus in Brooklyn). EstoEsta also came to BG after HS as did Pascal.  Drey Braxton was highly productive at NC-Central. 

Special teams are also all new.  Kingston is the punter.  Coach says he needs to be consistent. Kenner was the holder last year. Return game has, well, returning players.

Well, that's that today.  Great to be back in the rhythm.  Looking forward to being at the Doyt on Saturday.  Based on predictions, nowhere for us to go but up.

White smoke, a QB emerges, and other news

 Here we go.  T minus 6 games to the start of the season.  Let's catch a few things up before game prep begins.

1. Pete Thamel has just reported that Jay Kastantin will be BG's starting QB Saturday against Tarleton State.  The battle was between Kastantin and Austin Novosad, who transferred over from Oregon and was a 4-star recruit out of HS in Texas.  I think the assumption was that Novosad would win the job, but you heard some not so good things and then the matchup continued and then today Kastantin won the job.

(Remember the time Shilz and Matt Johnson battled in camp, Schilz got the lost and last about two series?)

He represents a different model of QB than BG has traditionally gotten in the portal era, where the Falcons have taken P4 QBs who lost their jobs or never had one.  Kastantin was highly productive in DII at Assumption, and is moving up.

There is a lot to like here:

• Appeared in 22 career games over three seasons (2023-25) at NCAA DII Assumption
• Accumulated 3,658 career passing yards on 299-of-515 passing during his Assumption career
• Threw for 28 career touchdowns
• Also has rushed for 710 career yards and nine touchdowns
• In 2025 was named Most Valuable Player in the Northeast-10 Conference and first-team All NE10
• Completed 138 of 223 passes (61.9%) during the MVP season
• Led the conference in: Passing yards: 1,974; Passing touchdowns: 19; Passing yards per game: 219.3
• Added significant production on the ground:100 carries for 530 yards (5.3 yards per rush); 5 rushing touchdowns
• Recorded a 159.9 passing efficiency rating, ranking 18th in all of NCAA Division II

That rushing part is probably important and @thetalontribune feels might have been decisive. 

BG is looking to be run focused on offense.  I talked to one FB at the season ticket event who said he was ready to hit someone else's players in the A-gap.  If so, having a QB who can tuck it and run can be very effective.  In fact, it starts to look like the offense OU ran the last few years.

BG has 6 QBs in the QB room, so hopefully won't have the issues we had last year.

2.  Eddie George is selling bourbon. (Other versions has the NY removed from the hat).  He is working for the Ohio Liquor Authority.

3.  Scotty Miller was released by the Bears.  We'll see if he gets picked up, but either way he's a big success story for us.  Emerging from wreckage of the program's worst years, he caught 99 NFL passes and wears a Super Bowl Ring.

4.  So we all watched Tarleton State last night, where they were -21 over Prairie View A&M and won by 19.  They had some big horses on offense and scored 49 points.  They are #5 in the nation in FCS--that was the pre-season ranking.  As of today, FanDuel has BG at a 2.5 favorite.  ESPN makes it a 55% chance to win.

Not quite what you expect from your FCS game.  If BG does win, though, it's a decent W.  And important.  A loss and BG could easily open 0-5.

5.  Preview coming later.  I can just say this...being back at the Doyt makes me happy.  One way or the other.

MBB Schedule is Out

 

Well, here it is!  The men's basketball schedule is out.  On the surface, I think it is an improvement. As you know, my primary source of heartburn is the non-D1 games.  This year has only two, which is a reasonable number.  One is Cornerstone, which is Grand Rapids.  We beat Aquinas by 81 last year.

That was made possible by a critical scheduling change by the MAC--moving from 18 MAC games to 22.  Given the difficulty of scheduling non-conference games, this makes total sense and ensures competitive basketball inside MAC gyms.  Adding two MAC games to replace Bethany and Siena Heights is a win from my view.

This will create a new wrinkle in scheduling timing.  The Falcons will now play four MAC games before the new year, meaning that teams who are sorting it out (and that's most everyone in the NIL era) will have less time to do so.  But the same should be true for everyone. 

It's pretty impossible to tell how good anyone is going to be, including us, so it's hard to know if, for example, Niagara or Cleveland State are good pulls for home games or not.  But they are D1.

And putting the Falcons in Assembly Hall first time in 28 years will be a big day.

As in football, we seem to be moving into haves and have-nots in MBB.  Having said that, I'm 100% behind Todd Simon and his team. He's what we would want in a coach for this bizarre and dysfunctional era...we may never routinely be in the top 3 of the MAC again (unless the top teams in the MAC leave), but we can still put together a team and make a run and make the Big Dance.  Any year.  Every year.

Here Comes Football...

Football season is on the way....

It's a great time of year.

It's really difficult to tell anymore how good you are going to be.  We have so many new players on this year's roster.  

I will say this...any success this team has will be a pleasant surprise.  Bowl eligibility would be a miracle.  Much more likely, it's another season of people comparing Eddie George to Mike Jinks and a lot of bad vibes.

Consensus seems to have BG 9th or 10th in the conference.  We have an FCS team on our schedule, like everyone, but we have chosen to play the #4 team in FCS, and we open as home dogs in our FCS game.  The very possible scenario is that we lose our first five games before we play Sacramento State.  Being 1-4 would be a success.

What's going on?  First of all, we are investing in high school players, and that leaves this year's team very, very young.  CBS sports ranks BG as #135 out of #138 in terms of experience.  In the old world, this would be a re-building year.  Your hope is that you can retain these high school players long enough for them to contribute before they transfer,

So, could we be better next year or the year after.  It's possible.

The way I see it, I think our offense will be the problem.  I think the defense will be competitive.  The reports are that we are going to go to a very heavy run attack.  I have no problem with that.  (My favorite style of offensive football is the one where we win).  However, our offensive line is really young and unproven.  Even in 12 personnel, I worry about us being able to open up holes for a heavy run attack.

I'm worried about QB as well.  Austin Novosad was once thought to be a rising star.  And he might still be.  But Coach is saying right now that it's an open competition between Austin and DII standout Jay Kastantin.  Coach says one of them will step up and take the job, but to me, the fact that no one has is worrying.  Especially Novosad, who went from Oregon to battling at BG with a DII guy for a starting job.

With question marks on the line and at QB, it's hard to see the offense being consistently effective.  Austin Dendy is back at RB, so that's a strength.  At WR Isaiah Dawson was highly productive at Richmond, but the depth is unproven.

I don't think the defense will be bad.  We will be solid on the front 7 and the back end looks pretty decent.  I don't think it's carry the team good, but I do think we will compete on defense.

Season ticket event coming up on Monday.   

Odds and Ends

 So, a few little updates here and there for Falcon sports.

BG MBB will play Georgia State in the Sun Belt-MAC Challenge, which has been extended through 28-29.  This is a good thing for us...some of the coaches don't like the game being in the middle of the conference season, but if you look back, BG used to play non-conference games all the time during MAC play.  Georgia State will be tough to get a line on that early in the year...they fired their coach last year after going 10-22.  He has been replaced by Jon Cremins, former Vanderbilt assistant and nephew of Bobby Cremins.

There's an addition to the football roster.  His name is JayT Jackson, and he plays DB, a position always in need of numbers. He's from Columbus, Georgia.  He went to Garden City CC, where he played all 10 games in his one year there.  He had 22 tackles, including some impactful plays.  He went to Georgia State where he played in six games over two years, then to La. Tech where he played in 11 with 4 tackles total.

Welcome to the Falcons, JayT.

In the meantime, July first came and went, making it Sacramento State day for those who celebrate.

Here's a trivia question.  Obviously, Sacramento is in the state capital.  What founding member of the MAC was also located in a state capital?

So what do we know about them?

They are the Hornets. 

Their mascot is "Herky the Hornet" and has been for 70 years.  There's a lot of folklore about where the name came from.  The Hornet was selected over the elk, which was not considered aggressive enough.

They say "Stingers Up!!" giving us a 1:1 battle with the dumbest sayings in college sports.

They have 30,000+ students with a 94% acceptance rate.

Former students include:

• Tom Hanks (did not actually graduate).
• Lester Holt
• Joan Lunden
• This guy:

• Joseph DeAngelo, the Golden State Killer.
• Buck Martinez
• About 22 NFL players, plus Ricky Ray, CFL Hall-of-Famer.
• Ryan Coogler
• David Hodo, the construction worker in the Village People
• Bobby McFerrin (attended five universities)
• An adult film star, a Playmate of the month, and a girlfriend of H. Hefner.

Welcome to the MAC. Herky.

Football Closes Recruiting Strong

Holy Falcon Saturday...I have to be more careful not to fall behind on these verbals, because Eddie and the team are landing commits like crazy.  Recruiting at BG is a real test of scouting, and time will tell our ability to identify and develop talent and character.  Much credit to @thetalontribune for his dogged work keeping track of not only commits but also offers and OVs. 

Let's look at the players.

Theo Andall, OG

The first guy to note is Theo Andall.  He is going to be immediately eligible (as in for '26) and is from London, England. He's 6'3" and 290 pounds and came to football through the NFL Academy.  He is credited on line for a "meteoric" rise last season. 

FWIW, we had offers to a couple of other foreign players as well.

Gunnar Gillentine, P

I'm calling it now, the most accurately named recruit we have ever had.  He is either the #1 or #2 punter in the country.  He's from Petal, MS.  He committed to Mississippi State at one point, but then de-committed.

You don't always get as much data on punters, certainly from games.  There is some info from Kohl's, the kicking school.

With an impressive performance at the 2026 Kohl's National Underclassman Challenge, Gunnar Gillentine continues to be one of the top punters in the country for the 2027 class. He won the punt competition day 2 and scored 114.12 points in the overall combined punt charts. He is technically sound and has excellent quickness with his operation. Gillentine punted at Kohl’s National Scholarship Camp in July of 2025. He scored 112.92 points in punting over three sessions. He also won the punt competition held at the end of camp in front of 1,000 people. He is one of the best punters we have seen in the last five years! Gillentine had a dominant performance at the 2025 Texas Spring Showcase. His hand to toes were in the 1.2-1.3 second range. He is compact with his steps and creates excellent consistency with his contact. He moves well in the roll-out portion of punting and scored 18 points. His overall score for punts at camp was 117.96 points. He loves to punt and is Power 4 punter right now. 

Ben Hale, OT

Ben Hale committed last week.  He's an OT from Nashville, weighing in at 6'5" and 300 pounds. He had D1 offers from UB, Middle TN, Army, Air Force, Troy, Georgia State, Arkansas State, Navy and UNLV...and 9 FBS offers. His school won a state-title. 

Tyler Carpenter. LB

6'2" and 212 pounds, he's a flip after decommitting from Ohio.  He also had offers from Toledo and Kent. He's from Trotwood-Madison, and 

Christian Mollino, CB

is another highly-recruited player.  One of three players who have committed from Sumner HS in Riverview, FL, he had P4 offers from Pittsburgh, Louisville, and USF and G6 offers from Army, UB, FIU, FAU, Georgia Southern, along with 4 FCS offers.

Terrell Karim, Jr., ATH

Coming from Akron East, Karim had only one offer--from KSU.  He's 6'3", 195 lbs and played WR, TE, DE and LB.  He was all-Ohio HM, and has 31 catches for 503 on one side of the ball and 42 tackles and 10 sacks on the other.

Dai'saun Blanchard, EDGE

He's from Westinghouse HS in Pittsburgh, and lists himself as a top pass rusher in WPIAL.  He also had offers from Akron, Ohio,Youngstown State, Monmouth, Richmond, UIW,   He's fast, offering a 4.4/40 and had 19 sacks in his junior season, but 38 TFLs.  He was first-team all-city.

Ace Luther, TE

He's from Palmetto, FL, 6'4" and 215 pounds. Also highly recruited, with offers from Memphis, Sac State, EMU, Kent, Toledo and six FCS schools.  He has a strong, muscular frame and there is a lot of talk online bout his contested catch ability.

Knud Davis, DL  

From Longwood, FL, He's 6'3" and 260 lbs. He had offers from Marshall, Coastal Carolina, FAU, Georgia Southern, UMass, Liberty, and 4 non-FBS programs.

Jace Boyd, EDGE

He is a 6'4", 240-pound EDGE from Alcoa, TN.   BG was his only FBS offer, along with 2 FCS offers.  He is listed as a rising star in his part of Tennessee.

Wesley Summersett, LB/S

He's from South Adams HS, in Bane IN.  He's 6'2" and 200.  He played TE/WR and defense in his junior year, but apparently BG projects him to be a defender. Offensively last fall Summersett tallied 80 receptions for 1,562 yards and 16 touchdowns. Defensively, Summersett had 65 tackles as a junior with 1 pick six and 3 forced fumbles. He had offers from the real Miami, Colgate and Dartmouth.

Jean Pierre Furtado, DL

Quite possibly the top recruit of the class right now.  He's 6'2" and 290 and rated a 3-star on 247 with one more year in HS. He's from Lake Minneola, FL. He had offers from Duke, Iowa State, Louisville, Ole Miss, Wake Forest, WVU, UB, Charlotte, EMU, FAU, Georgia Southern, Liberty, MT State, UConn, UMass and 2 FCS schools.

Drew Kryscynski, IOL

He's 6'4 and 285 from Marysville, MI.  His other offers were from SEMO and Army.  There are also D2 offers. He was first-team all-region and all-conference. 

And for now, that is it.  We enter a dead period now that more or less lasts until Fall camp starts.  That's 22 commits already...I'll have a little more analysis and observations soon.  In the meantime, I think we're on the right track.

Falcon Football Verbals Now up to 9

 So, another weekend of visits down, and three more commits for Bowling Green Football.  That makes 9 total...

The first, which, in truth, was a leftover I forgot to cover last week...Chancelor Adams.  He's from Brownsburg, IN, which is the hometown of Chris Jones, the former MAC Defensive Player of the Year for BG and Super Bowl Champion.

Adams plays S.  He's unranked (as most of the players are) and had offers from Toledo, Ball State, Army, WMU, Air Force, and Lindenwood.  He was all-Hoosier Conference in HS.  The team was very good--two-time state champion, and his team allowed 8 points a game on defense.

His junior stats were:

2 ints

2 Force fumbles 

48 tackles (33 solo, 5 for loss) 

6 pass breakup

Next up is David Coleman, a DB from Orlando, FL, with a 3-star rating on 247.  (247 has not ranked most players yet and usually eventually catches, though at the end of the day, it's just a data point).  Based on his numerical rating, he would be the 4th-best player we have ever signed... if and when he signs.

He has 27 D1 offers, which you can read here. 10 of them were P4 offers, and they also included Toledo and UConn (Hi Jason).  He committed to Wake Forest and then, a few days later, de-committed.

He attends The First Academy, which is a private school in Orlando.  They have had some controversy, including a long suspension for their coach.  

The third is Leo McQuillan, a TE, also from Brownsburg. He's 6'3" and 220, and an accomplished lifter.  His Twitter feed says he is moving to o-line for his senior year and describes himself as a H-back. His offers to date have been FCS and DII. 

MBB News....and two football verbals

 So, some news this summer has trickled in....

Let's start with Men's Basketball.  BG has extended the contract of Todd Simon as the head coach of the program.  His contract now runs until March 31, 2030.

I think this was the right thing to do.  I think he's done well with the conditions that are given to him.  The team has a 1,000 APR (not sure how that gets measured today), and he's a good representative of the program.  I think his experience coaching prep ball is the best way to prepare BG for today's MAC game. 

I'm not sure he's going to get us to the Dance...but I don't know if anyone can.  We know about the haves and have nots in D1 sports, but I fear we are starting to see the same thing unveil itself in the MAC.  Specifically, Miami, who won the Reese trophy for all-around performance in men's sports and the Jacoby trophy for all-around performance in women's sports.  That's a back-to-back and three in the last five.

WMU--cited by MAC ADs as the best AD job in the MAC in David Briggs ' anonymous poll, was 2nd in women's and third in men's.  BG was 10th in women's and 12th in men's....thank you UMass.

It wasn't too long ago that our women's basketball, volleyball, women's soccer, baseball and softball programs were in the top tier of the conference.  Today, they are all struggling, combined with a middling MBB program, a recovering (we hope) football program, and a men's soccer program competing in the MVC.

And, FWIW, women's basketball, volleyball, women's soccer and softball were all successful under pre-Van Der Merwe hires and are now are sporting VDM hires.

Did you see that EMU bought a women's golf team and made the national semis?

Anyway, the future is far from certain.  I've wandered away from Coach Simon, who I think is the right choice for us and has as good a chance as anyone.  He will need to Coach lightning in a bottle for one year...you don't really build a program.

Now to football.  There were official visits this weekend, and football has snagged at least two verbals.  As always, for exhaustive coverage of BG's football recruiting, head over to The Talon Tribune.

The first was Robert Garcia, who is from Riverdale, FL, and attends Sumner HS.  He's a RB/CB/ATH who seems to project as a CB.  He's 6'0" and was offered by Louisville, USF, Pitt, EMU, FIU, FAU, Liberty and 5 FCS offers.

Sumner is a back-to-back state 7A champion in Florida. Garcia had a pick-six in the title game.

The other player is Bo Scheetz.  He's a 6'6", 300lb DT/OT.  He goes to Fairless HS, which is in Navarre, OH, which is in Stark County and part of Ohio's football belt.  

He had only one offer, from Ashland.  He was Defensive Player of the Year of something, with 78 tackles, 8 tfl’s, and 2 sacks on the season.

Fairless are the Falcons.

Robert and Bo, welcome to the Falcons.

Falcon MBB Adds a Guard

BG MBB has added a new guard for the team next year.  His name is Jayden Johnson, a 6'1" G orignally from Brooklyn.  He played at the Cushing Academy in Boston.  He did not appear to be heavily recruited.  However, he did end up at South Carolina State, a D1 HBCU.  He was all-rookie MEAC for his first year and then came back as the pre-season player of the year, ending up second-team all-MEAC.  In his sophomore year, he scored 13.4 PPG, shooting 46% and 37% from the field and 3.5 APG.  Interestingly, his coach told him to leave and get paid,  something I think a lot of coaches end up doing today.  That puts us at 15 with Dedivanaj.  Without him, we can add one more.

So here is what we have right now:

Confirmed back (5)

• Leach, G
• Shackelford, G
• Karel, F
• Goins, F
• Squire, F (Thanks to the commenter)

Incoming (9)

• Torbert, G
• Howell, G
• Simmons, G
• Cranbrook, G
• Beckford, F
• Johnson, G
• Ateny, C
• Essandako, C
• Staley, G

No News (1)

• Dedivanaj, G

Two More MBB Players Onboard

 BG MBB has two more player additions for this year.

It was clear, they needed a big man...and they got one.  A very big man.

NEWS: 2026 - 6’10 PF/C Leek Ateny of Danville Christian Academy (KY) has committed to Bowling Green.

Ateny is one of the top forward prospects in KY. Big addition for the Falcons. pic.twitter.com/soBKT9iGDU

— NextUpRecruits (@NextUpRecruits) May 13, 2026

Leek played at Danville Christian in KY.   He was third-team All-State.  He was a regional player of the year. Ateny was ranked as the eleventh best player and the number one center in the state of Kentucky according to Next Up Recruits.  

He averaged 18.5 PPG, 10 RPG and 5.5 BPG.  In HS, at that size, guys are going to score.  But the blocks you don't always see.  And everyone is talking rim protection now...look at his length.  He also made 41% from 3FG.  

There appears to be huge upside here.  

The other player is Talan Staley, a 6'3" G from Blythewood, SC.  His HS team won state three years in a row. He was named Region 5 5A All-Region, SBCA Top 5 Senior and a North Carolina-South Carolina Carolina Classic All Star. This came following a season where he averaged 14.1 points, 61 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. On top of the averages, Staley shot 52-percent from the field and 39-percent from behind the arc. 

At 6'3", he has size for the position, something our coach's like.  He was not highly recruited, but this is sometimes where you find the gritty guys who can still contribute.  

Talan,  Leek....welcome to the Falcons.

Happy Mother's Day to the Falcon Nation

 

Giveth Again

So we have been noting the lack of big men on the MBB roster, and today there was an announcement about a truly BIG man coming to BG.  A giant man.  His name is Christ Essandoko, and he is 7'0" and 280 pounds. He is an interesting young man.

He is French... played a couple of years of HS there, then came to a school in the US.  He was a 3-star recruit with offers from St. Joe out of HS, along with Maryland, Providence, Illinois, NC State, Nebraska, Pitt, Rutgers, South Carolina, A&M, Wake Forest, South Florida, SEMO, NM, San Diego State, Wisconsin, DePaul, Seton Hall.

He announced he was going to Providence, but he ended up at St. Joseph's.  He had to redshirt due to being ineligible, and then played a year at St. Joe's.  Then he went back to Providence, where really big things were expected and did not happen.  He took responsibility for that and then went to South Carolina, where the results were even worse.

Everywhere he has gone, there has been praise for him before the season started.

Here is the coach at St. Joe's...

“He’s highly intellectual. He’s got great instincts. His feel for team basketball is outstanding, and that’s really the European way. He has an insatiable competitiveness. It’s off the charts...Then you throw on top of that a great personality, a connective personality, an amazing teammate, and the upside of him is really high.”

Here is what they said at Providence...

“Christ is seven foot, 280 — he’s an absolute load. He just moves people naturally with his girth and his strength, but he’s also our kind of player because he’s very skilled. He has a great feel for the game, he’s a great passer. We run our offense through our bigs a lot. They are almost like point guards to a degree. Josh was perfect for that, Christ is too, he’s just bigger, and he’s also a three-point shooter.”

And yet...

He had a good year at St. Joe's.  After a two-year layoff, he scored 8.5 per game and added 5.7 RPG and a block a game in 21 minutes.

At Providence, he played 12 minutes a game, 4.3 PPG and 3.9 RPG and about .75 blocks per game.

At South Carolina...for a bad team, he averaged 7.4 minutes a game, 2 PPG and 1.6 RPG. He was DNP for 10 of the last 20 games.  

He shot 29% from 2FG for SC last year. He made 65% for St. Joe's.  He can shoot 3's...34% for his career, 38% in two of his three years.  He's a 59% career FT shooter, but considerably lower than that the last two years.

He was called for 5.4 fouls per 40 last season. He was #11 in block% his first year at St. Joe, and nothing particularly special after that.

I don't mean to be negative.  These are just facts.  Here's another one...obviously, there's something there. The NFL draft is coming...he's all upside.  If he gets out of his head and puts it together, we have a guy who's dominating in this conference.  We have player-friendly coaches...why not now?

Also, for a little rabbit hole on your Monday night, click here and read about a man from the same town.

Giveth

The MBB team has picked up 2 more players...at least one a small forward.  The portal closes on the 21st, and you can still sign guys after that and there's JUCO too.  BTW, a Simon post indicates 3 players were acquired, but I'm not aware of who it is.

One is Tristan Beckford, who is transferring from South Florida.  He's from Ontario.  He played internationally with Canada--where they are increasingly competitive--during the U18 AmeriCup, where they finished 3rd.  He led the team in scoring and rebounding.

He's a small forward at 6'5".  He played for a Prep Team in Phoenix.  He was a 3-star recruit (247) from there, and was offered by Minnesota, Boise, Arizona State, Arkansas State, Iowa, Mississippi State, Oregon, Grand Canyon, Pepperdine, and Seton Hall. He went to South Florida, where Bryan Hodgson was, but he moved on to Providence.

He did not do much for South Florida, playing 7 minutes a game for a good team.  It's interesting...he played four games in December...Charleson, Alabama, UMBC and Georgia College...even excluding the non D1 game, he played 61 minutes, scored 30 points and had 13 rebounds.  That was while Wes Enis was injured.  But it does show some production.  After that, he went to the bench and played very little after that.

So, you have a guy who was widely evaluated as having talent who did not play much for an #11 seed in the Tourney.  FWIW, Hodgson used his bench sparingly, at 27% of overall minutes.

The other is Juan Cranford, Jr, a 6'4 G who played last at EKU.  He played at St. Francis (PA) before that.  At EKU, he scored 12 PPG on 49% and 36% shooting.  Also, 79% at the line.  

At. St. Francis, he was All-Rookie in the nEC and was the tournament MVP, where he led them to the NCAA Tourney. 

HS-wise, he went to Wayne High School in Dayton. He was conference player of the year his senior year and was 3-time all-conference. He was unrated and St. Francis was his only recorded offer at 247.

The roster limit is 15.  FWIW, I am counting Spurgin as not on the roster since he was in Senior Day and listed as a senior.  We remain G-heavy and without a rim-protector.

  Confirmed back (5)

• Leach, G
• Shackelford, G
• Karel, F
• Goins, F
• Squire, F (Thanks to the commenter)

Incoming (5)

• Torbert, G
• Howell, G
• Simmons, G
• Cranbrook, G
• Beckford, F

No News (2)

• Dedivanaj, G
• Adem, G

Football Verbal and Basketball Roster News

First news is a football verbal.  His name is John Johnson, and he comes from Archbishop Hoban in Akron. He's the 2nd Hoban player to commit to BG in the first four.  Sometimes that happens....this would be a great program to develop a pipeline with.  Their coach, Tim Tyrell, has won 5 state titles and has a 141-25 record.  He also won 3 national championships at Youngstown State, playing for...Jim Tressel.  So that could be a connection.

Johnson is a good one.  Too early for him to be rated, but he plays both ways and is listed as a WR. He had offers from Kentucky, James Madison, Kent, Liberty, Miami, Toledo and WMU....so three of the usual MAC powers, a P4, and two top-level G5.

He was second-team all-state for their basketball team that reached the state semifinals, and he had some big games along the way.

BG's four verbals to date are a QB and three playmakers.  I think anyone would agree that we have been short of playmakers for a long time...we've had one or two...but UT (for example) brings them in waves.

Welcome John.

Next is some basketball news.  Kimbrough, Goins, Karel, and Leach have all announced that they are returning to the team.  This is not nothing.  We have had players like Karel, who maybe didn't play much, blow the coup after one year.  Getting guys back really matters.....a full off-season of weight training....

We have 10 guys.  As I understand it, the scholarship limit has been replaced with a roster limit of 15. No surprise we are guard-heavy, but we have spaces for front-court guys.

Confirmed back (4)

• Leach, G
• Shackelford, G
• Karel, F
• Goins, F
• Squire, F (Thanks to the commenter)

Incoming (3)

• Torbert, G
• Howell, G
• Simmons, G

No News (3)

• Dedivanaj, G
• Adem, G

Taketh....and Leaveth

 A couple more events from the portal...

First, outgoing.  Jason Kimbrough entered.  He came to BG with a pretty decorated JUCO career, but never got traction, playing only 46 minutes against D1 competition.  Given BG's stronger guard roster, I assume he saw the writing on the wall.

Next, staying.  Josiah Shackleford, who was 3rd on the team, scoring 11.3 PPG. He's one of those guys...shot 45% from 3FG the year before BG and 35% at BG.  Nonetheless, he is welcome back and should improve in his second D1 year. 

Here is where things stand now..that's 10 guys, which means as many as 5 can be added.  Need front court help, for sure.

Leach, G

Shackelford, G

Dedivanaj, G

Squire, F

Karel, F

Adem, G

Goins, F

Torbert, G

Howell, G

Simmons, G

Happy Easter From the Falcon Nation

 

It is the season of new beginnings.

Giveth....

The portal has given...Zach Howell, a 6'5" G from Drury University, a DII school in Springfield, MO.  He played HS ball in Springfield and was highly effective, leaving as the all-time leading scorer and an all-state player.

He went to Milwaukee, where he played two years.  His FR year, he played 29 games and averaged 2.7 PPG. In his second year, he was making 44% from 3FG until he was injured in the 10th game of the season.

He returned to Springfield to play for Drury where he was very productive.  You'll be most interested in his second year, where he scored 17 PPG and made 44% of his 3FG.

That's right.  That was number 8 in DII.

By the way, he wasn't a highly selective shooter.  He took 225 attempts. 

Clearly, this is interesting.  We have brought in other guys who had big percentages, and they have generally failed to reproduce those numbers at the Stroh Center.  No player with representative attempts has shot 40% from 3FG in the Simon era.

So, as of today, here is the roster.  The portal isn't open yet, but 30 players from the MAC have already entered.  BG has only 2...Pardon and Wol...and we expect Campbell.  We shall see.   I'd think we would need to invest something in a big man to help out the rotation down low.

• Kimbrough, G
• Leach, G
• Shackelford, G
• Dedivanaj, G
• Squire, F
• Karel, F
• Adem, G
• Goins, F
• Torbert, G
• Howell, G
• Simmons, G

Welcome to the Falcons, Zach.

Taketh and Giveth, March 29

Taketh:

Jaxon Pardon has entered portal.  It's a sad day for Falcon fans, who hoped to see the second generation of the Pardon family lead the Falcons.  This one did not work out.  He played 24 minutes and scored 5 points.  He was injured for all of the 25-26 season.  The Pardon family is in the Falcon family forever, so we wish Jaxon only the best moving forward.

We are at a point of uncertainty here.  John Groce is leaving the MAC for College of Charleston (allegedly), and there is talk that a number of coaches are considering lateral moves out of the MAC.  So who knows.  We can see where it stands now.

Players for next year:

Kimbrough

Leach

Shackelford

Dedivanaj

Squire

Karel

Adem

Goins

Torbert

Giveth:

Actually, not a portal move, but a HS player for 27. His name is Colin Boff, a QB from Harvest Prep in Columbus.  He's unrated, but there's clearly something there...he has offers from UC, Syracuse, KSU, Miami, and UT. 

He's listed at 6'3" and 225 pounds.  Stats as reported on his twitter handle.

• Only 8 Games Played
• 2,734 Yards | 26 TD | 341 YPG | 63% 
• School record for game and season (every passing category) 
• 1st team all State, District and Conference

Despite the name, Harvest Prep is a co-ed HS.  They do play in Division V of Ohio HS football.  Notwithstanding that, they are putting players into FBS programs.

Welcome to the Falcons, Collin.

Football and MBB Transfer news

The portal giveth and the portal taketh....today it giveth and taketh....

First football, help on the d-line...Kade Kostus from CMU.  What we have here is a proven contributor in our conference.  We can use this guy.  In four-year, 28-game, 15-start career, has made 32 tackles (13 solo), 5.0 tackles for loss for 19 yards, and 2.0 sacks … Started all 12 games in 2024 at defensive end.  Then played sparingly in 2025 as he battled injuries.  He's 6'2" and 260 pounds from Rockford, MI.  With roations, you never have enough of these guys...BG has 6 players at  E/Edge with NCAA experience.

Moving to basketball, BG has a committment from Trey Simmons of Frostburg State, which is in Frostburg, MD.  He's 6'2" and played two years there.  He was highly productive...he scored 24 PPG, on 48% and 38% shooting, which is efficient for high volume shooting. He has 3.2 assists and a 1.7 A/T ratio. He was the Mountain West Player of the Year and made the all-region team.  He was the #5 scorer in D2 ball.

I think we all agree that Simon hasn't been able to really unleash the offense he wants to.  He has done well finding Gs coming up from D2 or JUCO. With Campbell leaving, right now it would be Simmons, Leach, KJ Torbert, Shackleford and Kimbrough at G.

Speaking of which, the first portal departure was announced...Mayar Wol.  He's played at a different school every year and was effective at times from BG and sometimes he took over games.  He was a decent ball-handler but was a liability on defense.

It's not official, but Coach said after the last game that Campbell had played his last game at BG, so with Wol that makes two.

Football Schedule is Out....initial thoughts

 

So there it is.  What we will be celebrating this fall, or gnashing our teeth or a combination of both, which it often turns out to be.

We are not playing it easy here.  This is a legit schedule.

For example, we open with Tarleton State, which is an FCS opponent.  The FCS opponent is supposed to be guaranteed win day...but check this out:

The Texans finished the 2025 campaign with a 12-2 record, with the 12 wins matching the most in a single season in program history. The season included an FBS win at Army, a regular season conference championship and the Texans' highest seed ever in the FCS Playoffs. Tarleton State was the first FCS team since 1993 (Troy) to make the quarterfinals in its first two seasons of playoff eligibility (8+ team format in FCS). 

All right then, sir.  We then go to Nebraska and Iowa State...P4 on the road, always tough.  Now, we might very well catch a small break in that Iowa State is big-time rebuilding after they lost significant talent to PSU with Ol' Matt Campbell.  But we will be underdogs.

Then, our G5 game is at home.  It's South Florida.  (BG is scheduled to go back in 2030 when they will have a new, USF-only stadium). Coached by OSU legend Brian Hartline, BG played them in '02 and they administered a solid beating to the Meyer-led Falcons.  They just sent Alex Golesh to Auburn along with their starting QB.  32 other players also left.  Always hard to predict what we will see.

Now to the MAC.  On the easier side of the ledger, BG has Kent, UMass, and Stupidmento State at home. We also host Ball State, who was 4-8 last year.  It is their coach's 2nd season. 

Now, for the road, BG is @UT, @MU, and @WMU.  That will be a difficult set.  We are competing with UT in the last years...we will need to continue to improve because I think everyone will see soon what an average coach Jason Candle was.

And then @UB, who smoked us pretty good at the Doyt last year.

Last year, you had to be 6-2 to make the MAC final.  Which means winning one of those three away games and all the "easy" games.  Winning titles is supposed to be hard.  Let's make it UT and let 'er rip.

Let's look for 6-6.  That's not going to be a picnic...most likely, that includes the Kent, UMass, and Sac State...either UB or Ball State, and Tarleton....or swap UB/Ball State for South Florida.

And as Bowl Games go away, 6-6 does not get you into a bowl game (I would suspect).  So, we get a true chance to see this year if we are ready to compete in year 2 of the George era.  I always want to be the optimist.  We are recruiting HS's well, but that might not be much for this year yet.  I'll say this...I think everything we are doing has to hit for it to work this year.  Little margin for error.

Football Update

Spring practice is underway, and there are a few news items to catch up on.

As always, thanks to @thetalontribune, who also keeps this all tabulated at the link you can find on the left.

First, BG added a couple of specialists to the 26 Roster.  Which is good, because both positions are very much in need. 

Alex Jenkins, P

He's from Indiana, played HS at Hamilton near Oxford. Punters get reviewed differently...usually by the punting camp they were attending, who have an interest in getting guys onto D1 rosters...here is what Kohl's said about him:

Alex Jenkins stood out as a top prospect at the 2025 Kohl's Midwest Winter Showcase, where he earned 109.98 total points in punt charting, including a best ball of 54 yards and a hang time of 4.9 seconds.

The other punter on the roster is Ryan Kingston, who has kicked at EMU and was second-team all-big south/OVC last year at SEMO. 

Drew Rosick, K

He's from Armada, MI, which is a small-town in Macomb County, MI, which is suburban Detroit.  He was all-county, which is not nothing, it's the 3rd largest county in Michigan.  Kohl's "graded him out" at 5-stars.  

The Falcons have 3 kickers on the roster, but based on his write-up, Rosick might be a candidate for kickoffs on Day One.

BG, which had the top-ranked recruiting class in the MAC this year, has two players signed for the '27 class.

Tyler Lynch, ATH

Tyler is listed as an ATH or WR, depending on where you look.  He was committed to Syracuse, de-committed and now is coming to Bowling Green.  There's not a ton out there on him, but there is a long piece here.  He apparently had a Georgia Tech offer...he posted this graphic about two weeks before BG reached out to him.

Jance Henry, RB

He grew up in Pittsburgh and transferred to Akron (Hoban) HS for his junior year.  His senior year is still upcoming.  Hoban made the final eight in the state playoffs...he's not rated right now, but he has 21-offers, 11 of them FBS, and including MAC schools like Miami, OU, Akron, UT, and Stupidmento State.  That's an unusual combination of facts...no rating, all those P5 offers and a BG commit.  Let's see what happens.

Here is what I will say...what I see here is explosive players.  BG has to become more explosive.  We do not have the OL to drive the entire field running between the tackles...we need explosive plays to open the box up and I think these guys will represent a strategy to get that done.

BG also added two new coaches, 

The first is Jaylon Bowden, who will coach BG's safeties. His Dad is the DC. This will be interesting.  We have been well-coached and generally over-peforming in the d-backfield. I'm assuming he will work with Richard McNutt, who is listed as pass game coordinator/secondary.

Coach George says he has known Jaylon since he was born and watched him progress in the coaching ranks.  He played at Blinn CC and Lamar and then was a GA at Missouri Baptist.  He then coached HS ball in Texas for a few years...including the last three at Temple HS.  That's not nothing...they have won 800 games and are pretty legandary.  Sammy Baugh and Mean Joe Greene played there.

The other is Lorenzo Styles, Sr.  He played at OSU with Coach George and 70 games in the NFL, including a Super Bowl victory.  He has been a position coach at Pickerington Central for 11 years.  He will be the senior analyst for the d-line.  He expects to have 2 sons drafted this year.

So, that's the update. We are seeing Coach George put his mark on the program for real...looking forward to getting onto the field this Fall.

1968-

 

Now 58 elapsed years since BG has been in the NCAA MBB tournament.  Here is the company we live with now.  There are 8.

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

And it's over

Well, in another thrilling rivalry game, BG had a clear shot from the paint to win the game, and it didn't fall, and UT advances, and BG's season ends hard.  Tough loss, and to that team.

Campbell got two fouls early in the first half.  I didn't think BG would make it to halftime without getting Campbell back in.  UT was looking to salt it away, taking a 12-point lead with 8 to play.

BG showed some real resilience, cutting the lead back to 2 with 10 minutes left to play on baskets by Glover, Thomas, Ruffin, and Shackleford, and BG went on to lead by 1 heading into the locker room.

At this point, you have to feel pretty good.  You're up, and your best player hardly played at all.  And, to open the second half, Campbell scored three times in the first three minutes.  And then he got his third foul.

He stayed in for another possession, but then came out with 16:22 play and back in after the media timeout.  He hadn't scored again before he got his 4th foul with 9 minutes left.  He left, BG down 5 at this point.

He came back with 7 minutes left. He had only one more point, and with 4:29 left, BG was down 11, and it was looking bleak. 

BG showed themselves to be resilient again, rallying on a 7-0 run (with 2 Campbell assists) to get the lead down to 4 with 2:29 left.

Blyden scored to make the lead 4 with 1:51 left.  Campbell got to the rim and scored to make the lead 2, and then BG got a stop, Ruffin hit a 3 (BG down 1), Towns got a steal off foul-court pressure and a wild sideline meleee and Campbell converted at the rim and BG led by 1 with :44 left.

BG led by 1 with :44.  I repeat it to emphasize the heartbreak about to follow.

Blyden was fouled and converted 2 in the 1-1, and UT led by one. With :12 left, BG got Campbell in the paint, which is what they wanted, but there was a wall of arms between him and the rim, and he missed.  BG fouled and Wilson made 2 with :10 left to go up 3.

Campbell raced down the court and was fouled with :07 left.  He made them both, and it was a 1-point game again.

Blyden took the inbound and was fouled.  He had a 1-1.  It's looking bad.  He's 85% at the line.  And he missed with :04 left.

Justin Thomas took the ball, raced into the paint, had a good look, and just missed, and UT had survived BG's furious comeback.

I don't mention the fouls to blame Campbell.  Just to show how the team adapted, fought back from 2 double digit deficits, one with 4 to play, and was just an inch from advancing.

And with that?  It's over.  I mean, I said that once, and we went into the CITBI tournament.  In the post-game, Coach said Campbell had played his last game for us, so I assume we've decided to opt out, which I am 100% in favor of.

Just a painful way to go.  I sat staring at the Akron-Buffalo game blankly.  So imagine how the team feels.

It wasn't a bad season.  We finished 5th in the MAC.  We had a P5 win.  We beat Toledo.  Once.  We had some awful nights, too.  Both UT losses, Arkansas State, Buffalo.  The team was certainly inconsistent.

We got to see one of the better players we have had--Javonte Campbell.  A Falcon forever.

I'm always sad when it's over.

People are frustrated.  Me too.  I still think we have a Coach who is a fit here and can win here.  He's not going anywhere from our hands. He might get another job--he tried for Utah State 2 years ago and that's going to be open again. I hope he's back.

Something is going to have to change, though.  In football, as Miami ramps up its spending, you start to see haves and havenots emerging in the MAC.  Same as basketball--this year more than ever. We have punched above our weight for a few years now.  I'm not sure what the future holds.  But I do love my team and my school.

Big Day For Javontae Campbell

Congratulations to Javontae Campbell.

Even for his two years, Javontae will go down as a great Falcon. Today, he was named Defensive Player of the Year in the MAC, as well as all-defense and first-team All-MAC.

He is our third DPOY--DeMar Moore and Richaun Holmes would be the others.

Here's what BGSU had to say about him:

A native of Muskogee, Okla., Javontae Campbell put together another historic campaign defensively, leading the nation in steals with 96 and steals per game averaging 3.1 per contest. His 96 steals once again broke the BGSU program record, which he set last year at 90, and is currently third in MAC history. He's been named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Late-Season Team, one of 15 total players named and the only from a mid-major. Campbell is also a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Award, presented annually to the top defensive player in Division I. 

As for his offense, Campbell has been just as impressive. This year, he has been one of just two players in the MAC to rank inside the top 10 during conference play for points, assists and steals, joined by the unanimous Freshman of the Year Leroy Blyden Jr. Campbell ranks first in both points (21.4) and steals (2.4) while being third in assists (6.0). Additionally, Campbell is only 18 points away from entering BGSU's top 10 for single-season points in program history and has already entered the top 10 for single-season assists. If he enters the top 10 for points during the postseason, he would join Antonio Daniels' 1996-97 season as the only two to be in the top 10 for both points and assists in a single season at BGSU. 

It has been a pleasure to watch him play at BG.  Even better this year with zero broken hands.  He's a true Falcon and deserves these honors.

For the rest of the MAC awards, go here. 

Your #5 BGSU MBB Falcons

 Before the BG game, I'd like to take a second to appreciate that Miami-Ohio game last night.  Might have been the best game of the year in college basketball.  Well played, closely played, a lot at stake, a full house, and old-fashioned rivalry hatred all mixed together.  Not sure Pavaletzke misses that shot at the end of regulation too many times...OU easily could have won that game.  

But they did not.  Miami won and left the floor as OU fans rained garbage down on them.  God love college sports.

It also threw BG into a tie with OU, and BG beat them in the only matchup this year, that coming at the Convo in December.  BG finishes 5th--above where they were predicted--and faces Toledo in the second game in Cleveland.

BG got there with a less than pretty win over EMU.  But a win is a win.  

With about 9 minutes left in the first, BG led by 10, 19-9.  From there, EMU took control, going 22-9 and leading by 3 at the half.  BG missed a bunch of shots on the rim in the first half, which was fairly ugly.

BG then came out and threw down a 49-point second half. The game was tied with 12 minutes left when BG went on a modest 7-0 run and the game was never closer than 5 again. With about 5 left, BG went on another 9-2 run to get a double digit lead and then cruised home for the 9-point win.

It was the rare game you win when you are out-shot.  EMU shot 54% from 2FG...BG shot a terrible 40%, their second-worst of the season. BG was 15 of 31 inside the restricted area, which is terrible. 3FGs were a different story...BG made 37% and EMU made 19%.  Altogether, EMU has a slight advantage in shooting. BG won the other three factors, ending up ahead 16-6 in 2nd chance points even with their poor shooting at the rim and finished +4 at the line, mostly in the last minute.

Campbell had 22 points for BG. He had to work for it, going 7 of 17 on 2FG and 1 of 2 on 3FG, and 5 of 8 at the line. Also 7 assists, 3 steals, no turnovers.  And +18.

Towns had 15 points and 18 rebounds. He continues to struggle from the field, shooting 3-13/0-2.  He was fouled 8 times and 9-12 at the line.  Even when he's not scoring, I mean, sometimes someone has to want the ball.

Ruffin had 12 on 4 of 7 3FG shooting.  No 2s. Glover had 11 on 5 of 6 shooting and 6 rebounds. And +15.

Mayer Wol played 13 minutes and had 9 points.  He is playing with a bandage on his hand.  His spark was helpful.

So here we go.  Onto Cleveland.  We are three wins away...

Regular Season Finale, MBB

 

OK.  We're at the end.  One game left.

BG is in Cleveland.  There are three ways we can finish.

Fifth--We can finish 5th.  If we win Friday and OU loses to Miami--both of which are the likely outcomes, BG and OU would tie and BG would get the tie breaker.  BG would play UT and then be in the Miami side of the bracket.

Sixth...BG is sixth now. If we don't move up or down, we will play Kent in the late game and then be in the Akron half of the bracket.

Seventh...if BG loses and UB wins, we would tie at 8-10.  They would beat us in the tie breaker and then we would be 7th and play Akron.

It would be nice to avoid UA and MU in the first round and (in fact) KS, the team that has beaten us 14 straight times. 

Which would be us and the Rockets.

So now we just need to beat EMU.

BG beat EMU at the Stroh earlier this year.  It was a close finish that you'd like to think would not have been needed. BG dominated the first half, leading by as much as 15.  They came out hot and blew a 10-point half time lead up to 21 with 17:36 left.  Two minutes later, the lead was 10. Two minutes after that it was 8. The game was tied with 10 minutes left.

That's a 7-minute 29-8 run.

Three minutes after that, EMU was up 5.  With 4 minutes left, they were up 4.

And then...well EMU scored only 1 point over those 4 minutes.  Even so, the game was still tied with :56 to play, BG's ball. Campbell hit a late shot-clock 2FG and BG got a stop. Shackleford hit 2 FTs, BG got another stop and two more FTs for Shackleford and BG had pulled the fat out of the fire.

Coach said: "We love that we won.  We don't love this win."

The Falcons played essentially with 6 guys.  Justin Thomas logged only 10 minutes.

It was the first game for EMU without Carlos Hart, who has been ensared in the gambling investigation.  EMU was 9-9 and 3-3 heading into that one...they won won out of their remaining 11 games, 1 out of 10 in the MAC.

You're gonna want to win this one. I'll take us back to last year at the Stroh, when BG lost to WMU and needed help to sneak into the #8 seed of the tournament.

That's the first game.  BG outshot them a little and was +4 at the line (all in the last minute) to grind out the victory.

It was one of those Mayer Wol games...he had 25 and 5 of 7 from 3FG.  He has played 24 minutes in the last two games and is 6-24 from 3FG since Ark. State.

Campbell had 18 and Glover double-doubled.

Former Falcon Braelon Green had 22 on 13 shots and Mohammed Habhab had a 15/12 double-double.

EMU is done after tomorrow. They have nothing to play for.   BG has beaten EMU in 11 of the last 13 games and is a 3.5 point favorite.

BG MBB Closes Fast to Clinch Trip to Cleveland

 Just when it was looking like BG was putting another lackluster performance on the court, they turned it on and ran UMass out of the Stroh Center on Saturday, clinching a trip back to Cleveland.

UMass started hot, and BG responded...the game was tied with 12, 11, and 9 minutes left in the first.  Then BG went into one of its funks, giving up a 14-0 run to the Minutemen.  (Actually heard behind me at the Stroh:  "What's a Minuteman?")

BG battled back, chipping it to 6 before heading into the locker room down 9.  UMass shooting 58% and BG shooting 35% overall, and 3-11 from 3FG.  Only a +7 FT advantage had the game close.

The second half was a role reversal.  BG came out on a 9-2 run.  The game was tied with 13 minutes left. The game was tied with 10 minutes left, and BG was down 1 with about 8 to play.

It's 52-51.  Coach Gallagher, after the game, said that BG threw their zone away and went to a man-to-man, which seemed to wake everyone up after they had been kind of passive in the zone.

From 8:19 to 4:34, a 20-2 run.  That's 20 points in less than 4 minutes.  In all, for the last 8 minutes, BG outscored UMass 30-10 to win 81-62 and clinch the next round.

For that 20-point run, BG was 2-3 from 2FG, 5 of 6 from 3, and 1 FT.  No turnovers.  Thomas had 9.  Shackelford had 9.  Campbell had 2.  Meanwhile, UMass was 1-2 from 2FG, 0-4 from 3FG, 2 turnovers and only 1 OREB on those missed shots.

Coach Gallagher flagged this after the game.  Keeping UMass off the offensive boards was key, and BG did that, with a heroic effort by Sam Towns, more on that later.

BG scored 1.24 points per possession and held UMass to .95, both of which are winning numbers. BG shot 55% and 39% and made 18 of 21 at the line after a marathon three-day FT shooting regimen.  That's +10 at the line.  BG had 14% turnovers, UMass had 15%. BG had 29% on the offensive boards and 20% for the Minutemen.

UMass shot 50% from 2FG and 30% from 3FG.

Javonte Campbell had 20 points in his last game at the Stroh.  He left to a standing ovation from the BG faithful.  He scored 1,000 points in two seasons and leads the nation in steals.  He's been a great Falcon. Those 20 points came on 8 of 14 2FG shooting and 4 of 5 at the line. Add 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 3 turnovers...and handling the ball as BG ran the clock.  True warrior.

Speaking of warriors, if all you care about is scoring, Sam Towns was terrible.  He had 4 points on 1 of 5 and 0 of 5 shooting, and 2-2 at the line.  Maybe you'd be interested in 15 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block, 3 steals, and 1 turnover?  You would.  Coach Simon said after the game that he gets rebounds, he has no business getting.

Shackelford had 16 in 21 minutes. 1-2 and 4-6, 2-2 at the line, and 3 3FGs in the game's decisive run. Justin Thomas had 15, on 2 of 2 and 3 of 3 shooting, and 2 of 3 at the line.  Can't get more efficient.  Also had 5 rebounds.

It was a great way to end the year at the Stroh.  Once we hit that run, the place was rocking and we got it done.

So here's where it stands.  We are off on Tuesday.  Here is what we have.

We could finish 5th... we beat EMU, OU loses out (and they don't look great), and BG wins the tiebreaker.  We are in 6th and in a good position to hold it.  We don't have the tiebreaker against either CMU or UB, so we need a win over EMU or a loss by both CMU and UB to make 6th.  You figure Akron beats CMU and UB loses @UT....and you figure we beat EMU.

If it's 5th we play UT.  If it's 6th we play Kent and stay out of Miami's half of the bracket, but play a team that has beaten us 14 straight times.

Falcon MBB Loses to WMU in Poor Focus

Oof.  That one will leave a mark.  BG simply laid an egg against a team that almost everyone else in the MAC has beaten this year.  We played a terrible defensive team and scored 1.08 points per possession. We played a decent offensive team and allowed 1.21 points per possession.  This was a team playing without their #2 scorer/assist leader and without one of their best rebounders.  And it was at home.  And they beat us by 9.

At this point in the season, this is who we are.  We can beat Toledo or K-State, but this was our worst loss of the season, to the #277 team in the country. The next worst was CMU at #270, but that was at least a road game.  In fact, following the UT game, we have lost 3 in a row. 

Coach said it was a lack of focus.  He was also very disappointed.  He said that we practiced well, and just came out and played without focus.  That's certainly evident on defense, but also on FTs, where BG only made 67% in a foul-heavy game.

The good news is that the middle of this conference is a pretty safe place to be.  BG has to beat out 5 teams to be assured of going to Cleveland.  We have 2 games left, most other teams have 3.  We can't finish with fewer than 7 wins...which means we will finish ahead of EMU....and Ball State and NIU, who we own tie-breakers over.  One more win assures we finish ahead of WMU, which makes it 4, and then the best UMass could do would be to tie us, and we would have the tie-breaker with the win tomorrow.  So that's five.

We are currently in 6th, which would be a beneficial finish.  Finishing there is another matter.  To do that, we would need to beat out 7 teams...if CMU doesn't win out, then BG would beat them out, which leaves UB, which has an easier schedule coming home and a tie-breaker over BG.  If both teams win out, then UB is 6th.  If UB wins 2, BG needs 2 to finish 6th.  If BG wins only one, then UB would have to lose 2, which I would doubt.

In the other direction, BG could still tie OU or UT.  Not likely, but not impossible.  BG would win 2, and either OU or UT would lose out...OU has Toledo in Athens, then @Umass and MU.  UT has OU in Athens, @Miami and UB at home.  More likely for OU to lose out.

Anyway, in general, not a terrible season, but another season doing permutations for how to finish 8th and looking for a short stay in Cleveland.  I know it's tough in this era, but everyone else has the same problem...except perhaps Miami and Akron and Kent.  You are who your records says you are. I love this team. 

BG MBB Needs Win over WMU

Down to 2 weeks and 3 games to play. BG sits in 6th place, still in decent shape to get to Cleveland, and while anything can happen, BG is 0-5 against the three teams you'd need to beat to win that thing, and you'd need to go 3-0 in 3 days on a neutral floor.

The next one is WMU.  This is a should-win and pretty much a must-win. WMU is tied for last with Ball State.  Their KenPom is 286, and a loss here would be BG's worst loss of the season.  They are 9-18/7-18/3-11. Their MAC wins are over EMU twice and CMU.  

BG beat them by 18 earlier this year in Kzoo. Bowling Green had an average offensive night, but held WMU to .81 PPP, 43% and 23% shooting, 23% turnovers, and even held the board-crashing Broncos to 28% on the offensive boards.

The first game kind of flipped things around, because you would have expected BG to exploit WMU's putrid defense... instead, BG's defense dominated an average MAC offense.

WMU is last in the MAC in defensive efficiency.  They are 11th in defending the shot, 12th in forcing turnovers, and 11th in their defensive boards. They are #12 against the 2FG and #9 against the 3FG.

They are 7th on offense. They are 9th in 3FG attempted and 12th in 2FG%.  They are #7 on 3FGs and #10 in overall shooting.

They are #3 at taking care of the ball and #3 on the offensive boards.  They don't generate FTs and make only 72% of their shots at the line.

BG should be able to excel at both ends against these guys.  I suspect WMU will pack it in on us...as teams usually do in MAC play, so we are going to make some jumpers.  It can be hit or miss for us, as you know.

Justice Williams was their only player in double figure scorer in the first game.  He's the guy who started at LSU and ended up at WMU, but was once a big-time player.  He didn't begin playing until mid-season due to eligibility concerns.  He started fast and has slowed down, now scoring 12 PPG for his last 5 MAC games. He is the #15 3FG shooting in the MAC and #2 at the line,

Jayden Brewer scores 11 PPG. He shoots 48% and 26% and leads the team with 5.8 RPG.  He is #5 at drawing fouls but only makes 62% from the line. He also blocks a shot a game.

Jalen Griffith is their other double figure scorer.  He didn't play last time out, no idea what is going on. What's weird is he also didn't play in the first matchup with BG. 

This is one BG needs to close out.  They finish with UMass and then @EMU. Two wins, and they are in for sure... maybe one.

Miami University Too Much for BG MBB

BG lost to the better team.  That's just a very good basketball team. It was better than the first meeting, where the Redhawks blew the lead over 20 in the first half and coasted home.  In this one, the first 8 minutes were very competitive, with 11 lead changes and a lot of effective scoring.  The problem is that you have to be able to keep it up for 40 minutes.  From about 11 minutes to 4 minutes, MU went on a 21-3 run that essentially decided the game.

BG didn't fold.  They would put some things together and get the lead down to 10, and then MU would come down and answer with a 3FG.  It got as close as 8, but not closer.

The news from the bracketology guys is "good."  Good if you just think Miami should be in the tourney.  "Good" if they have to play a play-in game.

I will say this, they do not seem to be playing tight.  With what they have on the line, they seem loose and relaxed.  It is something to watch.

BG didn't have a good offensive game, but it wasn't terrible.  They scored 1.04 points per possession.  Obviously, not nearly enough. MU packed their defense in, and it did seem to work.  BG made 40% from 3FG, which is good, but only 46% from 2FG. In fact, BG was 55% inside the restricted area, while MU made 69%. We were also 5 of 14 in the non-restricted paint...below 50% inside the paint.

To be sure, there was lots of traffic due to things being packed in.  We tried 39% from 3FG, our most in MAC play.  I don't think we're set up for more.

I know this is illogical, but finishing at the rim has been a program issue spanning hundreds of players. I remember Orr saying we had to learn to make "zero footers."

Miami scored 1.23 points per possession... which is their 10th-best in D1 games this year, FWIW.  Almost exactly what they shot in the first game.

Their EFG was 63%, making 61% from 2FG and 43% from 3FG...get this...they have been BETTER THAN THAT 10 times this year in D1 games.

They took good care of the ball and got to the line a lot.  They don't crash the boards, and why would you?  Get back and keep the game in the half-court.  BG was 11 of 15 at the line, and MU was 18 of 27, which is poor for them.

I have to say, you know, if you read here, I am a metrics guy.  But the eye test?  This team could be a Sweet 16 team.

Javonte Campbell had 24 points.  He was 7 of 15 and 2 of 3 from the field, 4 of 6 at the line, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 3 turnovers.

Mayer Wol came on late, scoring 15 of 3 of 6 and 3 of 6 shooting, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 4 turnovers.

Shackelford had scored 12 on 1 of 4 and 3 of 5 shooting. Towns and Glover had 6 rebounds each.

So, the beat goes on.  BG has three games left.  WMU, UMass and @EMU.  With two wins, they go to 9 wins and almost certainly make the tournament--in fact, that could be certain by the end of today.  The WMU game is an absolute must-win, though.

Football Update

 Probably time for a football update.

The biggest news is that Sacramento State has joined the Mid-American Conference.  There's been a lot of debate on it...it is one of those situations where more than one thing can be true.

In my opinion:

• It is objectively ridiculous.
• In a world where eligibility has no meaning, guys are playing for 7 years, etc...the word ridiculous has almost been stripped of its meaning. The move makes "sense."

In Logan Roy's words, the MAC "screwed them out."  What started at $10M ended up at an $18M dowry, plus paid charter flights to Sacramento, and we don't pay them anything from our conference share.

Boy, did Sac State want this.  Just amazing.  It's football only.  And only for five years.  Rather than an exit fee, there's an expiration date.  My guess is that Sac State hopes to go elsewhere in year 6, but if they want to stay, the MAC will get another chance to squeeze the IV tube.

Something else is revealed, I think. There's a general belief that the MAC is at risk...as is every part of the existing status quo.  Even $18M is 4% of the MAC's overall athletic spending.  Some have said it stabilized the conference...and my guess is that means keeping Akron and Kent on the football field.

Tom Hanks went to Sacramento State.

Their coach is Alonzo Carter, who was once a backup dancer for MC Hammer.  When BG plays them, we will have an MC Hammer dancer and a Broadway Performer on the sidelines.

In other news, DB Coach Derrick Jackson left the BG staff to go to Louisville.  He was a Loeffler holdover.  It's too bad.  I think our D-backs have generally punched above their weight.  No word on the new coach.  It will be interesting to see whether Coach George has a network large enough to keep the staff stocked.  That's an open question right now.

Coach was interviewed by David Briggs.  The gist of the article was that even though BG brought back only 2 starters, Coach George feels like we got better.

What was that about the definition of ridiculous?

I've looked at the players who came in...there was one position group where everybody left, and not a lot was done to bring in transfers, and that's the O-line.

For context, 760 snaps was a full season for BG last year.  Here are the career snap counts for the returning Falcon linemen.  Sanchez came from Northern Arizona, where most of his snaps also occurred.  Thomas and Bolyn saw their only real action last year. 

When Loeffler came in, we had inexperienced and young lines.  These guys are at least a little older.

What I hear is Bolyn is going to play C.

In terms of incoming,  I believe Travis Robertson will start. He's a true FR and a 3-star who committed to BG, switched to UCLA before switching back.  He's ranked as one of our top recruits ever at BG. He's an early enrollee, and I believe he will start.

As for the other position, who knows?  One of the other guys above?  There was one transfer,  Gabe Funk from App State, where he did not play. He was a two-star out of HS, with offers from most MAC teams.

It may be archaic, but BG has re-tooled at QB and TE...maybe at WR, and Austyn Dendy is back.  None of that will matter if we can't block.

I know the staff knows that, so they were either comfortable working with what they had or couldn't do any better.  If Novosad spends the entire season running for his life and our backs are being hit behind the line of scrimmage, we'll know the answer.