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.