MAC Blogger Roundtable...

1. It seems as though the MAC has been taking an increasingly structured approach to basketball scheduling (a round-robin of divisional play, a round-robin of inter-divisional games, and then the second round-robin of divisional play; most games on Wednesday nights and Saturday afternoons). What do you think of this approach? Do you want to see more of this structure, or would you rather have a MAC game spread throughout the week?

I am a big fan of the structured schedule.  As a fan, the Wednesday-Saturday routine makes life easier to plan.  It also keeps everyone playing with the same amount of rest, etc, as opposed to previous years where teams would sometimes have 3 conference games in a week.  As for the division-crossover-division pattern, as you will see below, I don't even understand why we have divisions anymore, so I'm perfectly willing to give that up.

2. With the MAC tournament using division-agnostic seeding, is there a value to continuing to use divisions in basketball? How would you want to see a divisionless basketball season scheduled?

Now that the division titles are meaningless, I 100% support dropping them and moving to one league, much as the Big East has done.  That's because our standings are not truly division-agnostic.  The fact that EMU could get a bye based on a schedule where they played NIU, UT, BSU twice and Kent only played them once is not division-agnostic.  I'm in favoring of rotating the schedule as the Big East does, and going with one league for the standings.

3. What's the minimum you still need to see from your team (i.e.tournament performance) to be satisfied with the season.

BG had everyone back and we had been pointing to this year for two seasons.  I think that it is safe to say we are disappointed in the results up until now.  Only a run to the final would show me that we are where we hoped to be.

4. Which team is your "dark horse" or "Cinderella" pick for the MAC tournament.

I'm not sure if they qualify as a dark horse, but I think OU could be very tough to beat at the Q.  From the non-bye teams, I could see either BG or EMU making a run.  EMU's style is tournament-friendly.

5. Rank 'em.

1. Akron
2. Buffalo
3. OU
4. Kent
5. EMU
6. BGSU
7. WMU
8. Miami
9. UT
10. Ball State
11. CMU
12. NIU

Real MAC Standings, Saturday Morning update

We have had some pretty crazy last days of the season.  This is not one of them.

Regular Season Finale...Da Bulls

The Falcons will head to Buffalo tonight without too much to play for.   Doesn't mean it might not be important...if, for example, BG were to go into the Buff and get the win, I think we'd enter the MAC tournament with a big confidence boost.  It would certainly get the league's attention.  If on the other hand, Buffalo were to win big, that could have a negative effect.

The Bulls have certainly had a very strong season and have out-performed their expectations.  They were not especially good last year and lost a couple players.  Akron's win last night put the title chances away for Buffalo. However, the Bulls are still playing for the semi-final bye.  As of Saturday morning, if OU beats Miami and Buffalo loses to BG then the Bulls would finish #3.  (The Miami and OU game was postponed from Friday night to Saturday at noon because of the horrific storms in the area.  We will know by tip off, and it is possible Buffalo will have second locked up by tip off).

I always say that the regular season title is the more difficult to win; the tournament is more meaningful.  Buffalo has had a great regular season, have two great inside players.

They beat BG at the Stroh.  Looking back, BG lost 2 close games to Akron and Buffalo consecutively back in January, each games they could have won and things would be very different if they had.  They didn't...the Falcons do seem to be doing better at closing games out over the past couple of weeks at the Stroh, though the struggles continue @OU and @Akron.

Just as a reminder, the Buffalo game was close the whole way.  BG had a 1 point lead with 1:30 left, and then had some defensive lapses, allowing a dunk and a wide open three sandwiched around a Buffalo stop.  Even with the 4 point lead.  BG had the lead down to 2 with the ball twice in the last minute, whiffing both times.  As the game ended, Mitchell Watt blocked Crawford's last second shot at tie the game.

That's a tough way to lose, and, as I said, those home losses to Akron and Buffalo are what is keeping BG from taking an OK season and ending up with a bye.

NCAA Basketball Stats

Statistically, the game was pretty even.  Buffalo only shot 44% from the line and BG was +8 at the line, but the Bulls his 43% from beyond the arc to BG's 29%, a 12 point advantage for the Bulls.  Beyond that, it was pretty tight.

NCAA Basketball Stats

A'uston Calhoun had a huge game, even playing against Watt and Javon McCrea, probably the best big-tandem in the MAC.  He had 29 on 12 of 17 shooting and added 8 rebounds.  Brown had 13 and Thomas had 12 though neither of the players shot very well.  Crawford had 5 points (1-10 shooting), but 6 assists over 2 turnovers.  BG played a very tight rotation in the first game, and I would expect the same tomorrow.

For the Bulls, McCrea and Watt both had 16 point, and McCrea added 13 rebounds.  Watson added 11 points off the Bull bench.

The Bulls play solid on both sides of the ball.  (All stats for conference games only).  They are the 3rd most efficient team on offense, scoring 1.04 points per possession.  They are the 4th best shooting team on effective field goal%, 3rd on the offensive boards and 5th at getting to the line.  Their one weakness on offense is that they are 8th in the MAC in turnover %, but, in general, this is a very solid offensive team.  On the perimeter, they are 4th in 3-attempts but 8th in 3-FG%.

They are 4th in defensive efficiency.  That's primarily built on an exemplary ability to guard the shot.  They are allowing an effective FG% of 44%, which is first in the MAC and 26th in D1.  They force a lot of missed shots, and they are 3rd in the MAC in protecting their offensive boards.  There is a price to be paid for that--they are 10th in forcing turnovers, but you don't need turnovers when you get stops like they do.  They are 5th in keeping teams off the free throw line.

Chart is for all games.

College Basketball Stats

Obviously, you have to respect the Bulls on the inside.  McCrea  was thought to be their lead player coming in, but Sr. Mitchell Watt has actually made a strong bid for MAC POY.  He's second in the MAC with 15.7 PPG and 4th with 7.4 rebounds.  He also leads the MAC with 2.7 blocks per game.  He certainly is the most improved player in the MAC.  He has doubled his scoring while moving his minutes only from 22 to 30 minutes.

McCrea remains a very good player.  He is scoring 14 points and getting 6.6 rebounds per game.  He shoots 55% from the field and the only thing keeping him from being the best scorer in the MAC is 54% free throw shooting.

Zach Filzen is scoring 10 points a game and is supposedly a 3-pt specialist, but he is hitting only 35% from beyond the arc.  which is 5th in the MAC.

Finally, PG Jarrod Oldham leads the MAC with 5.8 assists per game.

Clearly, this is a very strong Bulls team.  They may or may not end up playing for something, we'll know by game time.

BG played them very tough at the Stroh and probably should have beaten them.  Buffalo is 11-2 at home and 6-1 in the MAC.  Clearly, this will be a game BG will not win without playing very well.  As mentioned, the confidence rewards would be high.  BG has a tough road in the tourney, but those games are on a neutral floor.  The Falcons are certainly playing better.  It would be great to mark this game as part of a run where the team showed itself to be ready to make a real run.

Sad Day at Bowling Green...

Not many details yet, but three BGSU students are reported dead in a traffic accident in which the car they were driving was struck by a motorist heading the wrong way on I-75.  Our condolences to their families and the BGSU Community.

Update:  Dr. Mazey's message to the Bowling Green community.


To the University Community,

It was with deep sadness that I learned this morning of the death of three of our students, as the result of a tragic auto accident. Two other students are hospitalized at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center with serious injuries; all of them are members of Alpha Xi Delta Women's Fraternity.

We send our deepest sympathy to the families and friends of the students we lost today. They are Rebekkah Blakkolb of Aurora, Ohio, a junior in the College of Education and Human Development; Christina Goyett of Bay City, Michigan, a sophomore in the College of Education and Human Development; and Sarah Hammond of Yellow Springs, Ohio, a junior also in the College of Education and Human Development.

In addition, our thoughts and prayers are with the injured students, Angelica Mormile of Garfield Heights, Ohio, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences; and Kayla Somoles of Cleveland, a sophomore in the College of Education and Human Development.

It's hard to comprehend the loss of such young lives, and we feel deeply for their families and friends. The University mourns them and we will miss them greatly.

Please take advantage of the grief counseling we offer if you feel the need for support during this difficult time. Grief counseling is available from the BGSU Counseling Center. It is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. They can be reached at 419-372-2081. For after-hours help, contact The Link, 1022 N. Prospect St., 419-352-1545.

Sincerely,
Mary Ellen Mazey, Ph.D.
President

Coles Presser Finalist for Presser of Year

You have to watch this press conference.  Some of it is hard to hear, but you will get a full dose of the evil genius in this 12 minutes.  The man is simply an original.  Of note...

• When he hits himself in the head
• Why he thought Jordan Crawford was a "piano player"
• His explanation of why Mavunga was good in the second half but not the first half
• His new rule about post-game meals
• His team being fast eaters
• "Sandwiches!"
• "Mr. Giraffe"
• Pantomiming a "Jon Harris" move
• And watch to the close.  MUST watch to the close.

We're fans.

Real MAC Standings....

So here are the standings.  For BG, the drama is more or less over.  BG will finish #5 or #6.  NIU will be either or CMU.  (As I see it, even in a three-way tie, CMU finishes behind Ball State and Miami since they lost all 3 games played among the teams) and therefore would lose two-way tie breakers.  The MAC is pretty soft at the bottom, so that's your reward for at least finish #5 or #6.

Buffalo can still win the #1 seed and the regular season championship.  The Akron-Kent game is Friday night, so by Saturday we will know if Buffalo is playing for that or not.  Buffalo could still end up without a semi-final bye.  They lost both games to OU, which could come into play in a tie-breaker with OU or with Kent.  In fact, it is possible that Buffalo could be looking at a regular season title with a win against BG and falling to a 1/4 final bye with a loss.  If OU and Kent  both lose on Friday, then Buffalo would have nothing to play for.

Beyond that, EMU can still get a bye and some seeding is still at stake.

Falcons Sweep RedHawks, Evil Genius....

For the first time in 10 years, the Bowling Green Falcons completed a sweep over the Miami Redhawks last night.  Along the way, they defeated the evil genius, Coach Charlie Coles for perhaps the final time.  A nice crowd of 2,566 watched the game--BG is slowly growing a fan base at the Stroh.

The win will not, in the end, mean too much.  Kent won, which means BG cannot qualify for a bye, and therefore BG is now playing for 5th or 6th play, and waiting to see which of the bottom two teams in the conference they will play (most likely NIU or CMU).  The game will be Monday night at the Stroh, and will be the end of the first year in the new home of the Falcons.

The victory did have some modest meaning. It took BG to 16-13 and ensured a winning season.  Again, that's  a modest goal, but it is only the 3rd time that BG has had a winning season since the Dakich West Virginia debacle.  I hoped we'd be better this year, and I am sure everyone involved in the program feels the same way.  Having said that, we're hitting tournament time and we seem to be playing pretty gritty ball and finding the late run that wins games like this, and if we can continue that, who knows, a tournament run might still be in the cards.

It was senior night, and included an emotional ceremony for Oglesby, Brown and Thomas.  You want to win on senior night and it was good to see the Falcons pull it off.

Miami's announcer said in the BG pre-game that Coles was prepared to make it ugly and he did.  Miami likes to play plodding and slow basketball and they certainly did that.  There were 54 possessions in the game, the lowest since the 09-10 Rocket game.  (BG has yet to lose a game with 60 possessions or fewer).

There are advantages and disadvantages to that strategy.  The upside is that you are not going to get far behind.  The downside is that you are not going to get very far ahead, either.  In the first half, BG led by 9 with 4:52 left, but scored only 3 more points for the rest of the half and the Redhawks went to the locker room down only 3.

BG came out hot in the second half and had the lead back to 12 with about 15 minutes left to play.  Then, the Falcons hit one of those stretches that they were so known for early in the season but which you don't see much of lately, and that is a loooong stretch of time when they simply could not buy a bucket.  BG went from 14:49 until 7:11 without scoring single point.  That's pretty bad.  On the other hand, over that same time, Miami only scored 14 and could only muster a two point lead.

They were efficient during that period, that's for sure.  They were slicing the 2-3 zone to shreds, not from the outside but from the inside.  They'd get the ball to Mavunga, and he'd either shoot or find an open guy with the ball for an easy basket.

So they were efficient, but their pace just inhibited their ability to take advantage of a 7 minute BG scoring drought.

With 4:32 left, the Falcons did what they have done in winning games...came up with the game's final run.  Dee Brown, who had been cold all night on his senior night, nailed a huge 3 to put BG up 2.  Miami never led again.  It was tied with 2:55 left.  In just over a minute, from 2:25 to 1:15, BG made 3 baskets and got 2 stops on the Miami end and suddenly had a 6 point lead and that was all there was.  Miami didn't foul until late, and BG tightened the D up providing some really tight perimeter coverage without leaving the offensive boards open.

College Basketball

This is a game where tempo free stats are useful.  You might look at the stats and think that it was a poor offensive game, but in reality, it was middle of pack for the year.  BG scored 1.04 points per possession and allowed .94.  I thought the key was perimeter defense.  BG held Miami to 25% from beyond the arc and conference leader Brian Sullivan was 0 for 5.  As any Falcon fan knows, perimeter defense has been a struggle for us in the zone, but BG made that work last night.

Miami actually out shot BG by a little and didn't do much on the offensive boards, though they never do.  BG had a great game taking care of the ball--only 17% turnovers as opposed to 20% for Miami and neither team got to the line very much.  The evil genius said in the post-game he thought they played well enough to win, and they probably did.

NCAA Basketball Stats

Individually, BG played their starters for most of the game and had 4 players in double figures.  Crawford had 16 and 4 assists, Calhoun 15 on 7 of 13 shooting (some on impossible angles), Thomas had 10/9 and Brown scored 11.  Cam Black had 5 rebounds in 28 minutes.

For Miami, Mavunga had 17 and 11, but made 5 turnovers.

One last note on Coles.  His strength was clearly down.  It took him a long time to get across the court.  We  wish him well.

And so, the regular home season ends.  There will be one more game.  BG finishes 12-3 at home for its first season in the Stroh.

Next up, a trip to Buffalo, with not too much on the line for BG but a lot on the line for the Bulls.  It is a good chance to show that BG is tournament tough....