BG Football Commit

Beyond blessed to say that I’m 100% committed to @BG_Football @CHaaseBGSU @CoachLoefflerBG #AGTG pic.twitter.com/vG1VwvNCYo

— Kevin Henry (@Kjhenry05) January 30, 2023

BG football has a new commit.  His name is Jace Henry.  He is from Pataskala, OH, which is in Licking County, about 20 miles east of Columbus.  He attended Watkins Memorial HS. That's a Division II school...made the state playoffs and won one game.  (Same division as Central Catholic).

He is a highly decorated player and here's an excellent profile in his local paper.

He was a WR/DB but appears to have gotten most of his recognition as a DB.  He was second-team all-Ohio, LCL-Buckeye Defensive Back of the Year, All-district and Newark Advocate Defensive Player of the Year.  He had 6 picks and 57 tackles his senior year and blocked 7 kicks (!!). 

He's not ranked on 247 and the only offer I saw on Twitter was from Georgetown College, which is in Kentucky.

Welcome to the Falcons, Jace.

Ball State Comes to Town (MBB)

 Ball State now comes into the Stroh. 

In the 80's and 90's, the Cardinals were the MAC's dominant team.  From 1981 to 2000 they made the tourney seven times and the Sweet 16.  It seemed like the natural order of things...being in Indiana and all. Rick Majerus coached them. Ray McCallum left after the last one and they went into the wilderness.  No MAC titles, no coach with better than a 52% record.

James Whitford was fired after last year. Their new coach is Michael Lewis, author of the Blind Side and Moneyball.

OK, not that Michael Lewis.

He is an Indiana guy who was an assistant at UCLA before coming to BSU.

They were picked #4 in the MAC and are right there at 5-3. They won @UT, and UA, WMU and @NIU, with losses @OU, @KS and UB.  They are 2-2 on the road in MAC play.

BG has won 6 of the last 10, but lost both games last year and the last 2 at the Stroh.

BG and BSU are similar, with both teams scoring about what they allow. BSU is better on defense and worst on offense. FWIW, 1.08 points per possession is just above the MAC average....MAC leads the nation in offensive efficiency (or is last in defensive efficiency).

They are not a great shooting team....#10 in the MAC. They get to average by being #5 in turnovers, #4 on the offensive boards and #6 at getting to the line. They are 10th in making FTs.  They try 36% from 3FG, which is below average, but they make 37%, which is #5.  They are 11th making 2FGs.  Overall, things are relatively similar when BSU has the ball.

They are not great against the shot, #9 overall.  BG leads the MAC in shooting.  Furthermore, BG is #1 in 3FG shooting and BSU is last defending the 3FG.  Otherwise, things are pretty similar.  BG does not force a lot of turnovers, but they are really good on the defensive boards, which contrasts with a BG strength.  So, you'd look to see BG make 3FGs and start protecting the ball.

Jarron Coleman leads the Cards with 17.9 PPG.  You may recall Mr. Coleman, who was MAC freshman of the year then transferred to Missouri where he played two seasons before coming BACK to Muncie.  He shoots 41% and 41%, leads the team with 27 assists and has 13 steals.

Their next leading scorer is Demarius Jacobs. He is a St. Louis transfer who played last year in Muncie.  He's the most efficient shooter in the MAC, making 60% on 2FGs and a conference-leading 57% on 3FGs. He has 26 assists. 

Jaylin Sellers is scoring 11 points a game. He's making 46% and 34%. He was all-Freshman last year in the MAC.

Their center, Payton Sparks is scoring 10.6 PPG on 55% 2FG shooting and leads the team with 7.4 RPG. He was MAC freshman of the year last year.

This one is at best 50/50, but it is a game BG should compete in at home.  They had a rough night Saturday at Savage and a win would be very helpful.

Sadness Accrues (MBB)

The rivalry went down at Savage Hall and so did the Falcons.  It wasn't a huge surprise.  The Rockets were big favorites and came in on a four-game winning streak.  But BG played with them much of the way but just didn't play well enough to beat one of the top teams in the conference, which they are and we are not.

The first half was highly competitive.  There were 9 ties and three lead changes. With 2:30 left in the first half, UT led by 2.  Believe it or not, it was not a one-possession game again.

UT closed the half on an 8-0 run to lead by 10 at the break. They came out and went on an 18-7 run to start the second half and it was over.  The lead got as high as 21. Unlike the closing game last year, BG did continue to battle, eventually cutting the lead back to 8 with 6 minutes left.  UT did what winning teams do...stemmed the tide and went on a 10-2 run to put the game away.

Coming in, we knew that UT was an offensive juggernaut...good shooting and low turnovers.  They even exceeded their MAC average at 1.29 points per possession. They shot the ball well and didn't turn it over.  BG even defended the 3FG well, holding them to 26%.  But they made 72% of their 2FGs, partly aided by easy baskets on BG turnovers.  It's the best 2FG shooting by a BG opponent since a December game vs. Wright State in 2020.

BG had 1.09 points per possession, making 63% and 27% on their FG attempts--only slightly behind UT.  They did well on the offensive boards and were +2 at the line.  However, they gave UT 10 extra possessions with turnovers and that will get you beaten when you play those guys, especially since we don't play for turnovers.

Ayers was BG's leading scorer with 8 of 13 and 1 of 3 shooting. He added six assists and 4 turnovers. Curtis had 14 points on 2 of 5 3FG shooting and 6 of 6 at the line and he added 5 assists and 2 turnovers.  Agee also had 14 on 7 of 9 shooting to go with 6 boards, 4 fouls and 3 turnovers in 18 minutes. Chandler Turner had 12 on 3 of 6 and 1 of 2 shooting and 10 rebounds.

So, BG is back at 4-4 in MAC play.  Two home games next week, starting with a surging Ball State team.

Rocket MBB Preview

So, here come the Toledo Rockets.  Rivalry game.

Toledo hasn't been to the NCAAs since 1990.  They have had some really good teams and their program is in really good shape, but they just seem to have weird things happen in the MAC tourney.

They were picked #2 this year by the MAC and they were picked to win by Blue Ribbon.  They are 14-6 overall, which is nothing special, particularly against the #196 non-conference schedule. They are 5-2 in the MAC....they lost @Kent as well as at home to Ball State...they have 4 straight MAC wins, @NIU, OU, @UB and EMU.

UT is 6-4 in the last 10 games against BG and 3-2 at Savage over that time.  Our last trip there at the end of last season was a low point for the program.

When you look at the Rockets, you see a team that can really score. Their pace is 5th in the MAC at 70 possessions, but they lead the MAC at 1.21 points per possession.  This is an incredible number.  It means averaging what BG scored against CMU.  They are 14th in the country in offense.  Since 2002, no team has ever finished about 1.18 points per possession in MAC play. 

BG is 2nd in scoring.  UT is #9 in defense and BG is #10.

So, UT gets there with scorching shooting and taking care of the ball.  They are #2 in the MAC in shooting at #20 in the country.  They are #1 in turnovers and #11 in the country.  They aren't great on the boards, but they get to the line and make 73%.

They try 39% from 3FG, which is #3 in the MAC. They make 41% from 3FG and 54% from 2FG, both of which are really good.  

The other side is really similar. BG is the #1 shooting team in the MAC and #2 in offense. UT is #7 defending the shot. BG's issue has been turning the ball over, and UT doesn't do anything special forcing turnovers.  They are not great on their own boards--they play without a post player in a 5-out approach--but they don't foul.  That is a hallmark of Kowalcyk's teams.  They don't foul.

They do not defend the 3FG well.

RayJ Dennis is their leading scorer at 17.1 PPG. He shoots 51% and 27% from the field. He also leads the MAC at 5.7 APG and a 3.3 A/T Ratio.  He's a really good player.

The second leading scorer is JT Shumate at 16.4 PPG. He shoots 52% and 48%. He also leads the team with 6 RPG.

Setric Millner scores 14.7 PPG on 54% and 52% shooting.  Very efficient.  He's #4 in 3FG shooting in MAC. Dante Maddox is scoring 13.7 PPG on 50% and 49% shooting.

Tyler Cochran is scoring 9.7 PPG but UT announced he would be going on medical redshirt.

Honestly, if the good Falcons show up, this has the potential to be an extremely exciting game, especially if you like scoring.  

BG will help its case by limiting turnovers and taking advantage of their rebounding.  Also, Agee is a player UT will have trouble matching if he can come at it with focus.

JUCO Transfer Bo Tate on his way to BG

BG continues to add players...and I suspect will continue to.  Also, there will be another transfer window and I would expect more departures and arrivals in that period.

BG has added Bo Tate, a 6'2" 190 lb. WR who played at Ventura College in California.  He played HS ball in Oxnard.

He was productive as a JUCO player. He was there a while...a redshirt year, COVID year and then two seasons playing, so he is older.  Over the two seasons he played,  he had 57 receptions for 616 yards and three touchdowns.

He's the second WR BG has added so far, after losing Tyrone Broden.

Welcome to the Falcons, Bo.

BG Wins Easily vs. Chips

Well, MAC MBB is full of surprises.  EMU pushes the Rockets to the edge....Kent loses....and BG coasted past CMU for a 22-point win on the road.

How about that?  It was a drama-free joyride to victory.  BG led by 10 with 15 to play in the first.  The game was never closer than 10 for the last 32 minutes. In fact, it was never closer than 20 for the last 25 minutes of the game. The lead got as high as 32 and CMU never got closer than 21 in the second half.

Remember, CMU game in struggling to score and playing average defense.  BG scored 1.21 points per possession--BG is scoring really well in MAC play.  When you do that, just need average defense to win, but BG did better, holding CMU to .89, even at that being below their average.  Both offense and defense were winning numbers, hence the blowout.

BG shot the ball through the roof.  They tried 40% of their FGs from 3FG, made 57% from 2FG and 53% from 3FG.  You will not lose many games shooting like this, although BG did in Kalamazoo.  The Falcons continued to turn the ball over too much, but there was great offensive rebounding team and BG got to the line a lot and made 21 of 29 at the line.

Leon Ayers continued to scorch the nets.  He scored 24 points on 3 of 6 and 5 of 6 shooting (!).  He also made all 3 FTs....and did have 5 turnovers, but he continues to be an offensive machine.  Samari Curtis had 19, mostly on 14 of 16 at the line and 6 rebounds.  Agee played 15 minutes, scoring 6 points and 6 rebounds.  O'Neal provided some good minutes as well...with 6 points and 6 rebounds in 14 minutes. Metheny had 9 and made all of his 3FGs...Chandler Turner had 7 rebounds.

BG moves to 4-3 in the MAC...one of four teams in the MAC with that record. Next up is the Rockets, a team that plays much like BG does.  Should be a wild one...

MBB Preview: The Road to Mt. Pleasant

In 2003, CMU was led by 7'0" Chris Kamen and coached by one-time BG player Jay Smith...and they won the MAC and made the NCAAs.  In the 20 years since, they have finished over .500 only 3 times.  They ran through Smith, Ernie "Trey is my kid" Zeigler (a former BG assistant), and then an ill-advised 9 years (can you believe it was that long) Keno Davis run.

They brought in Tony Barbee, a Calipari guy--as a player and assistant--and took UTEP to the NCAAs before a not-so-great time at Auburn, with point-shaving and rampant dismissals and transfers of players...on top of a 40% winning %.  He went back to being an assistant at Kentucky.

In his second year, he is 6-16 in MAC play.

Blue Ribbon picked them 8th this year and 10th in the official poll.  They are currently 2-4 in MAC play and 5-12 overall in D1 games.  They did pick up a marquee win over UM at Crisler.  They beat Miami and Buffalo at home, lost at home to Akron, and lost on the road to EMU, NIU, and OU.

Reminder that to date the MAC is the second-hardest conference to win on the road this year.

The teams are 5-5 over the last 10. BG has won 4 of 6 but has lost and is 2-3 over the last 5 at McGuirk.

They have struggled with injuries.  Pre-season second-team All-MAC Kevin Miller has played only 4 games, Coppin State transfer Jesse Zarzuela has battled injuries, was a big contributor in the UB and UA games, but did not play in their last game. Emil Skyyta, a FR from Finland has also missed most of the season. JUCO Carrington McCaskill also missed their last game.  Going by who has played their minutes, they are one of the youngest teams in the country.

So, we see BG, now 2nd in the MAC in offensive efficiency with a struggling D.  CMU is last in the MAC in offense.  On the other hand, they are playing good defense--so this represents an interesting contrast on both sides.  Seems to me the key will be scoring for BG.

They are 11th in shooting and 12th in turnovers. They are actually pretty good on the defensive boards and they get to the line a lot, 

They are 2nd in the MAC in the percentage of 3FGs attempted. They are 10th at making them and last at 2FGs.  They are also 10th at the line.

To me, this is they key.  CMU is #2 defending the shot and BG is #2 at shooting. The Chips are #4 defending the 3FG and #6 at 2FG.  BG has shown they need to shoot well to win, and you hope it continues on the road.   BG also has to get back to protecting the ball...they are about average at forcing turnovers. They do foul a lot.

Also, one thing they have benefited from.  CMU leads the MAC in lowest FT% against...something that is total luck.

Zarzuela is their leading scorer.  He is scoring 22.7 in MAC games, on 43% and 36% shooting. Brian Taylor is scoring 14.8 PPG and a team-high 8.3 RPG.  At 6'6" he's in his second year at CMU after transferring from Illinois-Chicago. He shoots 47% and 28%. Markus Harding is a 6'10" JUCO and Canadian scoring 12.2 PPG on 59% and 29% shooting and 5.4 RPG.  He plays only 24 minutes per game.

Also, a young man named Max Maejrle is playing 25 minutes a game.  A FR, his dad is named Dan.