Game 15, 2025-26: Bowling Green (1/3)

[MikeUMA]

Not overlooking Eastern Michigan, but getting a jump on the next deep dive.

UM returns home on Saturday for Bowling Green, a team we've never faced before.

MAC member since: 1953

MAC titles, regular season (outright or divisional): 9 (last 2009)
MAC tournament (began in 1980) titles: 0 (4 finals appearances, last 2019)

NCAA Tournament (D-I) appearances: 4, 1-5 record
Last bid: 1968
Farthest run: Regional Semis (Sweet Sixteen equiv.) in 1963
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/sc ... state/men/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowling_G ... basketball

Current coach: Todd Simon (3rd season)
Spent 7 years as the HC at Southern Utah prior to the BG job. Could have stayed but he's from Michigan, grad from CMU, and might have wanted to get closer to home.
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/co ... mon-1.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Simon_(basketball)

BG's last 4 seasons:
2021-22: 13-18 / 6-14 (9th, DNQ), HC Michael Huger dismissed
2022-23: 11-20 / 5-13 (9th, DNQ)
2023-24: 20-14 / 10-8 (5th, lost in Semis)
2024-25: 14-18 / 8-10 (8th, lost in day one)

Simon has not faced Frank Martin or UMass in general before.

More on the Falcons after their next game (home vs Miami on Tuesday).

[MikeUMA]

BGSU lost the other night, to MAC-leader Miami OH, 93-83 at home. Miami was red hot in the first half (63% FG), built a 54-28 lead at the break, and withstood BG scoring 55 of their own in the second.
https://bgsufalcons.com/news/2025/12/30 ... d-redhawks

BG is now 1-1 in the MAC, with a road win at Ohio (current NET 203) a couple weeks back.

BG's NET is currently 95, boosted by their impressive 82-66 win at Kansas State a month ago. They've also played two other Quad 2 games (losses at Davidson and home against 55 NET Utah Valley). We have yet to see a game above Quad 3.

BG is 10-4 overall but that's bolstered by 3 wins over low tier teams (a D-3 and two NAIAs) and perpetual D-I doormat Chicago State. So while BG shows 88.2 ppg overall, against D-I it drops 10 points.

BG shows as best team D in the MAC, with 66.4 ppg allowed, but again, take the low tier teams out of that and it raises a bit, to 68.1, still good.

Matchup: https://bracketologists.com/matchup/NDAxODE0NTAw

BG leaders
Javontae Campbell (6-2 185 Sr G) with 15.6 ppg, 9th in MAC
Sam Towns (6-9 200 Sr F), 6.9 rpg, tied for 7th with Daniel Hankins-Sanford, and just behind Leo at 6th. Towns also adds 13.6 ppg.
Troy Glover II (6-10 225 Sr F) at .611 FG% (6th, but on a relatively low amount of attempts), and Mayar Wol (6-8 196 Jr F) at .565 (15th)
3pt: Wol again, at .429 (10th). For us, Parker is 8th at .433. Marcus Banks down to .333

Other double-digit scorers: Josiah Shackelford (6-4 212 So G) at 11.3 ppg, Wol at 10.8, Javon Ruffin (6-5 195 Sr G) with 10.1 ppg.

Campbell did his first two years in JuCo, then was All-MAC and All-MAC Defensive with BG last season.
Towns is in year 6, all within the MAC (first two at Ohio). I'm guessing he got a medical redshirt from last season as he only played in BG's first 6 games.
Shackelford played in D-II last year with Flagler College in FL.
Wol was 6th Man of the Year in the Atlantic Sun last season with Eastern Kentucky, and started at Charleston under Pat Kelsey before Kelsey went to Louisville.
Ruffin was at Colorado in his first three seasons, mainly off the bench.
Glover played D-II last season and NAIA prior to that.

As a team, BG shoots .748 from the stripe (4th in MAC), which could hurt us if we keep fouling like we did the other night.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/sc ... /2026.html
https://bgsufalcons.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule

[Quann]

I’d call this a must win. No excuses.

[Juice Stand]

^ yeah. I saw some calling EMU a must-win. We lost that so this is a really must-win. Mike is telling us that BG has a very good defense, and while I think we have talented offensive players, I don't like our offensive scheme at all. I've said many times that I believe in this roster, but I am not optimistic heading into this game.

[doubledribble]

https://bvmsports.com/2026/01/01/bgsu-m ... -on-jan-3/

[MikeUMA]

^ There's some slop in that AI-generated article.

BGSU's high rate of steals and forced turnovers are both inflated due to their 3 games against terrible opponents: a D-3 and two NAIAs. Look at the numbers:
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/sc ... elogs.html

This article from Minuteman Command fell into the same trap. It mentions how BGSU has 3 games where they scored 120+. That's true, but those were against the small fish. Exclude those, and BGSU's offense is more down to earth at 78.1 ppg.
https://www.minutemancommand.com/p/umas ... irect=true

[MakeMullinsGreatAgain]

Hate to call this a must win when there is 16 games left - maybe even 17 - I see there is some kind of MAC-SBC challenge on February 7th which I imagine counts towards our regular season record - but you can't lose your first three games of league play with 2 of them being at home and 1 vs. arguably a bottom tier MAC team. I think if we can come out with the energy we had when we played BC and Fla. State we should be able to win this one. This goes without saying but Bettiol cannot pickup 2 fouls in the first 5 minutes like he has the past couple games.

On a side note - does anyone else get the impression that these MAC teams are getting up for us a little bit more than they might other MAC teams? I was thinking about this after the Kent State game - almost like they were trying to make a statement - you guys think you're going to come from the A-10 and just dominate our league - I don't think so! Kent State was very physical and so wasn't E. Michigan - on a couple occasions DHS and one of their players had to be separated - then of course at the end of the game you had that little dust up in the handshake line. While I do think we are just as talented as most of these MAC teams, we are not good enough to beat the better teams in this league if they are gunning for us and we don't come with the same energy - I think that was the case the 1st two games of league play.

[Juice Stand]

^ 100%. Good post.

And yes, the MAC-SBC challenge is considered an OOC game counting towards our regular season record.

[inthescoop]

Bowling Green are favorites at Mullins, let’s get it done

[Floyd]

Did Big Deli go back to college at Bowling Green? Just came off the bench

[Sheck]

Not impressed with that first half. Lucky to be tied.

[TruBluMaroon]

Don’t know if it’s just the TV image vs in-person; but take away the glasses and the BG Coach has a Jack Leaman look!

[tdmass]

So far, I've seen 3 MAC BB teams play and they are All better than UMass. People we're actually afraid of 'dropping down' . . . not so much I'm afraid!

[Berkman]

Isn't it amazing that a good UMass player gets hit with 2 fouls early in the game.

[Steve81]

Do MAC refs call things tighter, or are we that sloppy. I think a little of both.