With one month to go until the Mid-American Conference tournament, both BG basketball teams have been going streaking.
The men’s win streak now stands at a season high four games, while the women’s streak stands at an outstanding 19 games.
Both teams will be heading to Michigan tomorrow, the men for a matchup with Central Michigan, and the women for a matchup with Western Michigan.
The men will try to stretch their win streak to five games, in doing so, stretch their road win streak to three games.
Things have turned around in a good way for the Falcons as of late. BG will enter the game with a record of 12-9 (5-3 MAC).
The Falcons currently are in fourth place in the MAC East division. Their 5-3 conference record, while middle of the road in the East, would have them in first place in the West division.
That’s the division Central Michigan currently resides.
The Chippewas will enter the game with a record of 6-14 (3-5), currently third place in the West division.
Last year’s matchup between the two teams ended in an 81-77 overtime loss for the Falcons.
That was a different bunch of Falcons though.
The team taking the floor for BG tomorrow doesn’t even look that much like the team that took the floor at Anderson Arena in November.
Once a team that lost three straight conference games, couldn’t win on the road and couldn’t finish games in the second half, these Falcons have turned things around.
Winners of four straight, BG has beaten both Ohio and Northern Illinois on the road, and have taken down Ball State and Western Michigan, the West’s top two teams, at home.
Nate Miller has emerged as a consistent force for the Falcons offensively, leading the team in scoring in all but one of the last six games.
In the wake of a knee injury to Marc Larson, center Otis Polk has flourished. Polk has put up big numbers consistently since picking up the slack in Larson’s absence.
BG will need another road win this weekend though if they want to be thought of as a legitimate MAC title contender. They’ve beaten the best, Buffalo, but now they have to beat the teams that they should beat.
The women will enter tomorrow’s game in Western Michigan on a 19 game win streak high, and the lowest low of the season.
After the Falcons picked up their 19th straight victory on Tuesday night, a headline appeared in the next day’s BG News reading “Rolling along.”
Just hours after The BG News went to press that night, the Falcons hit their biggest speed bump of the season.
Niki McCoy was cited with two counts of operating a vehicle under the influence and having an open container of liquor in her vehicle.
Later in the day McCoy was suspended indefinitely for violation of team rules.
McCoy, thought by many to be part of BG’s big three along with Lauren Prochaska and Tracy Pontius, will leave a hole that will need to be filled by the likes of Jen Uhl and Chelsea Albert, among others.
The Falcons, despite McCoy’s absence, will once again be favored to win tomorrow.
The Broncos will enter the game with a record of 5-14 (1-5 MAC), with their only conference win coming against lowly Eastern Michigan.
The Falcons will likely need increased offensive production from Lauren Prochaska and Tracy Pontius, and will need Tara Breske to step up offensively down low. It’s unclear yet who will start in place of McCoy against WMU.
Tomorrow, both BG basketball teams will be presented with winnable games. A win for the men would make it five straight, for the women 20 straight.
Last Saturday the women proved they could overcome adversity on the court, tomorrow they have to show they can overcome adversity off it as well.
