The Bowling Green men’s basketball team, looking to rebound after suffering their first Mid-American Conference (MAC) loss of the season to Akron on Friday, returns home to battle the Ohio Bobcats on Tuesday, Jan. 9. Tip-off from the Stroh Center is set for 7 p.m.
With a win, the Falcons would tally their sixth straight home victory and secure their best start to a season through 15 games since the 2014-2015 campaign.
Matchup History
The contest on Tuesday will mark the 154th all-time meeting between the two teams. Bowling Green leads the all-time series 84-69, including a 49-23 advantage when the Falcons are the home team.
However, Ohio won the last matchup between the teams, defeating BG 92-58 in Athens last season.
Although the Bobcats won the most recent contest against Bowling Green, the Falcons have won five consecutive games against Ohio at the Stroh Center.
Scouting Ohio
Ohio enters the contest against the Falcons with a 7-7 overall record and a 1-1 record in conference play this season.
While the Bobcats are 5-3 at home, they are winless in two games on the road this season.
In their most recent contest, Ohio clobbered Northern Illinois 78-66, earning their first MAC win of the season and ending a three-game losing streak.
Against the Huskies, OU shot 50.9% (28-55) from the field and 40.9% (9-22) on three-pointers, marking the first time the Bobcats shot above 50% from the field since mid-December and the fourth time they have shot above 40% on three-pointers.
Statistically, Ohio has a high-scoring offense, although they have not been extremely efficient.
The Bobcats rank second in the MAC with 79.1 points scored per game. However, they rank eighth in the conference with a 45.3% field goal percentage and 34.3% three-point percentage.
Ohio likes to launch shots from beyond the arc, averaging nearly 24 three-pointers attempted per game. They have made 115 three-pointers this season, the third-most in the MAC.
OU has one of the best defenses in the MAC.
The Bobcats hold opponents to just 42.6% shooting from the field and 31.2% from beyond the arc, ranking second-best in the MAC. The Bobcats also hold opponents to 71.1 points per game, the fourth-best mark in the MAC.
OU also forces 14.4 turnovers per game, the second-most in the conference. They average nearly four blocks and seven steals per contest.
Ohio is also a good rebounding team, ranking fourth in the MAC with 37 rebounds per game. They also grab 11.8 offensive boards per game, the third-most in the conference.
Nevertheless, Ohio’s biggest strength may be its ball security.
The Bobcats turned the ball over just 10.2 times per game, by far the lowest in the MAC. OU is tied with Clemson for the 33rd fewest giveaways per game in the nation.
Scouting Bowling Green
Bowling Green enters the contest against the Bobcats with a 10-4 overall record and a 1-1 record in the MAC this season.
The Falcons had won eight consecutive games before falling to the Akron Zips on Friday night, 83-67.
BG shot a blistering 63% (17-27) from the field and 45.5% (5-11) on three-pointers in the first half against Akron. However, they went ice cold during the final 20 minutes, shooting just 25% (7-28) from the field and 8.3% (1-12) from beyond the arc.
Interestingly, BG’s performance against the Zips was an anomaly this season. Throughout most of the season, the Falcons have been a second-half team.
In the first halves of games this season, BG averages 42% from the field and 25.9% on three-pointers. However, in second halves the Falcons average 46.3% from the field and 34.7% from beyond the arc.
Statistically, Bowling Green ranks in the bottom half of the MAC.
BG ranks sixth in the conference with 74.8 points scored per game. However, they rank 10th in the conference with a 44.2% field goal percentage and 11th with a 30.4% three-point percentage.
The Falcons have also struggled at the charity stripe, shooting just 66.3% on free throws.
However, Bowling Green’s defense has been consistently good this season.
The Falcons hold opponents to just 41.9% shooting from the field, the best in the MAC. They also hold opponents to 68.1 points per game and 32.9% three-point shooting, second and fifth-best in the conference, respectively.
BG has also been one of the best rebounding teams in the MAC. They lead the conference with 38.4 rebounds and 28.2 defensive rebounds per game.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
Trey Thomas (Bowling Green #1)
The senior guard has finally established himself in BG’s rotation after starting the season injured.
Thomas has scored double-digit points in four straight games, hitting 15 three-pointers and averaging over 14 points per game.
Although he has played in just eight games and started in only six contests this season, Thomas has made the second most three-pointers on the team, accounting for over 20% of the teams’ triples.
Jason Spurgin (Bowling Green #7)
The senior center’s role has become increasingly important with the injuries to Jamai Felt and Sam Towns.
The Toowoomba, Australia, native has scored double-digit points in four of the past five games.
Spurgin has also drained a three-pointer in 11 straight games.
The junior forward has been one of the best players in the MAC this season.
The Roseville, Ohio, native leads the conference with 29 blocked shots. Clayton also ranks fourth in the MAC with a 58.8% field goal percentage and 45.8% three-point percentage.
In OU’s most recent game, Clayton led the Bobcats in scoring, tallying a season-high 23 points. He has scored double-digit points in 11 of 14 games this season.
The senior guard, named to the Honorable Mention All-MAC team last season, leads the Bobcats in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game.
Hunter leads OU and the MAC with 67 assists. He also leads the team and ranks fourth in the conference with 22 steals.
In Ohio’s last game against the Falcons, the Manchester, Connecticut, native finished with eight points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals in 27 minutes.
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