Yes, it’s true: Bowling Green men’s basketball’s record currently stands at 1-3. Yes, they suffered a double-digit loss to Michigan State this past Saturday. All these things are true, but these numbers and results are misleading; the Falcons have many positives to begin their season.

First, the Falcons began their week with a 107-43 victory against Taylor, their first win of the season and the first 100-point victory of the Todd Simon era. 

After two straight losses to Southern Miss and Davidson to begin their season, Simon finally saw his team come together. 

“Guys were creating open shots. I got two on me; I just give it to someone else,“ Simon said. “It kept it real simple and this group really loves each other. They’ve developed a cohesion.“ 

Now onto Michigan State, by looking at the final score of 86-72, some may assume that the Falcons were dominated by a superior Big Ten opponent. 

But if you look at the stats or watched the game, it would not be the case. 

Bowling Green led for 24:39 minutes of the matchup compared to the Spartans 10:20 in control of the game.  

Bowling Green held multiple double-digit leads against Michigan State and even beat the Spartans in points in the paint, scoring 40 inside against MSU’s 36. 

The Orange and Brown played so well against Michigan State that they even impressed legendary head coach Tom Izzo. 

“That was the best and the hardest double-digit win I’ve had in a long, long time,“ Izzo said postgame. 

Tough games like Michigan State are the type of games improve the team, according to Simon. 

“Anytime you get an opportunity to play a program the caliber of Michigan State, it’s a big deal for us,“ Simon said. “It was a good experience. They’re tough, and it really helped our team development; we are hopeful for some leaps from this game that we can grow on.“ 

Another positive for Bowling Green against Michigan State was senior forward Marcus Johnson, who seemed to grow more and more viral with every play he made. 

Johnson finished the night with 23 points and the respect of opposing coach Izzo. 

“That big fella, he wasn’t Marcus Johnson; he was Magic Johnson for that early stretch,“ Izzo said. 

In regards to MAC standings, BG is currently in the bottom three in the current standings, but in terms of statistics, are one of the best in the MAC. 

Bowling Green is averaging 83 points per game (tied with Toledo for 1st), shooting 47.8% (third), and shooting 37.8% from three (third). 

Bowling Green is forcing their non-conference opponents to an extremely low three-point percentage, 22.4% from beyond the arc, the lowest percentage allowed in the MAC.  

The main area of concern for Bowling Green rests in rebounding, currently, BG ranks ninth in the conference in rebounding per game with 34.8. 

Bowling Green’s 1-3 start doesn’t look pretty, but their statistics and performance against Michigan State are ones to be celebrated.  

The Falcons return to the Stroh Center, taking on Niagara on Nov. 19, with tip-off at 7 p.m. 

Falcon Media Sport’s Network’s Tyler Kavalecz and Sam Morris will be on the call at the Stroh Center for the matchup.