BGSU men’s basketball will begin a three-game road trip on Saturday, traveling to Louisville, Kentucky, to face off against the Bellarmine Knights, with the game scheduled to start at 3 p.m.
A win on Saturday would mark Bowling Green head coach Todd Simon’s 150th career win, making him the eighth youngest active head coach in the country to reach the milestone mark.
Matchup History
The two teams met for the first time last season, where Bellarmine took down the Falcons at the Stroh Center on Nov. 17, 2023, 85-67.
Saturday marks Bowling Green’s first trip to Knights Hall.
Scouting Bowling Green
Bowling Green enters the contest with a 2-3 record this season. After dropping the first two games of the season to Southern Miss and Davidson, the Orange and Brown have blown out Taylor University, lost a tightly-contested battle against Michigan State and taken care of business against Niagara.
The Falcons are still seeking their first road win of the season. Last year, BGSU was just 5-7 in away matchups.
BGSU’s offense is firing on all cylinders to start the season. The Falcons rank second in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with 81.6 points per game, 49.2% field goal percentage, 39.1% three-point percentage and 77.8% free throw percentage. BG also turns the ball over just 11 times per contest, the third-best mark in the conference.
However, BG has not been the greatest rebounding team, grabbing just 33.4 rebounds and 8.0 offensive rebounds per game, ranking 10th and last in the MAC.
BGSU’s defense has been solid this season. The Falcons rank third in the conference with 8.6 steals per game and fifth with 3.6 blocks per contest.
BG holds opponents to a 42.8% field goal percentage and 73.0 points per game, ranking fifth and sixth in the MAC. The Orange and Brown are also holding their opposition to just 26.8% shooting from beyond the arc, the second-best mark in the MAC.
Scouting Bellarmine
Bellarmine comes into the matchup winless, with their 0-5 record tying the Knights for last place in the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN). BU has lost to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Virginia Military Institute (VMI), University of Southern Indiana (USI), Marshall and Louisville.
Bellarmine’s offense has struggled through the first five games—the Knights average just 67.0 points per game, the fourth-fewest mark in the ASUN.
However, BU has shot the ball well this year. They rank third in the ASUN with a 77.4% free throw percentage, fourth with a 32.4% three-point percentage and fifth with a 44.5% field goal percentage.
Rebounding is arguably Bellarmine’s biggest weakness. They rank last in the conference with just 28.2 rebounds and 6.6 offensive rebounds per game.
Bellarmine’s defense has also struggled to find their footing this year.
The Knights allow 82.8 points per game and a 49.3% field goal percentage by the opposition, ranking 10th and 11th in the ASUN. BU also ranks last in the conference with a 40.7% opponent three-point percentage and 1.6 blocks per game.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
Marcus Johnson (Bowling Green #6)
The 6-foot-7-inch, 265-pound senior forward has dominated in his first five games as a Falcon, drawing comparisons to Magic Johnson, Nikola Jokic and Popeye Jones from Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo.
Johnson leads the MAC with 19.8 points per game and ranks second with 15 three-pointers. The Akron, Ohio, native has scored in double figures every game this season and is coming off back-to-back performances with at least 20 points against Michigan State and Niagara.
Derrick Butler (Bowling Green #10)
The senior guard is starting to find his footing with the Falcons. Butler is coming off a 16-point performance where he shot 6-7 from the field and 2-2 on three-pointers against Niagara.
The Charlotte, North Carolina, averages 9.6 points per game this season. Last season, Butler led Central Michigan with 52 three-pointers and a 41.6% three-point percentage.
Jack Karasinski (Bellarmine #32)
Karasinski, a 6-foot-7-inch junior forward, leads Bellarmine with 18.3 points per game and a 50% (8-16) three-point percentage while shooting 60.5% (23-38) from the field.
The Grand Rapids, Michigan, native has scored at least 20 points in four of his last five games this season.
The junior guard is no stranger to the MAC, appearing in 26 games for Miami (OH) as a freshman.
The Indianapolis, Indiana, native has scored double-digit points in three straight games and leads Bellarmine with 10 three-pointers.
