The first three weeks of the BGSU men’s basketball season can be perfectly described by one word — inconsistency.
The Falcons have shown flashes of a great team with an elite offense. However, they have also underperformed in multiple games, resulting in a 2-4 record.
Bowling Green began the season losing by nine points to Southern Miss before dropping a close matchup against Davidson, 91-85.
After blowing out Taylor by 64 points, the Orange and Brown fell to Michigan State, 86-72.
The Falcons got back on the right track on Tuesday, defeating Niagara 76-68. However, they came out flat and lost on the road to previously winless Bellarmine on Saturday, 80-68.
The Falcons have yet to win back-to-back games throughout the first six contests of the season.
The reality of the team right now is that there are 10 new players this season, a lack of Division I experiences across much of the roster and a plethora of players still searching to find their roles.
Interestingly, BG’s overall numbers this season have been good.
The Falcons lead the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with a 48.1% field goal percentage and a 39% three-point percentage, ranking second with a 77.3% free throw percentage and third with 79.3 points per game. They are also holding teams to just 28.6% three-point percentage, the second-best mark in the conference.
However, although it is slightly skewed by the Taylor game, Bowling Green’s offense in wins compared to losses is eye-opening.
In wins, the Falcons are averaging 91.5 points per game, 50.4% shooting from the field, 48.1% on three-pointers and 36.5 rebounds per game.
Meanwhile, in losses, the Orange and Brown are averaging just 73.3 points per game, 43.2% shooting from the field, 38% from beyond the arc and 29.8 rebounds per game.
The same applies for BG’s defense.
In wins, they hold opponents to 55.5 points per game, 35.1% shooting from the field and 25% from deep.
But in losses, they allow opponents to score 83.5 points per game, 48.1% shooting from the field and 31% on three-pointers.
Again, while the numbers may be skewed since the season is still young, those splits are slightly alarming.
One major glaring weakness for the team this season has been rebounding.
The Falcons rank last in the MAC with just 32.0 rebounds and 7.5 offensive boards.
That is a 180-degree shift from last season when they led the MAC with 38.0 rebounds per game. After outrebounding teams by 3.2 boards per game last season, BGSU is getting outrebounded by 2.2 per contest this year.
A major difference is the lack of a Rashaun Agee-like rebounder. Agee averaged 9.9 rebounds per game last season and led the MAC with 126 offensive boards but transferred to the University of Southern California (USC) in the offseason.
While senior forward Sam Towns leads the Falcons with 7.0 rebounds per game, he has fouled out in half of the team’s games this season.
However, one thing that is evident is that there is a lot of potential with this team.
Senior forward Marcus Johnson is tied for the MAC lead with 18.0 points per game and ranks third with 16 three-pointers. Junior guard Javontae Campbell ranks second in the conference with a 60.7% field goal percentage and 16 steals.
Additionally, senior guard Derrick Butler has found his stride with the Orange and Brown, scoring a season-high 21 points and draining three-pointers in the loss to Bellarmine.
While the results may not be there yet, and there are some concerning signs, the season is still very young, and this team has a lot of virtually untapped potential. But before they can unleash their full potential, the Falcons have to find consistency.
