After a grueling start to the season, Bowling Green men’s basketball (7-11) will face off against the Toledo Rockets (10-8) in the first part of the Battle of I-75 at the Stroh Center.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Tyler Kavalecz and Artie Abrego will be on the call, with pregame at 5:45 p.m.
Before the nationally televised matchup tips off, here’s where both teams look like heading into the Battle of I-75.
Series History
Of course, this is a historic rivalry between both squads- this will be the 184 all-time meeting between the Falcons and Rockets. Toledo currently leads the rivalry with a record of 98-84.
Last season, the two squads split the series 1-1, with Bowling Green picking up the most recent victory with a final of 76-68 in front of the Falcon faithful.
Bowling Green
Bowling Green returns to the Stroh Center after an unsuccessful trip to Oxford where they fell short to Miami OH 84-76 for their second straight loss in a row.
The contest vs the RedHawks was riddled with inconsistencies, multiple scoreless streaks, bad personal fouls, and scoring only two bench points compared to Miami OH’s 24.
A bright light from such a dark game came in the shooting numbers, the Falcons shot 48.1% from the field while also shooting 50% from the three-point line. Bowling Green’s starting lineup of Marcus Johnson, Jamai Felt, Derrick Butler, Trey Thomas, and Javontae Campbell all recorded double-digit scoring numbers.
Bowling Green also dished out 18 assists, one of their highest team assist numbers on the season.
Since entering Mid-American Conference (MAC) play, Bowling Green has a record of 2-4 vs their opponents.
Heading into the Battle of I-75, the Orange and Brown are averaging 76.6 points per game, while shooting 44.7% from the field and 34.9% from the three-point line.
Toledo Rockets
Toledo returns to the Stroh Center in a much more comfortable place in the MAC- sporting a 10-8 record with a 4-2 record vs the MAC.
Toledo is coming off an 83-64 loss to Kent State. Toledo started MAC play incredibly strong with a 3-0 record, their momentum has withered since, recording a 1-2 record in their last 3 conference games.
The Rockets are averaging 77.5 points per game while shooting 46.3% from the field and 32.4% from three. That 32.4% from three is the 8th lowest in the conference.
The Rockets average just about 34.1 rebounds per game, just 0.3 less than Bowling Green. Toledo also allows 77.8 points per game, the third most allowed per game in the MAC.
A big thing to watch in the Battle of I-75 is the Rockets numbers from the charity stripe, Toledo averages 73.0% from the free throw line- which ranks them 6th in the MAC, just about in the middle of the pack.
Falcon four players to watch
Trey Thomas (Bowling Green #1)
Thomas has caught fire since MAC play began, scoring 22, 16, then 17 vs Miami OH in his last three MAC games.
Jamai Felt (Bowling Green #11)
The big man in the middle, Felt has become a defensive force for the Falcons since joining the starting lineup, scoring a career-high 15 points and grabbing 6 rebounds vs the RedHawks.
Sonny Wilson, through 18 games is the leading scorer for the Rockets- averaging 15.2 points per game on 52.1% shooting. Wilson scored 19 in the loss to Kent State.
Wilson isn’t the only sophomore guard standout on the Rockets, Sam Lewis averages 14.2 points per game while grabbing 5.3 rebounds on 44.2% shooting.
