BGSU men’s basketball returns to the Stroh Center for the first time in seven months as they open the season against the Texas State Bobcats on Monday night.
The matchup will also mark the third year of the Mid-American Conference (MAC)-Sun Belt Conference (SBC) Challenge.
Falcon Media Sports Network Tyler Kavalecz and Artie Abrego will have the live radio broadcast on Falcon Radio at 7 p.m. However, before tipoff, Nate Hinners, Andrew Helkowski, Ben Corak and Sam Bork will have a pregame show, beginning at 6:35 p.m.
Matchup History
Monday will be the first time these two teams have met in the history of their programs.
Scouting Bowling Green
The Falcons come off a disappointing 2024-25 season, where they went 14-18 overall and 8-10 in conference play. BGSU lost their final regular season game, and with some help, snuck into the MAC Tournament, where they lost to Akron, the eventual champions, in the first round.
Just like the 2023-24 season, another new season means another new round of transfers to wear the Orange and Brown. With seven new transfers and three freshmen on the roster, expect a new look offense and a reworked defense.
Returning for the Falcons is Javontae Campbell, who set the single-season program record for steals with 90 last season. He also led the team in assists and ranked second in points.
Head coach Todd Simon returns to Bowling Green for his third season with the Falcons, and after a down year, looks to turn the team around and make a run at the MAC Championship.
Similar to Texas State head coach Terrance Johnson, Simon can hit a coaching milestone with the Falcons this season, as with 16 wins, he will have 50 as head coach of the Falcons.
Scouting Texas State
Coming off a 16-16 overall and 9-9 in conference play, the Bobcats look to build off a 2024-25 season, where they finished exactly in the middle of the SBC at seven out of 14 teams.
The Bobcats’ last season was one of the top offenses in the Sun Belt. Shooting 46.4% from the field, 36.7% from 3-point range and 75.6% from the free throw line, ranking them first in the conference. However, it should be noted that the Bobcats shot the fewest 3-pointers in the conference.
Coming into this season, the Bobcats will look to plenty of new faces on the roster. Most importantly, they will be looking to replace their leading scorer from last season, Tylan Pope, who graduated after last season ended.
Johnson enters his sixth season with the Bobcats. The two-time Sun Belt Coach of the Year is looking to get 100 wins as the head coach of Texas State this season, and at 88 total wins so far, it is well within striking distance.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
Sam Towns (Bowling Green No. 14)
Towns returning to the Falcons after missing most of last season with an injury, the presence that the veteran gives the team is something that will be needed late in the season.
Before going down with an injury, the forward was averaging 6.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, and had nine blocks through six games.
Javon Ruffin (Bowling Green No. 11)
Ruffin spent the last three years with the Colorado Buffaloes. Last season, he played in 33 games with 10 of them being starts, averaging 20.2 minutes per game.
In the final exhibition game for the Falcons, Ruffin exploded onto the scene for BGSU with 20 points on 8-9 from the field and 4-5 from three-point range.
Kaden Gumbs (Texas State No. 11)
One of the returns for the Bobcats, Gumbs played in 28 games last season, starting 24 of them. Gumbs led the team in assists last season, with 4.0 per game.
Gumbs will look to get the Bobcats’ offense started this season on the right foot and may even be looking at an increased offensive production, with him being the only returner who had double-digit points last season.
Makai Willis (Texas State No. 22)
Willis transferred to Texas State after two seasons with the University of Louisiana Monroe and looks to bring a new type of energy to the Bobcats.
Last season, Willis averaged 10.4 points and 7.3 assists, starting in 32 games. On the board is where Willis is most dangerous, with 232 total rebounds last season, 79 of them were offensive.
