BGSU men’s basketball (3-2) will take part in the seventh annual Fort Myers Tip-off, where they will face the Bucknell Bison (2-4) on Monday, Nov. 24, and the Virginia Military Institute (3-4) on Wednesday, Nov. 26.
Bowling Green returns to Fort Myers for the first time since the 2021-22 season, where they fell to the Southern Utah Thunderbirds in the championship game, coached by current head coach Todd Simon at the time.
Matchup History
This will be the first time the Falcons match up against the Bucknell Bison and the Virginia Military Institute.
Scouting Bucknell
The Bison come into this tournament off a 97-49 loss against St John’s. That loss to St. John’s is Bucknell’s fourth straight loss after starting 2-0.
Amon Dörries leads Bucknell in scoring; the 6–foot–11 freshman has been a big part of the team’s scoring punch early. Leading the team in scoring with 13.8 points per game, Dörries is an efficient scorer. Only having two games this season, shooting under 40% from the field on about ten shots a game.
Standing beside Dörries is fellow forward Ruot Bijek, who is second on the team in scoring at 12.5 but leads the team in rebounding with 4.8 per game. Bijek is a floor spacer with Bucknell, shooting 32.4% from three this season on 5.6 attempts a game. Having that ability to stretch the court at 6–foot–9 adds another dimension to the Bison offense.
The Bison have one of the best defenses in the Patriot League, only allowing 78.2 points per game, and are a battle-tested team with games against Pittsburgh and St. John’s.
Scouting Virginia Military Institute
VMI enters this tournament off a 99-80 loss to Stetson, becoming their third straight loss. Only one of their three wins comes over a Division 1 opponent, that team being Southern Indiana.
Led by TJ Johnson on the offensive end, the Virginia Military Institute leans on the forward, who does his best work behind the three-point line. Through six games this season, he has attempted 59 threes, out of his total 91 shots. Not shy to let it fly, Johnson has the ultimate green light.
Junior guard AJ Clark may be the most interesting player on the roster for VMI. Being named to the Southern Conference (SoCon) all defensive team last season, being second in steals with 1.6 and fifth in blocks,0.9 per game, the 6 – foot – 4 guard is a defensive machine. He has already got the defensive energy started this season with 8 blocks and 7 steals.
VMI enters the tournament with the best three-point percentage in the SoCon, with a 36.6, as they look to turn momentum around.
Scouting Bowling Green
The Falcons enter this tournament off a tough loss to William & Mary, where they fell 82-74, making it back-to-back losses for BGSU.
Bowling Green has been led offensively and defensively by Javontae Campbell, who is leading the team in scoring with 20 points per game and is averaging 4.4 steals per game. The senior is making his presence felt this season with a much more aggressive downhill play style. The Orange and Brown look to him to keep the team steady throughout the season.
Mayar Wol has been a pivotal bench piece for Bowling Green this season, third on the roster in points per game with 12.8. Wol has added a scoring punch for the Falcons at the right moments. He has been a player to stretch the court as he is shooting 53.3% from the field this season, and with his play style, the Falcons can put him in multiple situations where he can thrive.
BGSU’s three-point shooting has been a big struggle recently, as the Falcons are only shooting 4-30 in their last two games combined. Ranking 30.2% from three this season, they must find a way to reignite the fire from behind the arc to get the season back on the right foot.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
Josiah Shackelford (Bowling Green #4)
Shackelford is coming off a game where he could not find the range and went 0-4 from three. Expect him to search for the open threes early and often, as he has been one of the premier shooters for the Falcons this season.
Javon Ruffin (Bowling Green #11)
Ruffin may not be the flashiest player for BG, but he is a veteran guard who has plenty of experience to help the Falcons stay steady in tough situations. With nine steals on the season already, expect him to keep up the defensive pressure in the tournament.
The pass-first guard for VMI leads the team in assists with 27 through six games. Watch for Yildizoglu to get his teammates started in the scoring column before he starts to take his own shots.
Williams takes over as the starting point guard this season for the Bison after playing 30 games off the bench last year. Standing at only 5–foot–10, the guard has great court vision and has four or more assists in five of their six games.
