BGSU men’s basketball (13-7, 4-4) returns to the Stroh Center to take on the Buffalo Bulls (13-7, 3-5) on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Artie Abrego and Noah Seeley will have the live radio broadcast on Falcon Radio, streaming on bgfalconmedia.com, with pregame coverage of the game set to start at 6:45 p.m., hosted by Nate Hinners and Sam Bork.
Matchup History
The two teams are tied at 25 wins each in all-time meetings, with the Falcons having won the last three meetings. Bowling Green holds an edge at home against Buffalo, boasting a 16-9 record against the Bulls.
The last time these two teams met, the Orange and Brown won in Buffalo with a final score of 63-59.
Scouting Buffalo
Buffalo enters this matchup amid a five-game losing streak, with their last win coming on Jan. 3 over Ball State Cardinals. Sitting in eighth in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) standings, the Bulls are looking for a way to bounce back after a solid start to the season.
Daniel Freitag not only leads the Bulls in scoring but is tied for first in the MAC in scoring per game at 20.3 points. Not far behind him in scoring is Ryan Sabol, who is fifth in the MAC in scoring at 18.1 points per game.
A pair of highly effective scorers, the duo shoots better than 35% from the three-point range. Sabol will look to score from behind the arc first, as he is the main 3-point shooter for the Bulls, having attempted 166 3-pointers this season. Freitag excels at getting to the line, as he has 157 free throw attempts this season, the most on the roster.
Defensively, they are led by Tim Obah, who leads the team in blocks with 23 and is sixth on the team with 15 steals. The big man for the Bulls has held down the paint at a high level, ranking eighth in the MAC with 1.2 blocks per game. The Bulls will rely heavily on running players off the 3-point line and sending them towards Obah.
This Bulls offense is one of the best from behind the arc this season. Ranking third in the MAC with a 38.5% three-point percentage. Behind the aforementioned Freitag and Sabol, the Bulls rely on the three to take full advantage of their high-power offense.
Scouting Bowling Green
The Falcons are coming off a tough 73-72 loss to the Rockets on Saturday, where the Rockets hit a game-winner with 8 seconds remaining. Currently sixth in MAC standings, the Falcons are looking to find their footing.
Javontae Campbell leads the Falcons in scoring and is fourth in the MAC with 18.6 points per game. Over his last five outings, Campbell is averaging 21.4 points per game, which would be first in the MAC. The senior guard does his best work by getting downhill and finishing at the rim with a 50.2% from the field.
A scoring punch that the Falcons have introduced to the starting lineup has been Mayar Wol. The forward has been slotted into the starting lineup and made the most of the moment in the six games he has started this season. He is averaging 17.3 points while shooting 47.2% from deep.
Defensively, Troy Glover II has started to find his footing with the team. Leading the team in blocked shots with 27 and sixth on the team in steals with 21, the big man has been a presence all over the court. Standing at 6-foot-10, Glover can handle his own when switching onto guards.
Bowling Green has one of the top defenses in the MAC, holding opponents to an average of 70.5 points. The Falcons have been leaning heavily on the defensive end to jump-start their offense. With Glover patrolling the paint and Campbell picking up the perimeter defensive pressure, the Falcons have defensive pressure everywhere.
Falcon Four to Watch
Derrick Talton Jr. (Buffalo No. 10)
Although Talton has only started one game this season, he is third on the team in assists with 64. Watch for the guard to come off the bench and get the offense flowing.
Angelo Brizzi (Buffalo No. 14)
Brizzi has 38 steals on the season, which puts him tied for the second spot in the MAC for steals per game at 1.9. Watch for him to disrupt passing lanes early and often for the Bulls.
Sam Towns (Bowling Green No. 14)
The veteran presence of the Falcons’ roster makes an impact on every aspect of the team. On both sides, watch for Towns to make an impact wherever he is.
Glover (Bowling Green No. 16)
With Glover finding his rhythm, the Falcons team has a high-motor player who is starting to make an impact on the defensive end. With 9 blocks in his last three games, expect the big man to keep the pressure down low.
