Bowling Green men’s basketball concluded their season with a 77-76 loss to Toledo in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament. The Falcons finished their season with an 18-14 overall and a 9-9 conference record, placing fifth in the MAC.
The 2025-26 campaign for the Orange and Brown was a muddled roller coaster ride of ups and downs.
“They battled for BG. Those are things that you hope people remember about this that, we never gave up. We had some good comeback wins; we fought to the ever and sometimes results were good. Sometimes they weren’t what we wanted, but they never quit, and they always fought,” head coach Todd Simon said.
The Falcons found themselves battling in multiple games—including a near comeback against Davidson, where the Orange and Brown were down double digits and scored 17 points in less than two minutes to give the Wildcats a run for their money—one of the many close games for Bowling Green.
The win against Kansas State was the high point of the non-conference schedule for Bowling Green—their 82-66 win over the Wildcats on the road was the Falcons’ first Power 4 win in 20 years.
“I think the Kansas State win was huge. Going in there with the mentality of knowing that we are playing a team of high caliber, and that it could change a lot with the win,” Sam Towns said. “I think those guys really rallied behind our leaders, me (Towns) and Javontae [Campbell], and with coach at the helm, I think everyone did their job to the best of their ability.”
Both the RedHawks and Zips made the NCAA Tournament, making the MAC a two-bid league for the first time since 1999.
“I thought the entire league elevated, and even teams that didn’t make the MAC Tournament were so much improved, and the rest of the league improved at such a rapid rate,” said Simon. “It’s just unbelievable, the depth of the league, it’s as good as good a year in the MAC as you’ll ever see, and it was special to be there.”
Campbell had a very successful season, averaging 18 points per game, breaking his own program single-season steals record with 96 steals and winning MAC Defensive Player of the Year. Bowling Green was also placed in the midst of one of the most successful years in MAC basketball history, with the undefeated regular season of Miami (OH) and Akron winning their third consecutive conference championship.
Other players on the roster stepped up big time for Bowling Green as they made their run down the stretch to the tournament, including Troy Glover II, who finished his season with 45 total blocks.
Players like Justin Thomas and Josiah Shackelford were key depth pieces for the Falcons, with both players rotating in and out of the starting lineup, showing up in big places for the Falcons.
With the season’s conclusion, many players from the 2025-26 roster will not be returning to the Falcons next season, including Campbell and Towns.
With the offseason in full swing now for Bowling Green, a few new faces have already found their new home in the Stroh Center, including KJ Tolbert, who was named “Mr. Michigan” (the best high school player in Michigan) and Trey Simmons, a transfer from Frostburg who averaged 24.2 points per game last season.
“I think coach Simon will bring in the right guys. I think he has been doing a good job over the past couple years of bringing in character guys, rather than just worrying about skill he is bringing in guys with high character,” Towns said
