For the first time in three years, the BG men’s basketball team will be playing in a postseason tournament.
The Falcons will take on Oakland on Wednesday night in Rochester, Mich., as part of the Collegeinsider.com Tournament, a 32-team field that is filled out following selections of teams to the NCAA Tournament and the men’s National Invitational Tournament.
There are no seeds in the CIT field. Rather, teams are re-paired following each round based on geographic proximity. The Falcons are one of four Mid-American Conference teams in the field — Toledo, Buffalo and Kent State are the other three.
“We’re excited about it, thankful [to play another game],” said BG coach Louis Orr. “The postseason is an opportunity to play and compete for championships, and it’s a fun time.
“It’s always a goal [to get into postseason tournaments]. We knew it was a possibility, and the CIT has taken schools out of our conference before, so we were hopeful. We kept practicing in preparation.”
At 16-15, the Falcons have exceeded their win totals from the previous two seasons, and their nine conference wins are the most since the 2008-09 season.
BG will look to end a dubious streak against Oakland (17-15). The Falcons have not won a postseason tournament game since 1975, when they defeated Tennessee 67-58 in the National Commissioner’s Invitational.
The Falcons are 3-3 all-time against Oakland, most recently facing the Grizzlies in 2007. That game, a 90-80 loss, was the only time Orr has led the Falcons against the Grizzlies.
The Falcons’ successes this season have been directly linked to shooting from distance. The Falcons are 9-1 when they make more three-pointers than the opposition, and 7-14 when they make fewer.
Despite the team’s near-.500 record, several players are having standout seasons.
Senior forward Scott Thomas, a third-team All-MAC selection, leads the conference with 2.4 steals per game. His 73 steals this season are the second most in a season in school history, and he needs one more steal to be the third player in program history to reach 200 steals.
Thomas also recently moved into the top 10 in school history in career rebounds. He is one of four players in MAC history to be in the top10 in school history in career rebounds and career assists.
Center Cam Black also has had a strong year, mostly on the defensive end. His 47 blocks are the fourth most in a single season in BG history.
Forward A’uston Calhoun built off a strong sophomore campaign to have a solid season, culminating with a second-team All-MAC selection. He leads BG with 13.5 points per game and is second on the team with 5.8 rebounds per game.
Oakland coach Greg Kampe is familiar with the Falcons, having graduating from BGSU in 1978. While enrolled, he was a first-team Academic All-MAC selection in both football and basketball.
Wednesday’s game will tip-off at 7 p.m.
