Bowling Green State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Travels to Ball State
January 14, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 14, 2002
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Bowling Green (13-1, 3-0) at Ball State (10-5, 3-1) 7 p.m., Wednesday, January 16, Worthen Arena (11,500) Series Record: BGSU leads 31-27 Last Year: Ball State 62, at BGSU 59 (1/20/01) Radio: WBVI-FM (96.7) Internet: bgsufalcons.com
FALCONS OFF TO BEST START UNDER DAN DAKICH
With its 85-73 win at Buffalo, the Bowling Green State University men's basketball team continued its best start in the five-year tenure of BGSU Coach Dan Dakich with a 13-1 record. The best start to a season at BGSU was set by the 1943-44 squad which began the year 19-1.
THIS YEAR'S FALCON SQUAD IN RARE COMPANY
The 2001-2002 edition of the the BGSU men's basketball team has given the program its 12th winning streak of 10 games or better. The Falcons current 12-game winning streak is tied for the fourth longest in school history.
FALCONS ARE RATED FIRST IN MID-MAJOR POLL
BGSU is currently rated first in the collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. Ball State is ninth in the latest edition.
1. Bowling Green (13-1) 2. Gonzaga (15-2) 3. Western Kentucky (14-3) 4. Butler (15-2) 9. Ball State (10-5)
FALCONS LOOK FOR RARE SUCCESS AT BALL STATE
Despite leading the overall series, 31-27, the Falcons will be looking to post a win over a much-heralded Ball State program which has won eight of the last nine meetings against BGSU since the 1994-95 season. The Cardinals are 14-1 against the Falcons in Muncie since the 1985-86 season. The lone BGSU road win came in a 70-69 triumph in 1994.
NCAA LEADERS
The Falcons lead the nation in three-point field goal percentage (44.9) and are fifth in the country in overall FG percentage (50.1). Senior Keith McLeod is sixth in the nation in scoring (23.1).
DAN DAKICH
Coach Dakich is 78-49 and is second in BGSU men's basketball history in winning percentage (61.4) and fifth in victories. In addition, he has seen seven of nine seniors earn their degrees and had five players sign professional contracts. Dakich has the highest conference winning percentage (61.3) among active MAC coaches and has guided the Falcons to three straight winning seasons in the league, averaging 18 wins during the last three years. The Falcons have posted back-to-back winning seasons in the conference on the road for the first time since 1962 and 1963. Since February 1999, BGSU is 57-25 (69.5). BGSU won the 2000 MAC regular season title and was invited to the NIT that same year.
MAKING THE MOST OF THEIR OPPORTUNITIES
The Falcons shot 50.0 from the field or better for the third straight conference game. In the league, BGSU is shooting 54.2 from the field, and 49.1 from three point range.
TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The win against Central Michigan marked the seventh time this season that BGSU has trailed in the second half and won. Last year, BGSU was 3-14 when they faced a deficit in the final 20 minutes.
Against CMU, it marked the fourth time BGSU had rallied from a deficit in the final two minutes (Michigan, Ole Miss, UNCW, CMU). The Falcons also have won twice when down in the final 15 seconds of a game (Ole Miss, UNCW).
SIx times this season, BGSU has made a defensive stop when an opponent had an opportunity to tie or win the game at the buzzer (Ole Miss, Delaware, Marist, UNCW, Duquesne and CMU).
The 55 points allowed against Indiana State was the best defensive effort for BGSU this season. It also marked the fourth time a BGSU opponent has been held to 60 points or less (ISU-55, Detroit-60, Marist-58, Michigan-59). Last year, BGSU never achieved that feat.
Against UNCW, the Falcons won their third straight overtime game dating back to last season (at Miami, vs. Ole Miss, vs. UNCW). It was the first overtime home game in Dakich's tenure and was the Falcons first overtime game in Anderson Arena since January 18, 1994 when they defeated Eastern Michigan, 90-88. The Falcons have won their last seven home overtime games and have not lost a home overtime game since December 12, 1985, when they fell to Defiance, 66-64.
BGSU defeated three teams at home who beat them last year on the road in non-conference play. (Michigan, Marist, UNCW) BGSU has defeated four teams which were in the post-season in 2001. (Ole Miss-Sweet 16, UNCW-NIT, Detroit-NIT, Indiana State-NCAA, 2nd Round)
The Falcons also have defeated three defending conference champions (Ole Miss, Indiana State, Central Michigan.) Against Duquesne, the Falcons won their road opener for the second time in three years. They won at Hawaii, 53-49, in 1999-2000.
The Falcons finished with a 6-0 record in December giving them their first unbeaten calendar month since February of 1963 (8-0).
FALCONS ARE 33rd (RPI), 35th (SPORTING NEWS), 38th (COACHES), 40th (AP)
The Falcons are the 33rd-highest rated team in the most recent NCAA I ratings percentage index (RPI), the highest ranking for any MAC program. For the first time this year, the Falcons were rated in the Sporting News Power Poll coming in at #35. For the seventh time this season, BGSU received votes in the ESPN Coaches Poll. The 13 votes for the Falcons ranks them 38th this week. BGSU also received seven votes in the AP poll for the second straight week, and move to 40th from 42nd.
