Bowling Green State University Athletics
BG Men Announce Slate
August 31, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Aug. 29, 2006
By JACK CARLE, Sentinel Sports Editor - The challenge of putting together a non-conference schedule for Mid-American Conference men's basketball teams was even more difficult this season.
MAC teams now play only 16 conference games, down from 18 in previous years. Each MAC team plays its division rivals home and away and then has one game against each team in the other division. Also MAC teams must have at least 50 percent of its non-conference games at home or at a neutral site.
"The way we were doing it (18 MAC games) wasn't getting it done," BG head coach Dan Dakich said. "The 16-game schedule allows us to schedule more Division I non-conference games and allows for us not to beat up on ourselves."
Bowling Green has filled its schedule with seven home games. The Falcons will also participate in the Wisconsin-Green Bay tournament, Dec. 27-30.
"We were able to get a bunch of home games which I'm excited about," Dakich said. "With two BracketBuster games away, we had to do something and to get seven was really good."
The Falcons host Capital in an exhibition on Nov. 8 and open the season at home against Denison on Nov. 11.
Other home non-conference games are against Furman, South Alabama, Troy, Arkansas State, Central Arkansas and Northern Colorado. South Alabama was the Sun Belt champion and an NCAA tournament participant last season.
In addition to the UW-Green Bay tournament, the Falcons play at Arkansas State, as part of a home-and-home series, at Wright State, at Marshall and in an ESPN BracketBuster game on Feb. 17.
Dakich said Northern Colorado was playing at Eastern Michigan and agreed to also play at game at Bowling Green. The two games with Arkansas State were a result of both schools needing a home game. Also the Falcons plays Marshall, a former MAC member, now in Conference USA.
"I always liked going to Marshall. They have an energy about the place," Dakich said.
Dakich said the full field has not been announced for the UW-Green Bay tournament.
The Falcons open conference play on Jan. 7 in Anderson Arena against Buffalo.
In another change this season, all MAC tournament games will be played at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. In previous years the first-round games were played at campus sties on the Monday after the regular season ended.
"I like it for a zillion reasons," Dakich said. "Attendance at the first round games always seems to be bad because it seems like it's spring break for our schools.
"Another reason is that it's kind of a celebration. If we're only going to get one team in the NCAA tournament like we've had in the last six or seven (years), we need to create our own environment. It's always been a great environment.
"It's much needed and it's something that every quote, unquote major conference does and I think it's something that's really good for everybody in our league."
