Bowling Green State University Athletics
Women's Hoops Slated to Finish Second in East
October 18, 2007 | Women's Basketball
Oct. 18, 2007
CLEVELAND, Ohio - As a result of their preseason poll, members of the MAC News Media Association have selected the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team to finish second in the Mid-American Conference Eastern Division behind Ohio University. The results of the poll were announced Thursday, October 18 at the MAC's annual media gathering in downtown Cleveland at Quicken Loans Arena.
Head coach Curt Miller and two-time preseason All-MAC selection Kate Achter were on hand to discuss the forecasted finish with members of the media.
As mentioned, the Bobcats of Ohio University are the preseason candidates to take the East with 17 first place votes (210 points) while the Falcons secured second with 11 first place votes of their own (187 points). Miami, who finished behind BG receiving nine first place votes, were awarded 183 points in the poll to round out the top three. Both Kent State and Buffalo received a top vote and are predicted to end the MAC season in fourth and fifth, respectively.
In the West, Ball State was the runaway favorite earning 36-of-41 first place votes and 240 total points in the balloting. The Cardinals, who were defeated by the Falcons in the tournament final just a year ago, are not only expected to return to the championship game but the pollsters are looking for BSU to be the team to beat in the post-season. Northern Illinois (184 points) picked up a pair of top nods en route to finishing behind BSU while Eastern Michigan (150 points) is expected to finalize the top third of the division. Despite receiving three votes in the poll, Western Michigan (122) finished ahead of Toledo (106) and Central Michigan (59) and were named fourth through sixth in the division.
Bowling Green will begin their seventh season under Miller on Nov. 9 with a 7:00 p.m. tip-off at Anderson Arena when Valparaiso meets the Falcons for the third time in program history. Prior to officially opening the season, the Falcons will host the University of Findlay on Nov. 2 in an exhibition match and will also see the likes of Dayton in a closed practice session.
East Division (first place vote) // Points
1. Ohio (17) // 210
2. Bowling Green (11) // 187
3. Miami (9) // 183
4. Kent State (1) // 137
5. Buffalo (1) // 87
6. Akron // 57
West Division (first place vote) // Points
1. Ball State (36) // 240
2. Northern Illinois (2) // 184
3. Eastern Michigan // 150
4. Western Michigan (3) // 122
5. Toledo // 106
6. Central Michigan // 59
MAC Tournament Winner (votes)
Ball State (22)
Bowling Green (6)
Miami (5)
Ohio (5)
Western Michigan (1)
Buffalo (1)
Northern Illinois (1)
Other notes:
•No Falcon squad containing a current member of the Falcon roster has been ever been selected to finish lower than third in a preseason voting poll. In 2004, Achter and fellow senior Whitney Taylor's freshman season, BGSU was predicted to finish third in the Western Division. In the subsequent seasons ('05-'06), the Falcons were selected as the preseason favorite for top finishes in the division, regular season and tournament title races.
•No strangers to national recognition, BGSU has also been mentioned among the top women's basketball programs in the GBALLMAG.COM preseason poll. The poll named its top ten teams; the poll lists an additional fifteen other contenders where BGSU was listed. The Falcons were the only MAC school to earn a spot on the list.
GBALLMAG.COM Preseason Poll
1. Tennessee (34-3, 12-2 ACC)
2. Connecticut (32-4, 16-0 Big East)
3. LSU (30-8, 104 SEC)
4. Maryland (28-6, 10-4 ACC)
5. Rutgers (27-9, 12-4 Big East)
6. Stanford (29-5, 17-1 Pac-10)
7. North Carolina (34-4, 11-3 ACC)
8. Duke (32-2, 14-0 ACC)
9. Oklahoma (28-5, 13-3 Big 12)
10. Georgia (27-7, 11-3 SEC)
Also receiving recognition (in alphabetical order): Arizona State (31-5), Auburn (21-13), Baylor (26-8), Bowling Green (31-4), California (23-9), DePaul (19-13), Florida State (24-10), George Washington (28-4), Louisville (27-8), Michigan State (24-9), Middle Tennessee State (30-4), Ohio State (28-4), Pittsburgh (24-9), Purdue (31-6), Texas A&M (25-7).
GBALLMAG.COM is a website devoted to girls/women's basketball. Each week the editors compile a poll to rate the top collegiate women's basketball programs across the country.
