Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Open MAC Play Against Buffalo
January 08, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 8, 2009
Bowling Green, Ohio -
Game #14
Bowling Green (7-6) vs. Buffalo (8-4)
Jan. 10, 2009 • Bowling Green, Ohio (Anderson Arena) • 2:00 p.m.
Radio: Falcon Radio Network • Todd Walker/Kirk Cowan
Television: BCSN • Greg Franke/Kevin Brechmacher
SETTING THE STAGE
• The Bowling Green State University men's basketball opens Mid-American Conference play at home against Buffalo. The Bulls enter the contest as one of the hottest teams in the conference, winning five of their past six games.
• Bowling Green holds a 12-5 advantage in the all-time series, with all 17 contests coming since the 1999-00 season. BG won the first nine meetings but Buffalo has won 5-of-8 since then. The two teams split two games a year ago with each team winning on its home court.
THE OPENING TIP (STORYLINES)
• Bowling Green is 5-0 in Anderson Arena this year and is 8-1 all-time against Buffalo at home. The Bulls are 2-2 on the road this year with victories over Youngstown State and Canisius.
• Bowling Green will look to avenge a 46-point loss to Buffalo the last time these teams met, the biggest defeat in head coach Louis Orr's tenure with the Falcons. That is the worst loss since West Virginia defeated BG 100-54 on Dec. 18, 1999.
• The Falcons will also look to keep alive a string of 11 consecutive wins to open MAC play. BGSU has not lost its MAC opener since the 1996-97 season.
SCOUTING BUFFALO
• The Buffalo Bulls have won five of their last six games to improve to 8-4 on the season. Most recently, the Bulls went 3-0 at the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic in Honolulu, Oahu, defeating Pepperdine, Colorado and Colorado State. After opening the year with road wins over Youngstown State and Canisius, Buffalo has lost games on the road to Evansville and Siena.
• Juniors Rodney Pierce and Calvin Betts are dangerous scorers, averaging 15.7 and 11.4 points respectively. Betts is shooting 45 percent from three-point range and leads the team in rebounding and blocked shots despite his 6-foot-3 frame.
• As a team, Buffalo is playing defense almost as well as Bowling Green, holding opponents to 41 percent shooting and just 63.2 points per game. The Bulls, though, only shoot 42 percent from the field and make just 64 percent of their free-throws, a stat that could become critical in a close game.
NATIONAL FOLLOWING
• Next Sunday's home game against Akron has been moved to an 8:00 p.m. start. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
KNIGHT TIME
Sophomore forward Chris Knight has begun to show signs of the potential he flashed as a freshman in 2007-08. After missing the first three games of the 2008-09 season, Knight scored just 15 points over the next six games, averaging 2.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. But in the last four contests, he has averaged 9.8 points and 7.5 rebounds, posting the first Falcon double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Eastern Illinois. Despite a tough shooting night against Fordham, he grabbed 14 rebounds, five on the offensive glass, for the highest single game total for a Falcon this year.
TRACKING FALCON MILESTONES
A number of BGSU players are closing in on career milestones or have recently reached them:
• Darryl Clements made his 50th career three-pointer in the Falcons' win over Fordham. He needs eight points to reach 500 for his career. He also needs one free-throw attempt to qualify for the all-time free-throw percentage leaders. With his 80.8 percentage rate, he would rank ninth all-time in BGSU history.
• Joe Jakubowski made three three-pointers against Eastern Illinois to reach 50 for his career. He needs five more assists for 150 in his career and 34 more points for 400.
• Matt Karaffa picked up the first points of his career on a pair of made free-throws against Eastern Illinois. He also had the first rebound of his career against Towson.
• With 14 rebounds against Fordham, Chris Knight went over 250 for his career.
• Marc Larson scored four points against Eastern Illinois to reach 200 in his career.
• Erik Marschall needs 17 points for 500 in his career.
• With nine points against Eastern Illinois, Nate Miller went over 800 for his career (now at 830). He needs to average 10.0 points the rest of the way to become the 37th player in program history to score 1,000 by the end of the regular season. He went over the 400 rebound mark and the 100 steal plateau against Detroit and had four assists against Central Arkansas to go over 150.
• Brian Moten needs six made three-pointers to move into the top 10 in program history and seven to become just the 10th Falcon to make 100 for a career. He is also three rebounds shy of 150 in his career.
• Otis Polk blocked two shots against Duquesne to become just the fifth player in program history to reach 100 in a career. He had seven rebounds against Eastern Illinois to go over 250 for his career.
RISING STOCK
Bowling Green's returners worked hard in the offseason to develop their games. That work has paid off in three visible areas -- scoring, rebounding, and free-throw percentage. The Falcons are averaging 4.5 points per game more than a year ago and are shooting .695 from the free-throw line, as opposed to .633 in 2007-08. Finally, BG was outrebounded by 2.6 boards per game last year, but are now outrebounding opponents by 3.3 in 2008-09.
BLOCK PARTY, HOSTED BY OTIS
Junior Otis Polk blocked two shots against Duquesne to become just the fifth player in program history with 100 career blocked shots. He ranks first in the MAC in blocked shots this year and he is just 17 behind all-time leader Tom Hall, with 117 from 1989-92. A year ago, he had four blocks in four different games, ending the season with 51, the second highest single-season total in Bowling Green history. Cornelius Cash set the mark with 59 blocks in 1973-74.
DEFENSE WINS
• Bowling Green has bucked down defensively in 2008-09, holding 12-of-13 opponents to less than 45 percent shooting, allowing less than 70 points ten times. The team has held four of its last six opponents to 37 percent shooting or worse. It is a critical stat because the Falcons are just 1-9 under head coach Louis Orr when an opponent shoots 45 percent or better (0-1 this year). BG leads the MAC in field goal percentage defense and blocked shots, ranking in the top three in the conference in scoring defense and three-point field goal percentage defense.
• Bowling Green is on pace to post a historically significant season defensively. The Falcons' 62.1 points per game allowed is the best average since the 1961-62 team allowed 61.4 points per game. As well, the team's .379 field goal percentage allowed is the best total since the 1962-63 team allowed opponents to shoot .375 for the year.
• Bowling Green's defensive prowess has not been more apparent than in the Falcons' win over Detroit. The Titans scored just 38 points, the lowest point total for a BGSU opponent since an 87-37 Bowling Green win over Western Ontario on Feb. 1, 1964. As well, the Titans shot just 22.7 percent from the field and had just two assists. Both of those stats were the lowest BG opponent totals since game-by-game boxscores have been archived (1987-88 season).
LEADERS OF THE MAC
Bowling Green ranks in the top half of the Mid-American Conference in every team stat that is tracked. In fact, the Falcons lead the MAC in four stats, posting the top field-goal percent defensive unit in the conference. The team also leads the MAC in blocked shots, assists, and assist/turnover ratio. On top of that, BGSU leads the conference in two individual categories. Point guard Joe Jakubowski has a MAC-leading 4.3 assists per game and center Otis Polk leads the conference with 1.5 blocked shots per game.
MAKING THINGS INTERESTING
Five of Bowling Green's games have been decided in the final minute of play this year. The most exciting of those games was a 77-76 overtime win against Georgia State in the season opener. Darryl Clements and Brian Moten made three-pointers in the final 15 seconds of regulation to force overtime and Joe Jakubowski knocked down a 25-foot three-pointer as the buzzer sounded in the extra session for the win. Against Ohio State, Bowling Green led with six minutes to play but the Buckeyes scored eight straight late to come away with a four-point victory. In a 57-54 loss to Savannah State, BGSU led until the final 1:17 of the contest and missed on two attempts to tie the game in the final 60 seconds. Likewise, in the Falcons' 67-65 loss to Central Arkansas, Bowling Green led until the final 1:19 and lost on a tip-in with just 0.2 seconds to play. Finally, BG beat Fordham in Anderson Arena 65-59 by getting a Nate Miller jumper with 48 seconds to play and a pair of Moten free-throws with nine seconds left to ice the contest.
WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE (THAT ROARS)
Anderson Arena has always been a difficult place for opponents and the Falcons are 5-0 at home in 2008-09, beating teams by an average of 19.0 points per game. Bowling Green made "The House That Roars" especially tough on conference foes a year ago, going 6-2. Those six victories included wins over the teams picked to finish first (Kent State), second (Miami) and third (Ohio) in the East Division preseason poll. In fact, the team was roughly two minutes away from a perfect home record in MAC action, losing to Central Michigan in overtime and to Akron by nine points. CMU forced overtime on a putback with 0.9 seconds left in regulation, while Bowling Green led Akron with just over two minutes remaining and trailed by just one point with under a minute left. The Falcons are 442-176 (.715) all-time in Anderson Arena and 156-50 (.757) in the past 16 years.
UNTOUCHABLE AT HOME
Bowling Green's 5-0 start in Anderson Arena is the best since the 2004-05 team started the year with six straight wins and went 12-3 at home. A win over Buffalo would match that start and would put the Falcons in line to match the 2001-02 team, which started with seven straight victories.
WINNING EARLY
Bowling Green had six wins by the team the calendar turned to 2009. Since the 2002-03 season, the Falcons have won more games than that before the turn of the new year just once. The 2006-07 team had nine wins when Jan. 1 struck and last year's team had just five wins by that time.
GOOD KNIGHT
Chris Knight was named MAC East Player of the Week Dec. 29 after averaging 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in leading the Falcons to a pair of wins. He is the first BGSU player to be named conference player of the week this year and it is the second time in his career he has received the award. Knight received the honor a year ago after being named MVP of the Peggy Cronin Classic in Cincinnati.
HITTIN' THE BOOKS
Sophomore point guard Joe Jakubowski was named the Mid-American Conference's Male Scholar Athlete of the Week Dec. 18. He had 13 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the team's 58-38 win over Detroit and has maintained a 3.56 grade point average entering the fall semester. The MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week is presented to a male and female student-athlete who has a cumulative gpa of 3.0 or better and performed well during the previous week's competition.
CLEMENTS' CAREER WEEKEND
Senior guard Darryl Clements was named to the NABC Classic All-Tournament team after setting his new career scoring high not just one time, but twice during the season's opening weekend. Clements made a crucial three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining in regulation that helped pushed the season opener against Georgia State to overtime -- a game the Falcons eventually won. He then scored a career-high 19 points in the team's loss to Minnesota, before pumping home 22 in BGSU's win over Concordia St. Paul. He also led Bowling Green in assists, steals and field goal percentage during the weekend.
MILLER TABBED TO SOAR
Bowling Green senior Nate Miller was selected to the Preseason All-Mid-American Conference Team, by vote of the MAC News Media Association, as well as the league's 12 head men's basketball coaches. Miller was joined on the East preseason team by Akron's Nate Linhart, Kent State's Al Fisher, Miami's Michael Bramos, and Ohio's Jerome Tillman. A transfer from UNC Wilmington, Miller has 830 points in his BG career.
CAN IT GET ANY TOUGHER?
Although Bowling Green is 7-6 in its first 13 games, the opponents that the Falcons faced will make them stronger once MAC play begins. BGSU's six losses have all come against teams with winning records and a combined record of 61-23. Illinois State and Minnesota have just one loss apiece and Ohio State has three losses. Minnesota is ranked No. 22 in the AP Top 25, while Ohio State and Illinois State are each receiving votes. Illinois State, in fact, supplanted Gonzaga as the top team in the Mid-Major Top 25 poll this week.
FRESH FACES
Head coach Louis Orr announced the signing of two players for the 2009-10 season during the early signing period. Luke Kraus, of Findlay, Ohio (Findlay HS), and Danny McElroy, of Cincinnati, Ohio (La Salle HS), will join the Falcons next year. Kraus is a two-time player of the year in the Greater Buckeye Conference and McElroy is a tenacious defender who averaged 14.2 points and seven rebounds per game as a junior. Those two will join transfers Darion Goins and Adrion Graves, both of which are sitting out the 2008-09 season due to transfer rules.
GIANT KILLERS AT THE HOUSE THAT ROARS
The Falcons' win over then-No. 23 Kent State (March 1) was the team's fourth consecutive home win vs. a nationally-ranked opponent. BGSU defeated fifth-ranked Michigan State (all rankings according to Associated Press) in December of 1990, topped No. 23 Eastern Michigan on Valentine's Day, 1996, and defeated No. 25 Miami in February of 1999. The Brown and Orange's last home loss to a top 25 opponent came three decades ago to No. 16 Marquette on Dec. 6, 1978. Since the Associated Press began conducting a poll on Jan. 20, 1949, the Falcons have a record of 22-47 against nationally-ranked foes. BGSU is now 13-9 all-time in home games vs. AP Top-25 opponents, including a 7-5 mark since Anderson Arena opened prior to the 1960-61 season.
CATCH THE FALCONS
• Next Saturday's men's basketball game at home against Akron has been moved to an 8:00 p.m. start time so that the game can be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
• Bowling Green's men's basketball games can be listened to through the Falcon Sports Radio Network with Todd Walker, the voice of the Falcons, handling the play-by-play duties. Former Bowling Green basketball player Kirk Cowan does the color commentary at all BGSU home games as well. All but five games can be heard on WFRO 99.1 FM and the other five can be heard on WOHF 92.1 FM (Jan. 14 at Kent State, Jan. 28 vs. Ball State, Feb. 4 vs. Western Michigan, Feb. 11 at Toledo, and Feb. 18 at Buffalo). As well, all games can be heard on WCSM 1350 AM/96.7 FM in Celina, WONW 1280 AM in Defiance, and WCWA 1230 AM in Toledo.
• BGSU men's basketball coach Louis Orr appears on the Falcons' Nest Coaches Show on select Monday evenings, hosted by Todd Walker. The show runs from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., and is scheduled for live broadcast from Fricker's in Bowling Green (1720 E. Wooster Street).
• All game broadcasts and the Falcons Nest Coaches Show can also be heard via live stream on the official site of Falcon athletics, www.BGSUfalcons.com. Shortly after broadcasts are complete, an archived stream is available to listen to as well.
• BGSU men's basketball coach Louis Orr will talk live on 1470 WLQR "The Ticket" throughout the year. He is scheduled to be on host Norm Wamer's show Tuesday afternoons at 4:30 p.m. to discuss the season.
• Live statistics for all BGSU home men's basketball games are available on the web via Gametracker. Gametracker allows fans to view in-game stats as they occur, and may be accessed by going to www.BGSUFalcons.com. Falcon fans can utilize Gametracker for home events in numerous BGSU sports, including football, men's and women's basketball, hockey, men's and women's soccer, volleyball, baseball and softball.
