Huskies Sled Into Snowy BG For Wednesday Night Tilt

Complete Game Notes (.pdf)
Todd Walker Audio

FOUR THINGS TO KNOW
• Bowling Green plays five of its last seven games at home beginning with Wednesday night's contest against Northern Illinois. The Falcons are 6-3 in Anderson Arena this year.
• Bowling Green and Northern Illinois are tied with Eastern Michigan for eighth place heading into the week. The top four teams in the MAC will get a bye through the first round, while the next four teams will get a home game in the opening round. In terms of tiebreakers, Bowling Green and Northern Illinois are both 1-0 in head-to-head contests between the three teams, while Eastern Michigan is 0-2.
• This is the final BGSU game against the MAC West in the regular season this year. A year ago, the Falcons went 5-1 against teams from that division but the team is just 2-3 this year.
• The Falcons are 9-0 this year when holding an opponent to 62 points or less but just 2-11 when a team reaches 63 points or more. Bowling Green has held seven consecutive opponents to 65 points or less but has lost four of those games by giving up 64 points on three occasions and 65 points to Western Michigan Saturday.

THE SERIES
Wednesday night's contest will be the 51st meeting in the all-time series between Bowling Green and Northern Illinois, with the two programs splitting the first 50 contests at 25 wins apiece. BGSU evened up the series with a 69-61 road win a year ago and the Falcons have beat the Huskies in each of the past two meetings. Northern Illinois has some recent success in Anderson Arena, picking up a 75-74 win during the 2005-06 season. The series began with a 99-86 Bowling Green win on Feb. 13, 1965 but the Huskies got in the win column the third time the two programs met, picking up a 79-78 victory on Dec. 17, 1966.

SCOUTING THE NORTHERN ILLINOIS HUSKIES
Northern Illinois enters Wednesday's game with a record of 8-14 overall and 4-6 in Mid-American Conference play but those records don't tell the whole story. NIU opened MAC play as one of the biggest surprises by reeling off four consecutive league wins but the Huskies have struggled since then. Northern Illinois has lost six straight games by an average of 13.7 points and has given up at least 90 points in half of those contests. To make matters worse, the Huskies have been unable to keep up that pace on the offensive end, ranking last in the MAC in field goal percentage (.406) and three-point percentage (.295), along with 11th in free-throw percentage (.639). Northern Illinois does have the ability to make it tough for teams inside as the Huskies lead the MAC in offensive rebounding (14.32 per game) and are tied with Bowling Green for second in blocked shots (3.45 per contest). Individually, 6-foot-5 junior guard Xavier Silas ranks second in the MAC at 19.5 points per game, which is also 32nd nationally. Sean Kowal, a 6-11 junior center, is second in the MAC in field goal percentage, making 54.7 percent of his shots.

THE COACHES
Bowling Green Head Coach Louis Orr has just about done it all. As a player at Syracuse, he made four NCAA Tournament appearances and spent eight years in the NBA. As a coach, he was named Big East Coach of the Year at Seton Hall and was named Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year after guiding the Falcons to the MAC regular season crown in 2008-09. He has a career record of 143-121 in his ninth season and 43-41 in his first three years at Bowling Green. Northern Illinois Head Coach Ricardo Patton is in his third year leading his program and has seen his team steadily improve from 6-22 in year one, to 10-20 in year two. At 8-14 this year, Northern Illinois could surpass last year's win total. Prior to his time at Northern Illinois, Patton spent 11 years as the head coach at Colorado and has a career record of 208-216.

BRACKETS BUSTED
Bowling Green will play Valparaiso in the eighth annual ESPN BracketBusters series on Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. The Falcons are 4-3 all-time in such games. By contract, Bowling Green will play a return game at Valparaiso. The Falcons are 6-1 all-time in return games, including a victory over Canisius earlier this year.

THE CHARITY STRIPE
Bowling Green has made a dramatic transformation in its free-throw shooting efficiency. Through 11 games of the season, Bowling Green ranked 329th out of 334 Division I teams at 56.6 percent from the line. But over the past 11 games, the team has shot 75.7 percent and the Falcons lead the MAC in percentage in conference games only at 74.4 percent.

BLOCK PARTY, HOSTED BY OTIS
Senior Otis Polk started the 2009-10 campaign by blocking a shot against Wayne State, a familiar sight for Bowling Green fans. He now has 26 blocked shots this year and is already the school's all-time blocked shot leader with 148, shattering Tom Hall's mark of 117 from 1989-92. With every shot he blocks, he'll be setting a new standard for current and future Falcons to aim for. Both Marc Larson and Erik Marschall are not to be forgotten inside either. With two against Ball State, Larson has 80 career blocks and is just two shy of cracking into the school's all-time top 10. Marschall now has 59 career blocked shots and forward Scott Thomas has become a factor in this area as well, posting three consecutive multi-block games at one point this year. All four of those players have at least 14 blocks this season and the Falcons are the only team in the Mid-American Conference to have that many players with at least 14 blocks.

WHO SAYS TAKING CARE OF THE BASKETBALL IS IMPORTANT?
Bowling Green has had less than 10 turnovers in two of its last three games (eight vs. Toledo and nine at Ball State) after posting a single-digit turnover total just once in the first 19 games of the season (seven at Xavier). However, that may not be the best of trends for the Falcons. Dating back to last year, Bowling Green has lost five of its last six games when committing less than 10 turnovers (losses to Eastern Michigan, Akron in the MAC Tournament, and Creighton in the NIT a year ago).

CONSISTENT LINEUP
Bowling Green Head Coach Louis Orr has used just two starting lineups this year. For the first 10 games of the season he went with Joe Jakubowski, Dee Brown, Scott Thomas, Marc Larson, and Otis Polk. Since that time, Marschall has been inserted into the lineup for Larson and both have responded with their new roles. Marschall posted his first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds against Central Michigan and is averaging 8.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest as a starter, while shooting 51 percent from the field. Larson posted eight points and a career-best nine rebounds against St. Louis in 26 minutes off the bench and then reversed those numbers with nine points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes against Ball State. He is also 17-for-21 (81.0 percent) from the free-throw line since coming off the bench and was on the floor late against Ohio, posting two points, a blocked shot, and a steal in the final four minutes of the game, sparking the team to a comeback win.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP
Bowling Green's three senior post players -- Otis Polk, Erik Marschall, and Marc Larson -- have all stepped up their games and produced at a higher level than the trio did a year ago. Those three are combining for 22.3 points and 16.6 rebounds per game, a much higher total than last year's 14.6 points and 12.0 rebounds.

OTIS ADDS THE BOARDS
Otis Polk has been dominant on the boards this year, averaging 7.1 rebounds per game (fifth in the MAC) and has been especially strong on the offensive glass, leading the Mid-American Conference with 3.2 offensive boards per game. He had a career-high 16 rebounds in the team's win over Towson and grabbed at least seven rebounds in 10 straight games at one point during the season.

RIDING THE PINE
In 2009-10, BGSU's bench has been a telling factor in how successful the Falcons are. In the team's 11 wins, the bench has played fairly even with the opposition, being outscored 157-146, but in the 11 losses has been outscored 265-144.

FEED THE POST
Head Coach Louis Orr's philosophy is to play an inside-out game and the Falcons have scored at least 20 points in the paint in 19-of-22 games and at least 30 points nine times, including each of the past four contests. The team peaked against Towson when Bowling Green held a 50-21 scoring edge in the paint. In all, BGSU has outscored 17 opponents in the paint and 8-of-10 conference opponents.

DIRECTING THE OFFENSE
Junior Joe Jakubowski and freshman Jordon Crawford have done an excellent job of running an efficient offense from the point guard position so far in the 2009-10 season. Jakubowski ranks fifth in the MAC with a 1.80 assist/turnover ratio, while Crawford has a solid 1.52 ratio, which would rank ninth if he had enough assists to qualify. Forward Scott Thomas and shooting guard Dee Brown have been doing a solid job in this area as well. Thomas has a 1.38 ratio and Brown has 22 assists and just five turnovers in the past six games (4.40 assist/turnover ratio).

GREAT SCOTT
Sophomore Scott Thomas has always had great potential and lately he has been showing exactly the type of player he can be. He posted his first collegiate double-double against Buffalo with career-highs in scoring (21) and rebounding (10). He followed that up by making 8-of-10 shots and all eight of his free-throw attempts for a career-best 27 points, including 18 in the second half, at Kent State. In wins over Ohio and Eastern Michigan, Thomas carried the team to second-half comebacks, combining for just three points in the first half and 31 in the second. He then picked up his second career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Ball State. He leads the team with 11.9 points per game and is tied for the team lead with 28 steals. He also ranks second on the team in rebounding, assists, blocked shots, and free-throw percentage. He has an active streak of nine consecutive double-digit scoring outings and is averaging 15.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, while adding 15 steals and nine blocks, during that stretch.

THE CLOSER
Call him The Closer because Scott Thomas has been unstoppable in the second half of the past nine games. During that time, he has scored just 38 first-half points (4.2 per game) and 105 second-half points (11.7 per game). He is shooting just 30 percent (14-of-46) from the field and 13 percent (3-of-24) from three-point range during the first half of those games and 52 percent (34-of-67) from the field and 39 percent (9-of-23) from three-point range during the second half.

DEE-LIGHTFUL
Sophomore guard Dee Brown has risen to the occasion since posting his first career double-digit scoring game against Milwaukee. Since that time, Brown has scored in double figures in 14-of-19 games and was named Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week on Dec. 7 after averaging 10.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 56 percent from the field, in wins over Savannah State and Fordham. He has carried the team offensively during critical stretches of key non-conference wins against Florida International, Fordham and Canisius. He made 5-of-8 three-pointers and scored a career-high 21 points in helping the Falcons win on the road at Kent State. Brown leads the MAC at 46.8 percent three-point shooting and ranks second on the team in scoring (10.7 points per game) and third in field goal percentage (44.2 percent). Over the past six games, he has added 22 assists and just five turnovers.

HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS
The Falcons came back from halftime deficits of at least seven points in three of its four conference wins, outscoring Kent State, Ohio and Eastern Michigan 138-87 over the final 20 minutes.

THE SECOND HALF OFFENSE
In the last nine games, Bowling Green's second half offense has consistently exceeded its first half scoring. In fact, the Falcons have not scored more first half points than second half points since the Akron game on Jan. 9. The Falcons have scored at least 31 points in the second half in all nine contests but have reached 30 or more points in the first half just once. Bowling Green is shooting 48.3 percent from the field in the second half of the past nine games, as well as 38.5 percent from three-point range. The Falcons have also gone to the free-throw line 55 more times in the second half than the first half.

GETTING THERE IS HALF THE BATTLE
Through the first three games of the season, Bowling Green struggled to get to the free-throw line and that culminated with just two free-throw attempts at Iowa. During that stretch, the Falcons attempted just 9.0 free-throws per game, 28 less than their opponents. However, over the past 19 games, Bowling Green has been to the line an average of 18.7 times (356 total), nine more than opponents.

WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE (THAT ROARS)
Anderson Arena has always been a difficult place for opponents and the Falcons are 6-3 in 2009-10. The Falcons are 453-183 (.712) all-time in Anderson Arena and 167-57 (.746) in the past 17 years.

ROAD WARRIORS
In the past two seasons, Bowling Green has won eight Mid-American Conference road games, tied with Buffalo for the most in the league during that time frame. A year ago, BGSU won six consecutive road games during one stretch of league play, the longest streak in the conference since the 2001-02 Kent State team won seven in a row. This year, the Falcons are 5-8 on the road and went 3-2 during the team's five-game non-conference road stretch that spanned most of the month of December. Bowling Green is 2-4 in MAC road games in 2009-10.

MAC Road Wins Since 2008-09
8 - Bowling Green, Buffalo
7 - Akron, Kent State
6 - Miami
4 - Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan
3 - Western Michigan, Ball State, Ohio
2 - Northern Illinois
0 - Toledo

DEFENSE WINS
Bowling Green has held opponents below 45 percent shooting in all 11 of its victories, a trend for success that has been the norm under Head Coach Louis Orr. In all, the team has held 16-of-22 opponents below 45 percent shooting and the team is just 3-18 under Head Coach Louis Orr when an opponent reaches that threshold, including 0-6 this year. A year ago, opponents shot just 39.3 percent from the field, the lowest total since the 1963-64 season. That team also held opponents to just 61.2 points per game, the lowest total since the 1949-50 season. In the Falcons' last 18 games, the team has been fairly similar to a year ago, holding opponents to 40.3 percent shooting and 61.1 points per game.

THESE GUYS ARE SMART TOO!
Joe Jakubowski and Marc Larson were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team Thursday by voting of the members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Bowling Green was one of only five teams in the country to place multiple players on one of the eight first team all-district teams and both will now be place on the ballot for Academic All-American status. Larson (3.97 gpa) and Jakubowski (3.32 gpa) joined Dayton's Kurt Huelsman, Wright State's Cooper Land, and Michigan's Zack Novak on the District 4 first team.

GIANT KILLERS
Bowling Green tends to have success when a team carries a top 25 ranking into a game at Anderson Arena. The Falcons have won four consecutive home games against nationally ranked opponents, most recently an 89-83 win over No. 23 Kent State on March 1, 2008. 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 more than 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 22-48 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. The Falcons' last road win against a team ranked in the top 25 came when the team beat No. 25 Michigan State on Dec. 18, 1989 by a score of 81-79.

TO BE THE MAN, YOU'VE GOTTA BEAT THE MAN
In back-to-back games, Bowling Green beat head coaches with more than 450 career wins. In wins over Towson and St. Louis, the Falcons defeated coaching legends Pat Kennedy and Rick Majerus. Kennedy has won more than 450 games leading teams at Iona, Florida State, DePaul, Montana, and Towson, while Majerus has reached that mark at Marquette, Ball State, Utah, and St. Louis.

FALCONS ADD TWO IN EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
The Bowling Green coaching staff signed two prep players during the fall early signing period this year, adding 6-foot-6, 200 pound win Craig Sealey and 6-10, 230 pound forward/center Cameron Black. Sealey plays at Brookhaven High School in Columbus, Ohio and is described as an explosive wing who runs the floor well, is a slasher, and strong offensive rebounder. Black plays at Kent Roosevelt High School in Kent, Ohio who is a presence on the defensive end and has a high basketball IQ.

COACHING PEDIGREE
Bowling Green State University men's basketball coach Louis Orr was named the 2008-09 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year by vote of the MAC News Media Association. It is the second time Orr has received a conference Coach of the Year award. He was named the Big East Coach of the Year following the 2002-03 season after guiding Seton Hall to the NIT. In the offseason, Orr signed a contract extension with Bowling Green which lasts through the 2013-14 season.

RIGHT HAND MAN
While Head Coach Louis Orr has a long history of success, assistant coach LaMonta Stone is also recognized as one of the best in the country. Over the summer, HoopScoop.com named Stone the fourth-best mid-major assistant coach in the country, while College Insider named him the 15th best mid-major assistant coach in the nation.

IT WILL STILL ROAR
On Sept. 3, Bowling Green State University broke ground on the Stroh Center, the new home of Bowling Green men's and women's basketball and volleyball. Anderson Arena, "The House That Roars", will continue to host the Falcons through the end of the 2010-11 season. The Stroh Center will seat approximately 4,700 fans and is located near Doyt Perry Stadium. While Anderson Arena was named after Harold "Andy" Anderson, a long time BGSU athletics director and men's basketball coach who is also a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the Stroh Center will continue to honor him. The club area in the new facility has been named the Anderson Club.

AROUND THE DIAL
Bowling Green will be on regional and national television a number of times this year. All BGSU home games not being broadcast nationally appear locally on BCSN on the Buckeye Cable Network. The Feb. 27 home game against Akron will be broadcast on Fox Sports Net as part of a televised doubleheader with the BGSU women's basketball game that day.

CATCH THE FALCONS
• 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. Games can be heard on the flagship station for BGSU athletics, WFRO 99.1 FM. Games can also be heard on WIMA 1150 AM in Lima, WONW 1280 AM in Defiance, and in Cleveland on both WHKW 1220 AM and WHK 1420 AM.
• All game broadcasts and the Falcons Nest Coaches Show can 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.
• Live statistics for all BGSU home men's basketball games are available on the web, allowing fans to view in-game stats as they occur, and may be accessed by going to www.BGSUFalcons.com. Falcon fans can utilize live stats for home events in numerous BGSU sports, including football, men's and women's basketball, hockey, men's and women's soccer, volleyball, baseball, softball, and gymnastics.

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