Falcons Head To Miami For ESPNU Game/Radio Information

Bowling Green Falcons (12-16, 7-6 MAC) at Miami (14-14, 9-4 MAC)
Feb. 26, 2011 • 11:00 a.m. • Oxford, Ohio • Millett Hall (9,200)
Radio: Falcon Radio Network • Todd Walker (Play-by-Play)
Television: ESPNU (Justin Kutcher/Dickey Simpkins)
Live Stats: http://www.bgsufalcons.com
Online: Stretch Internet (audio)
Complete Game Notes (.pdf)

RADIO INFORMATION
Saturday's men's basketball game between Bowling Green and Miami will air on the Falcon Radio Network's affiliates as well as on the web at BGSUFalcons.com. Due to transformer issues, flagship station WFRO 99.1 FM will not carry the broadcast but sister station WOHF 92.1 will broadcast the game. It can also be found on WLQR 106.5 FM and 1470 AM (the AM side will join in progress at 11 a.m. but will not carry the pregame shot) in Toledo, as well as WONW 1280 AM in Defiance.

FALCONS GO FOR SEASON SWEEP OF MIAMI
Bowling Green heads on the road Saturday looking for a season sweep of the Miami RedHawks. The Falcons can get within a game of Miami in the East Division standings in a game that tips at 11 a.m. on ESPNU.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
• Bowling Green has lost four straight games (including three league games) to fall from the top of the MAC East Division to a tie with Buffalo and Ohio for fourth. If the MAC Tournament were to start today, the Falcons would be the No. 6 seed and would host a first-round tournament game. Miami is also coming off of a loss, but would be the No. 3 seed for the MAC Tournament and receive a bye to the quarterfinals.
• During the current four-game losing streak, the Falcons have struggled to defend the perimeter. Opponents are 40-for-87 (46.0 percent) from long range in the past four games and all four have made at least 40 percent of those attempts.
• Jordon Crawford has set assist career-highs in back-to-back games, posting nine against Youngstown State and then topping that with 10 against Ohio. He is also averaging 11.5 points per game in those two contests.
• Craig Sealey came off the bench to score a career-high 14 points against Ohio. The freshman forward had played just 13 minutes total in the first 12 games but played 23 minutes against Ohio and was 7-of-8 from the field and was on the receiving end of two alley-oop dunks.

THE SERIES
Bowling Green is 49-75 all-time against Miami, including a 62-53 win over the RedHawks earlier this year. The Falcons have not won a game in Millett Hall, however, since the 2001-02 season, a stretch of six consecutive losses in the building. Interestingly enough, the RedHawks have scored just 17 and 19 first-half points in the last two meetings at Millett Hall but found a way to overcome the slow starts.

SCOUTING THE MIAMI REDHAWKS
Playing a brutal non-conference schedule, Miami is 14-14 overall but has the second-best record in the MAC at 9-4. The RedHawks are a much different team than the one the Falcons played earlier this year. At that time, Miami tended to pound the ball inside to Antonio Ballard. Since that time, Ballard was lost to a season-ending injury and Miami coach Charlie Coles has opened up the offense. The RedHawks are scoring 71.7 points per game in league games and Julian Mavunga ranks sixth in the league with 15.8 points and leads the conference at 9.0 rebounds per game in MAC contests. The RedHawks do struggle to hold onto the ball and are averaging 4.0 turnovers per game more than opponents. In the first game, Bowling Green hurt Miami by forcing the RedHawks into 20 turnovers.

SEALEY SCORES CAREER-HIGH 14 IN LOSS TO OHIO
Freshman forward Craig Sealey came off the bench to score 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting but the Bowling Green men's basketball team lost its third consecutive MAC contest, 70-60 to Ohio. The Falcons led 32-30 at the half but the Bobcats took the lead for good midway through the second half. Jordon Crawford posted his first career double-double with 10 points and a career-best 10 assists, while Dee Brown added 10 points. Scott Thomas had nine points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Although Ohio shot just 38.5 percent from the floor, the Bobcats overcame that by holding a 42-25 rebounding edge.

TRANSFORMING BGSU BASKETBALL
Bill Frack has watched Bowling Green basketball since 1948 and on Jan. 19, 2011, he showed his appreciation to the program by announcing the formation of an endowment that will exceed $10 million to the program. The gift is the largest in University history and the largest to a men's basketball program in MAC history. When realized, the endowment will be used to build the program to an elite non-BCS level through additional funding for buying home games against quality opponents, competitive coaching salaries, recruiting, strength and conditioning, academic support, and marketing, among other things.

PROGRESSION OF A PROGRAM
In the course of the past four years, the Bowling Green men's basketball program has had its share of headline news. Consider:

• On April 4, 2007, Louis Orr, a former Big East Coach of the Year, was named the new head coach of the men's basketball program.
• On March 1, 2008, Kermit and Mary Lu Stroh announced an $8 million donation as a lead gift for a new basketball arena, named the Stroh Center. The $8 million donation was, at that time, the largest gift in University history. The Stroh Center will open for the 2011-12 season.
• On March 9, 2009, Bowling Green beat Ohio 75-41 to win the MAC regular season championship. Orr was later named MAC Coach of the Year.
• On Sept. 30, 2009, Orr announced the hiring of Dennis Hopson as an assistant coach. Along with Orr, BGSU is one of the few programs in the country to have two college first-team All-Americans and NBA players on staff.
• On Jan. 19, 2011, longtime fan Bill Frack annnounced the formation of a $10 million endowment for the men's basketball program. The $10 million gift is the largest in University history and the largest for a men's basketball program in MAC history.

FINAL GAME ANNOUNCED
The final BGSU men's basketball game in Anderson Arena will be held on Saturday, March 5 against Buffalo. That game will also serve as All-Anderson Team recognition night as the Athletics Department will honor the 13 greatest BGSU men's basketball players of the Anderson Arena era. Game time is yet to be determined.

VERSATILITY
Junior forward Scott Thomas really knows how to fill up a stat sheet. He is the only player in the Mid-American Conference to rank in the top 10 in the league in both rebounding and assists, ranking sixth on the boards and 10th in passing. He is also among the top 10 in the conference in steals, assist/turnover ratio, defensive rebounds, and minutes played.

ONE OF A KIND
In another measure of Scott Thomas' versatility, he is averaging 7.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He is the only player in the country to be averaging at least 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game this year.

THE BIG APOSTROPHE
A'uston Calhoun has turned up his game lately, scoring 20 or more points five times and posting his first two career double-doubles. In the first 10 games of the year, he average 7.0 points and 4.0 rebounds, while shooting 31 percent from the field, but as he's become more comfortable in his role, his numbers have gone up dramatically. In the last 18 games, Calhoun is averaging 14.3 points and 5.9 rebounds, while shooting 46 percent from the floor. He also has a team-high 14 blocked shots during that stretch and is third on the team with 17 steals.

BLOCK PARTY
Through the first 21 games of the season, sophomore forward Danny McElroy had just one blocked shot. However, he picked up at least one blocked shot in each game of a five-game stretch and swatted away three shots against both Northern Illinois and Western Michigan for nine blocks in the last seven contests.

SAY WHAT?
Bowling Green shot 66.7 percent from the field in the first half against Central Michigan Saturday but still lost the game. In fact, the Falcons have lost the last five games when they have shot at least 61.5 percent from the floor in a half.

THIEVERY
Bowling Green leads the MAC and ranks ninth nationally in steals, averaging 9.2 per game. The Falcons have had nine games with at least 10 steals and three with at least 15 this year, including a 19-steal performance against Western Kentucky, the most in a game for a MAC school this year. The 19 steals were just one shy of the program record (the team had 20 steals against Heidelberg in 1990) and Scott Thomas had six steals individually in that game. Thomas ranks third in the MAC and 27th nationally with 2.2 steals per game and Jordon Crawford is fourth in the league at 1.8 steals per game. The Falcons rank fifth in the country in steals per possession, picking up a theft on 13.4 percent of their opponents' possessions.

WHO NEEDS THREE?
Some teams rely on the three-pointer to win games but Bowling Green is not one of those teams. The team snapped a string of 356 consecutive games with at least one three-pointer made by going 0-for-4 in a road win at St. Louis and followed that up by going 1-for-5 in a double overtime road victory at Buffalo. The Falcons went without making a three-pointer for a second time this year in last week's loss to Akron. Bowling Green is attempting just 15.0 three-pointers per game, while opponents are shooting 20.4 per contest.

WHAT A STEAL
Despite being held to just three steals in the past four games, Scott Thomas still ranks 27th in the country with 2.15 steals per game and ranks second in the conference in MAC games only at 1.92 per contest. With a total of 58 steals this year, he is tied with Keith Traylor (1983-84) for the 10th highest single season total in program history. Trent Jackson (2000-01) is ninth with 59, Nate Miller (2008-09) is eighth with 60, and Anthony Stacey (1998-99) and David Jenkins (1982-83) are tied for sixth with 61.

DISHING OUT THE ASSISTS
Sophomore point guard Jordon Crawford stands just 5-foot-6 but plays a big role for the Falcons. Even though he starts the game on the bench, he has taken over the team assist lead by posting at least six in seven of the last 12 games. In fact, he has set a new career-high in back-to-back games, posting nine assists at Youngstown State and then 10 at Ohio. He is third in the league with 4.85 assists per game in conference action only.

POINTING THE WAY
Point guard play has been critical for the Falcons this year and when BGSU has played well, Joe Jakubowski and Jordon Crawford have played well. Jakubowski and Crawford have combined for 82 assists and just 32 turnovers in the team's 12 victories (a 2.56 assist/turnover ratio). In 16 losses, the duo has 91 assists and 58 turnovers (a 1.57 assist/turnover ratio).

SHOOTING THE ROCK
A year ago, Bowling Green led the Mid-American Conference with a 44.4 field goal percentage. After struggling to shoot through the first nine games, the Falcons have again found their rhythm. Bowling Green has shot 46.5 percent over the course of the past 19 games, including identical 27-of-53 shooting nights in four victories. The Falcons have shot better than 50 percent from the field eight times this year, going 7-1 in those contests.

DOWN LOW
Head coach Louis Orr's philosophy is always to play inside-out and the Falcons have continued to do that well in 2010-11. The Falcons have scored at least 20 points in the paint in 25 of the first 28 games after reaching that total in 27-of-30 games a year ago. Bowling Green has outscored its opponents in the paint 20 times (and tied Florida International, Manhattan, and Ball State) after doing it in 23-of-30 games a year ago. The team had a season-high 50 in the win at Buffalo, as well as 44 at Milwaukee, 42 at Saint Louis, and 40 at Central Michigan.

A RARE LOSS
Bowling Green shot 50.8 percent from the floor in Saturday's loss to Youngstown State. It is the first time this year the Falcons have lost when shooting at least 50 percent, posting a win in each of the first seven occurences.

WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE (THAT ROARS)
Anderson Arena has always been a difficult place for opponents and the Falcons are 8-4 so far in 2010-11, winning six straight at one point. The Falcons are 464-189 (.711) all-time in Anderson Arena and 178-63 (.739) in the past 18 years.

DEFENSE WINS
A year ago, Bowling Green held opponents below 45 percent shooting in 13 of its 14 victories and have done the same in 10-of-12 wins this year. In fact, the Falcons are just 6-30 in Head Coach Louis Orr's first four years when an opponent shoots better than 45 percent, including 2-10 this year. The two victories came against Manhattan (48.9 percent shooting) and Ohio (45.8 percent).

STARTING A CAREER
Freshman Cameron Black started the first 17 games of the 2010-11 season before coming off the bench against Ohio. He is the first BGSU freshman to start that many games to begin his collegiate career since Anthony Stacey started all 27 games during the 1995-96 season. Stacey went on to have one of the best careers in program history, setting the school record with 1,938 career points.

ORR SIGNS TEAMMATES IN EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
Head coach Louis Orr announced that Canton Timken High School teammates Jehvon Clarke and Desmond Rorie signed National Letters of Intent during the early signing period to attend Bowling Green for the 2011-12 season. Clarke is a highly-touted 6-foot-1 point guard who averaged 15.5 points, 5.6 assists, and 3.0 steals per game as a junior. Rorie is a 6-9 post player whose best days are ahead of him. He averaged 3.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.7 blocked shots per game as a junior.

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
Junior guard Dee Brown was named MAC Player of the Week Jan. 3 for the second time in his career after averaging 14.5 points in leading the Falcons to wins over UTSA and Saint Louis in a three-day span. Brown scored a team-high 21 in the win at Saint Louis and had eight points, six rebounds, and three steals in the victory over UTSA.

THOMAS NAMED LEGENDS CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT
Scott Thomas was named to the Legends Classic Subregional Round All-Tournament team for his performances against Niagara, Detroit, and Albany. He averaged 9.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists, while picking up eight steals in the three games.

JAKUBOWSKI NAMED COUSY AWARD CANDIDATE
Bowling Green senior Joe Jakubowski was named as one of 66 candidates for the 2011 Bob Cousy Award, given to the top point guard in the country. Jakubowski was BGSU's starting point guard during the last half of his freshman campaign and then started every game at the position as both a sophomore and junior. He entered the 2010-11 season with 85 career starts and is one of the most experienced point guards in the country entering the year.

THE PRIDE OF FINDLAY, OHIO
Sophomore guard Luke Kraus had a highly decorated prep career at Findlay High School, where he passed Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to become the school's all-time leading scorer. Since Roethlisberger officially changed his hometown to the fictional Corey Rawson, Ohio during the offseason, Kraus is now likely the most famous athlete from Findlay, Ohio. One other Findlay resident is a large contributor to the Bowling Green program as Bill Frack, who just announced a $10 million donation to the program, is a lifelong Findlay resident.

FALCONS PICKED FIFTH
Bowling Green was picked to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference East Division in the preseason media poll. The Falcons had 42 points to edge Buffalo (32 points) in the division. Defending MAC Tournament champion Ohio was selected first, followed by Kent State, Akron, and Miami.

MAC Preseason Media Poll
East Division - 1. Ohio (128 points/12 first-place votes), 2. Kent State (114 points/8 first-place votes), 3. Akron (104 points/4 first-place votes), 4. Miami (84 points), 5. Bowling Green (42 points), 6. Buffalo (32 points)
West Division - 1. Ball State (124 points/12 first-place votes), 2. Central Michigan (122 points/8 first-place votes), 3. Eastern Michigan (88 points/2 first-place votes), 4. Western Michigan (68 points), 5. Northern Illinois (64 points/2 first-place votes), 6. Toledo (38 points)
Tournament Champion - Ohio (10), Kent State (6), Central Michigan (4), Ball State (2), Akron (2)

THOMAS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-MAC
Scott Thomas was selected as one of five Preseason All-MAC East Division players by vote of the media. Thomas led BGSU in scoring and steals a year ago, ranking second in rebounds, assists, and blocked shots. He averaged 13.2 points per game on the season but improved that average to 15.4 points in conference games and 16.9 points over the final eight contests.

Preseason All-MAC Teams
East Division - Brett McKnight (Akron), Scott Thomas (Bowling Green), Justin Greene (Kent State), Julian Mavunga (Miami), D.J. Cooper (Ohio)
West Division - Jarrod Jones (Ball State), Trey Zeigler (Central Michigan), Brandon Bowdry (Eastern Michigan), Xavier Silas (Northern Illinois), Flenard Whitfield (Western Michigan)

IT WILL STILL ROAR
Known as "The House That Roars", Anderson Arena will play host to the Bowling Green men's basketball team for the final time in 2010-11. The team will move into the brand new Stroh Center next year and will open the building by hosting Howard on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011. In honor of the final season in Anderson Arena, the Athletics Department is holding a year-long celebration titled "Closing The Doors Of The House That Roars". Here are the key events of the final year in Anderson Arena and the first year in the Stroh Center:

March 5, 2011 - All-Anderson Team recognized vs. Buffalo
March 5, 2011 - The B!G Event; One final celebration of Anderson Arena
Sept. 9, 2011 - Volleyball vs. Michigan State; Stroh Center ribbon-cutting
Nov. 12, 2011 - Men's basketball vs. Howard; First game in Stroh Center
Nov. 17, 2011 - Women's basketball vs. Purdue; First game in Stroh Center
March 17-20, 2012 - NCAA Women's Basketball Tourney in Stroh Center

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