Bowling Green, Ball State Set For Battle Of The Birds In Muncie Tuesday Night

MUNCIE, Ind. - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team will remain on the road, this time traveling to Muncie, Ind. on Tuesday (Jan. 30) to take on the Ball State Cardinals. The Falcons and Cardinals are scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip at Worthen Arena. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ with a radio stream available through WFRO Eagle 99.

Opening Tip
The Falcons and Cardinals will be meeting for the 95th time in program history with BGSU leading the all-time series 53-41. The game will feature two of the MAC's top four rebounders with BGSU's Rashaun Agee (9.0 rebounds per game) and Ball State's Basheer Jihad (7.8). Bowling Green enters tied with Western Michigan (5-3) for fourth in the MAC while being one game behind Central Michigan (6-2) for third and two behind Akron and Toledo (7-1) for first.

A Bowling Green Win Would…

Give Bowling Green 15 wins, the most in a season since 2019-20 (21).
Give Bowling Green six conference wins, the most in a season since 2021-22 (6).
Move BGSU to 15-6, the best record through 21 games since the 2019-20 season (16-5).
Push BGSU to 6-3 in the MAC, the best record through nine MAC games since 2020-21 (6-3).
Get the Falcons back above .500 when playing against MAC opponents on the road (3-2).
Snap a two-game losing streak on the season and a four-game losing streak against Ball State.

Scouting The Cardinals
Ball State enters Tuesday's contest as winners in three of their last four with the lone loss coming in an overtime game against Miami (OH). The wins have come against Eastern Michigan, Buffalo and Northern Illinois to move Ball State to 3-5 in the MAC after an 0-4 start. Of their five MAC losses, only one was decided by more than eight points. As a team, Ball State currently leads the MAC in both three-point percentage (37.6%) and free throw percentage (76.8%) for the season. Individually, Basheer Jihad leads the way, averaging 19.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.

BGSU v. Ball State, A History
Bowling Green and Ball State will be meeting for the 95th time in program history with BGSU leading the series 53-41. As for games played in Muncie, the Cardinals hold the advantage with a record of 27-18 when hosting the Falcons. Ball State has won the last four matchups, but the last 10 are an even split with both teams taking five meetings. The last win for the Falcons in the series came on Feb. 16, 2021 in Muncie by a score of 75-62.

Battle On The Boards
During the course of the 2023-24 season, the Falcons have averaged a MAC-leading 38.4 rebounds per game. However, Ball State during the season has allowed the fewest rebounds per game, holding opponents to a mark of 31.8. Both teams have shown their strength on the defensive boards, ranking one and two in the MAC with BGSU leading the way at 27.6 followed by Ball State's 25.9. As for conference play, Ball State is third in defensive rebounds (26.8) while Bowling Green is fourth (25.9).

Starters Carrying The Load
Against Toledo, the Falcons had all five starters reach double-digit points for the third time this season. Before this season, the last time BGSU had all five starters score double-digits was the 2018-19 season. Bowling Green has hit the mark now against Toledo (Jan. 27), Ohio (Jan. 9) and Siena Heights (Dec. 22). In all three games, the starters have combined for at least 69 points and have produced at least 85% of the team's scoring.

Hill On Record Book Pace
Through 20 games this season, Marcus Hill has tallied double-digits 18 times, 20+ 11 times and 30+ twice. Hill is currently in the midst of five straight 20-point games, averaging 23.4 points per game during the span. For the season, Hill has totaled 418 points for the Orange and Brown, putting him on pace to enter the Top 10 all-time for points in a single-season. Hill needs 600 to break into the Top 10 and 625 for the Top 5.

Agee's Double-Doubles
Over the last 12 games, Rashaun Agee has tallied eight double-doubles for the Falcons, working his way up to a tie for 27th in the nation. He's also finished a rebound shy of two more double-doubles during the 12-game stretch. During the 12-game stretch, Agee is now averaging 15.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

Follow the Falcons
Be sure to follow the Falcons' men's basketball team on social media
Twitter - @BGSU_Athletics and @BGSUMBB
Instagram - 'bgfalcons' and 'bgsumhoops'
Facebook - 'BGSU Athletics'
YouTube - 'Falcon Athletics'

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