BGSU Bound For Battle Of I-75 MAC Quarterfinals Rubber Match Thursday In Cleveland

Thursday, March 12

Cleveland, Ohio

Approx. 1:30 p.m. (30 Minutes After Game 1 Conclusion)

Bowling Green State University

No. 4 Toledo

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Photo by: Drake Harlett, BGSU Athletics

BGSU Bound For Battle Of I-75 MAC Quarterfinals Rubber Match Thursday In Cleveland

March 10, 2026 | Men's Basketball

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Falcons Making Third-Straight MAC Quarterfinals Appearance For First Time Since 2003-05

By: by Kyle Edmond, BGSU Athletics

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team will embark on this year's MAC Tournament, beginning with a rivalry rubber match. Bowling Green starts the postseason against the No. 4-seeded Toledo Rockets, facing off at Rocket Arena on Thursday (March 12) in the MAC Quarterfinals. The game will be the second of the day, starting roughly 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one, which should be approximately 1:30 p.m. Follow @BGSUMBB on Twitter/X for updates the morning of the game for an official tip time. The quarterfinal round will be available to stream on ESPN+ while Todd Walker will have the radio call on WFRO Eagle 99.

Opening Tip
Bowling Green and Toledo will be meeting for the 187th time in program history and the third time this season. The all-time series leans to the Rockets, 100-86, but the teams have split the season series with the home team winning each game. This will be the first time BGSU and Toledo have met in the MAC Tournament since March 6, 2017 and the first time on a neutral floor since March 12, 2008. The Falcons will be playing in the MAC Quarterfinals for the third-straight season, the first time playing in the round in three straight years since 2003-05. In the games against Toledo this season, Javontae Campbell has paced BGSU, averaging 24.0 points, 6.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game.

A Bowling Green Win Would…

Grant Bowling Green a pair of wins over Toledo this season as well as wins in three of the last four meetings between the two teams.
Push BGSU to the MAC Semifinals, making Todd Simon the first head coach in program history to reach the MAC Semifinals twice in his first three seasons at Bowling Green.
Keep Bowling Green undefeated in neutral site games this year with a 3-0 record.
Give the Falcons 1,499 wins in program history, drawing close to the 1,500-win milestone.

At The Game
We will be hosting a pregame event at the Harry Buffalo at 11:00am, with complimentary appetizers and a cash bar available. Fans may purchase tickets through the BGSU Ticket Office for $40. Tickets will be emailed to you the day before the game at noon through SeatGeek. Seat assignments are based on Falcon Club status, season ticket status, and prior BGSU Athletics support. Tickets are good for the entire day of competition. Fans can come-and-go from the arena by getting an exit scan when leaving that will provide re-entry to Rocket Arena.

One Record Down, One To Go
Through 30 games, Javontae Campbell is averaging 3.1 steals per game with 96 total for the season, leading the nation in both stats. With 96 steals, Campbell has already broken his own single-season program record that he set last year. As for the MAC record, Campbell is within range to break that one as well. The MAC record is set at 103 by Ball State's Bonzi Wells in 1997-98. Campbell is currently third on the MAC list.

Scouting The Rockets
Since the last meeting between BGSU and Toledo, the Rockets have posted a 4-1 record to close out the regular season. Their lone loss came to Miami (OH) on March 3, falling by just two in a 74-72 final score. As for the wins, they came against Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Ohio and Buffalo. UT has been paced by the guard duo of Sonny Wilson and Leroy Blyden Jr., combining for 1,042 points, 278 assists and 232 rebounds over the course of the season.

BGSU vs. Toledo, All-Time
Bowling Green and Toledo will be meeting for the 187th time in program history and the 11th time on a neutral floor. The last neutral floor matchup came 18 years ago to the day of this matchup, being March 12, 2008. However, BGSU and Toledo did play in the MAC Tournament on March 6, 2017, but it was in Savage Arena. BGSU and UT were originally scheduled to play in 2020 quarterfinals before the tournament was canceled due to COVID. BGSU's last win over Toledo as part of the MAC Tournament came in the quarterfinals of the 1997 tournament with a 94-69 victory.

BGSU Reached Another 20-Year Mark
The Falcons are playing in the MAC Tournament for the third-straight season, making it each year under head coach Todd Simon. With the MAC Tournament now beginning in the quarterfinals (Round of 8), the Falcons will be playing in the quarterfinals in three-straight years for the first time since 2003-05. One small caveat, the Falcons did make the quarterfinals each season from 2019-21, but the game wasn't played in 2020 due to the tournament being canceled for COVID. Had the tournament been played, Bowling Green would have faced Toledo in the Round of 8.

Falcons In The MAC Tournament
Since the MAC Tournament began in the 1979-80 season, only two coaches in BGSU history have appeared in the MAC Quarterfinals in each of their first three seasons at the helm of the Falcons. Jim Larranaga did so, beginning in 1986-87, and now Todd Simon has as well. Larranaga advanced to the MAC Semifinals once during his first three seasons. With a win, Coach Simon would become the first BGSU men's basketball coach to make the MAC Semifinals in two of his first three seasons at Bowling Green after reaching the round in his first season with BGSU in 2023-24.

Campbell Closing In On History
Javontae Campbell has a chance to do something that only Antonio Daniels can claim to have done for BGSU. Campbell is currently 18 points shy of entering the top 10 for single-season points at BGSU and has already entered the top 10 for single-season assists. Currently, Antonio Daniels is the only player in the top 10 for both, second with 767 points and third with 216 assists from the 1996-97 season.

Glover Enters BGSU Record Book
Troy Glover II has been strong in the paint defensively for the Falcons, logging at least one block in 14 of the last 17 games for Bowling Green, including 12 over a three-game stretch from Feb. 11-17. The surge for Glover has not only pushed him up the MAC leaderboards, now fourth behind CMU's Nathan Claerbaut, EMU's Godslove Nwabude and Buffalo's Tim Oboh, but also has him inside BGSU's top 10 for a single season. With 45 blocks this year, Glover is 10th on BGSU's single-season blocks list.

Towns On The Boards
Over the last two games of the regular season, Sam Towns accumulated 33 rebounds, posting 15 against UMass and 18 against Eastern Michigan. In doing so, Towns became the first Falcon with back-to-back games with 15+ rebounds since Demajeo Wiggins in 2018-19. It also marked his third time this season with 15 or more rebounds, logging 18 against VMI on Nov. 26. The late season surge for Towns in rebounds pushed him inside the top five for rebounds in MAC games, closing the regular season fourth with an average of 7.7 rebounds per contest.

Campbell Contributions
Javontae Campbell is one of just two players in the MAC to rank inside the top 10 during conference play for points, assists and steals, joined by Toledo's Leroy Blyden Jr.. Campbell ranks first in both points (21.4) and steals (2.4) while being third in assists (6.0). Blyden is sixth in steals (1.7), eighth in points (17.1) and ninth in assists (4.3).

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' and 'BGSU Men's Hoops'
YouTube - 'Falcon Athletics'