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BGSU Men's Basketball is finally back. When we last saw our Falcons, they had lost a tough one to Buffalo, 88-84. We didn't know it at the time, but it was the last time we would see seniors Mike Laster, Dylan Frye, Marlon Sierra, and Ethan Good wear the orange and brown. We were heading into the MAC tournament as the #2 seed to take on the Toledo Rockets in the quarterfinals on Thursday night when COVID-19 swept our legs out from under us, canceling the tournament and allowing the NCAA tournament drought to notch another year.

On Wednesday, November 25, at 4:00pm, our Falcons will begin their season at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor as they take on the #25 Michigan Wolverines. The game will be televised on ESPN2, and I’m looking forward to how we’ll battle with a Big Ten squad this early in the season.

Michigan was 19-12 a year ago, with a 10-10 record in conference play. They had a hot start last year, winning the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament while taking down Iowa State, North Carolina, and Gonzaga, but they tapered off after their hot start and played average basketball the rest of the year (including losing 3 of 4 to close). They’re coached by Juwan Howard of “Fab 5” fame, and they’re going to provide an interesting battle for us to start.

The Wolverines have 8 players with senior eligibility, so they’re a really experienced team. Zeb Jackson, a freshman from Toledo, is a player I’m looking forward to watching. Coach Howard's son, Jace Howard, is also a freshman on this team.

It’s time, folks. Let’s be 1-0 on Wednesday night, eh?

Ay Ziggy Zoomba!

mbenecke wrote:BGSU Men's Basketball is finally back. When we last saw our Falcons, they had lost a tough one to Buffalo, 88-84. We didn't know it at the time, but it was the last time we would see seniors Mike Laster, Dylan Frye, Marlon Sierra, and Ethan Good wear the orange and brown. We were heading into the MAC tournament as the #2 seed to take on the Toledo Rockets in the quarterfinals on Thursday night when COVID-19 swept our legs out from under us, canceling the tournament and allowing the NCAA tournament drought to notch another year.

On Wednesday, November 25, at 4:00pm, our Falcons will begin their season at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor as they take on the #25 Michigan Wolverines. The game will be televised on ESPN2, and I’m looking forward to how we’ll battle with a Big Ten squad this early in the season.

Michigan was 19-12 a year ago, with a 10-10 record in conference play. They had a hot start last year, winning the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament while taking down Iowa State, North Carolina, and Gonzaga, but they tapered off after their hot start and played average basketball the rest of the year (including losing 3 of 4 to close). They’re coached by Juwan Howard of “Fab 5” fame, and they’re going to provide an interesting battle for us to start.

The Wolverines have 8 players with senior eligibility, so they’re a really experienced team. Zeb Jackson, a freshman from Toledo, is a player I’m looking forward to watching. Coach Howard's son, Jace Howard, is also a freshman on this team.

It’s time, folks. Let’s be 1-0 on Wednesday night, eh?

Ay Ziggy Zoomba!

As much as I love seeing BG take on a Big Ten team, I wish they would have had a game against a presumably inferior opponent first so the new lineups could work together in a real game setting and gel leading into Michigan. I worry that they will fall behind early against a team this experienced, but I've been wrong before, and I hope I am now! Can't wait for this season.

At the very least, an exhibition would've been nice, you're absolutely right.

But any chance we get to take a shot at the Big Ten or another "power conference" school, I'm here for it.

Couple good matchups I’m looking forward to in Juice/Franz Wagner and Plowden/ Isaiah Livers. As I feel our Achilles heel might be this season, who will step up and be the 3rd/4th scorer after Juice/Plowden? Fields/Swingle/Matiss need to be able to contribute offensively with some consistency for us to reach our ceiling this year. I really think if we get some timely shooting, don’t give up too many offensive rebounds and don’t get beat up on the boards in general, we’ll make it interesting. Michigan is loaded relatively speaking and Wagner might be a first rounder next summer. I’m not going to act like I’m a Big 10 hoops expert because i most certainly am not, but seems to me Michigan is long and athletic which will give any underdog problems. Let’s just not forget, we are good. If our two stars are business as usual this year and everyone else can take a step forward, there’s no reason this can’t be a special season. Why not start it off Wednesday?

I really hope that Diggs has found a way to be at least competent defensively. He cost us so much on that end last year that unless he was having a lights out shooting night he was a net negative points player. But if he can be competent defensively he can do so much for us offensively that I really hope we can keep him on the floor for 25 mpg. His shooting spaces things out for Turner, and he showed some nice ability cutting without the ball and finishing at the rim as well. He's not going to do much with the ball in his hands, but that fits perfectly with our ball dominant guards.

If he gets the minutes I think he's easily our #3 scorer, and actually wouldn't be shocked if he ended up with more ppg than Plowden.

hammb wrote:I really hope that Diggs has found a way to be at least competent defensively. He cost us so much on that end last year that unless he was having a lights out shooting night he was a net negative points player. But if he can be competent defensively he can do so much for us offensively that I really hope we can keep him on the floor for 25 mpg. His shooting spaces things out for Turner, and he showed some nice ability cutting without the ball and finishing at the rim as well. He's not going to do much with the ball in his hands, but that fits perfectly with our ball dominant guards.

If he gets the minutes I think he's easily our #3 scorer, and actually wouldn't be shocked if he ended up with more ppg than Plowden.

Agreed, I always thought he kinda looked bull in a China shop like to me defensively last year. He is our obvious 3rd scorer, but can he do it in more ways than just volume based behind the 3 point line would be my question. Guess i didn’t group him in that rhetorical question of 3rd/4th scorer being such a heat check type of shooter. We saw him score 20+ last year, but also saw some goose eggs. A nice 11-14 ppg average would do us wonders and would agree that he can definitely get there.

Really looking forward to this one tonight, folks. I think we have a real shot to be competitive, and we have more than a prayer to win outright - despite being 13.5 point underdogs.

Starting 5:

Metheny, Fr.
Fields, Jr.
Turner, RS-Sr.
Plowden, Sr.
Swingle, RS-So.

Zeigler, Diggs, Kula, and the rest will be a part of the 2nd unit.

mbenecke wrote:Starting 5:

Metheny, Fr.
Fields, Jr.
Turner, RS-Sr.
Plowden, Sr.
Swingle, RS-So.

Zeigler, Diggs, Kula, and the rest will be a part of the 2nd unit.

UPDATE: I'm seeing that Kula isn't dressed for today's game. Might still be recovering from whatever ailed him a few weeks ago at the scrimmage. Josiah Fulcher also isn't dressed for the game today.

Man no Matiss hurts. I like Matheny starting though. Get the feeling a Ziegler/fields backcourt might be a little too offensively challenged at times.

I can't find the game on the espn app?

Globetrotter wrote:I can't find the game on the espn app?

Weird. It's on ESPN2.

Swingle to the bench with 2 quick ones - the 2nd was extremely confusing/questionable...

Washington comes in first off the bench.

Metheny converts a layup as he's fouled and we go to the first media timeout down 10-4. Metheny will be shooting an and-one free throw after the break.

I like the kid's heart and fight already, but he looks a little bit out of control out there. Needs to settle in and just play.

Juice had a nice finish for our first points of the game. So glad he's back.

At the 2nd media timeout, Michigan leads 15-10. BG was better in that last 4 minutes. Just really feel a little out of sync. We need to settle down and just play our game.