MAC Quarterfinals: vs. Akron (3/11)

[mbenecke]

On Thursday, March 11, our Falcons (14-10, 10-8 MAC) will head to Cleveland, OH to take on the Akron Zips (14-7, 12-6 MAC) in the quarterfinals of the MAC tournament. There isn’t an official start time listed for this game because it depends on the games before us, but it seems like the game will start somewhere around 6:30pm, and it’s slated to be broadcast on ESPN+.

Akron is obviously a quality opponent, and though they have given us huge issues for the better part of a decade, we have split the season series with them in each of the past 3 seasons, including a 12-point home loss and a 12-point home win against them this year. If we can play at our best in this game, we absolutely have a chance to win, but it’s going to take everything we’ve got to win this one.

Being picked as the preseason MAC favorites, this team obviously hasn’t lived up to the hype. However, I think I speak for everyone when I say this: If they win 3 games in Cleveland, win the conference tournament, and snap the NCAA tournament drought (which has reached 52 seasons now), all will be forgiven, and this will be an all-time BG team.

So, to Justin Turner, Daeqwon Plowden, and Trey Diggs - this is it, fellas. It’s time to become legends.

Go Falcons - win the MAC!

[Falconwriter]

It's a nice fantasy -- having them win the MAC tournament this year -- but I fear it's just that: a fantasy. I'll honestly be surprised if they get by Akron.

[BGSU33]

It's a nice fantasy -- having them win the MAC tournament this year -- but I fear it's just that: a fantasy. I'll honestly be surprised if they get by Akron.

Sadly, I feel the same way. And believe me when I say this - I hate that I feel that way. But it's been instilled in me after years and years of misery and failure. The #1 thing I want to see happen in sports is BG to simply win the MAC Tournament. Not the NCAA Tournament, just the piddly MAC Tournament. And with each passing year, I often wonder how many BG basketball fans have passed on without seeing BG win it just once. I don't necessarily believe in curses, but there's something evil working against BG in this event that no other school has had happen:

- BG actually played in the very first MAC Tournament in 1980, only to lose to its rival Toledo (sign of things to comes).
- BG actually hosted the MAC Tournament in 1983, the only time in tournament history where a team has hosted the finals in the history of the event, and lost to Ohio - a team that BG had actually swept in the regular season.
- The last two times BG has reached the finals (2002 and 2019), all BG had to do was try and beat two of the best teams in MAC Tournament history against the Kent State team that advanced to the Elite 8 and the Buffalo team who was ranked nearly the entire year and would have received the first MAC at-large bid since the 1990's. BG held leads the in the second halves of both games, but lost.
- BG had teams led by MAC Player of the Year players such as Antonio Daniels, Anthony Stacey and Keith McLeod, but couldn't win it.
- BG had team led by NBA players such as Antonio Daniels, Keith McLeod and Richaun Holmes, but couldn't win it.
- BG has had two MAC Coaches of the Year winners not be able to lead their teams to the tournament title.
- BG has won the MAC regular season 5 times since the MAC Tournament started, but lost in the tournament each time.
- BG is the ONLY school in the MAC to never, ever win the MAC Tournament. Here's a list of the other MAC members who have:
Ball State 7
Ohio 6
Kent State 6
Buffalo 4
Kent State 4
Eastern Michigan 4
Akron 3
Central Michigan 2
Western Michigan 2
Toledo 1
Northern Illinois 1
Even the frickin' Covid-19 has claimed more MAC Tournaments than BG has for crying out loud!
- The hope of getting back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1968 will not occur until BG wins an event it frankly, has proven it simply can't win. The drought will not come to an end until BG wins the MAC Tournament. Period.

So, do I think BG is going to win the MAC Tournament this year and finally end this F'in never-ending streak of frustration, embarrassment and misery? No, no I do not.

[hammb]

I'm as die hard as die hard gets when it comes to BG Hoops, but I'm right there with 33.

Those that sit around me at the games, we all have a running joke. We love BG hoops, but we know that we are just the definition of futility when it comes to actually winning anything of consequence. The real pain is just how much regular season (and individual player) success we've had over those decades of futility. You could make a case for BG producing as much basketball talent as anybody in the MAC, but it never gets us anywhere.

We had a starting lineup of Brandon Pardon, Keith McLeod, Len Matela, Brent Klassen, and Cory Ryan. That team was basically together for 3 years (other than Ryan), and they started off by having those guys rotate in with the likes of Anthony Stacey and Dave Esterkamp. That's a metric s**t ton of MAC talent.

To show for it we made one solitary trip to the MAC finals, against the greatest MAC team ever (prior to UB, anyhow). Sigh...knowing our history against Akron I think this season will finally dribble the last bit of piss out tomorrow and we can add Plowden & Turner to the long list of top tier BG players that can't get this thing over the hump.

[mbenecke]

The MAC has announced their regular season awards today:

Justin Turner named First Team All-MAC.

Daeqwon Plowden named Third Team All-MAC.

Trey Diggs named MAC Sixth Man of the Year.

Kaden Metheny and Josiah Fulcher both named to the Freshman All-MAC team.

[BillyLP]

Turner, Diggs and Metheny all well-deserved. Plowden got robbed, IMO. He was a clear second team guy to me. I'm surprised Fulcher made the freshman team. He played well, but he didn't play a ton. Must not have been very many impactful freshman this season.

[hammb]

Turner, Diggs and Metheny all well-deserved. Plowden got robbed, IMO. He was a clear second team guy to me. I'm surprised Fulcher made the freshman team. He played well, but he didn't play a ton. Must not have been very many impactful freshman this season.

Echo all those sentiments. Matheny earned the FR honors when his ability to rebound late helped stopped our skid and pull us back into winning.

Surprised that Fulcher made it. He had some real nice moments this year, but wasn't really a consistent contributor.

I haven't looked at all of the teams (MAC website hasn't even posted it yet), but I can't imagine Plowden isn't one of the 10 best players in this conference.

[Globetrotter]

You could have worse scenarios than building a team around Metheny and Fulcher as your backcourt. I think Fulcher has MAC POY written all over him. Cam Young and Chandler Turner are both pieces I like as well but still unknowns. Fields will be a solid Sr. Washington can contribute 10-14 minutes. Rest of team is a total question mark with as many as 4 open schollies and Diggs-Turner and Plowden all allowed to come back technically.

(Oh god I am getting sucked back in aren't I).

[HoopsFan]

LOL Didn't Stacey get 6 years? Please, don't let Turner come back.

HoopsFan

[Falconwriter]

It's a nice fantasy -- having them win the MAC tournament this year -- but I fear it's just that: a fantasy. I'll honestly be surprised if they get by Akron.

Sadly, I feel the same way. And believe me when I say this - I hate that I feel that way. But it's been instilled in me after years and years of misery and failure. The #1 thing I want to see happen in sports is BG to simply win the MAC Tournament. Not the NCAA Tournament, just the piddly MAC Tournament. And with each passing year, I often wonder how many BG basketball fans have passed on without seeing BG win it just once. I don't necessarily believe in curses, but there's something evil working against BG in this event that no other school has had happen:

- BG actually played in the very first MAC Tournament in 1980, only to lose to its rival Toledo (sign of things to comes).
- BG actually hosted the MAC Tournament in 1983, the only time in tournament history where a team has hosted the finals in the history of the event, and lost to Ohio - a team that BG had actually swept in the regular season.
- The last two times BG has reached the finals (2002 and 2019), all BG had to do was try and beat two of the best teams in MAC Tournament history against the Kent State team that advanced to the Elite 8 and the Buffalo team who was ranked nearly the entire year and would have received the first MAC at-large bid since the 1990's. BG held leads the in the second halves of both games, but lost.
- BG had teams led by MAC Player of the Year players such as Antonio Daniels, Anthony Stacey and Keith McLeod, but couldn't win it.
- BG had team led by NBA players such as Antonio Daniels, Keith McLeod and Richaun Holmes, but couldn't win it.
- BG has had two MAC Coaches of the Year winners not be able to lead their teams to the tournament title.
- BG has won the MAC regular season 5 times since the MAC Tournament started, but lost in the tournament each time.
- BG is the ONLY school in the MAC to never, ever win the MAC Tournament. Here's a list of the other MAC members who have:
Ball State 7
Ohio 6
Kent State 6
Buffalo 4
Kent State 4
Eastern Michigan 4
Akron 3
Central Michigan 2
Western Michigan 2
Toledo 1
Northern Illinois 1
Even the frickin' Covid-19 has claimed more MAC Tournaments than BG has for crying out loud!
- The hope of getting back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1968 will not occur until BG wins an event it frankly, has proven it simply can't win. The drought will not come to an end until BG wins the MAC Tournament. Period.

So, do I think BG is going to win the MAC Tournament this year and finally end this F'in never-ending streak of frustration, embarrassment and misery? No, no I do not.

I attended BG during 72-76 and saw the team that had Jeff Montgomery and Corny Cash lose the final home game in both '73 and '74, either of which could have gotten them into the NCAA tournament. Especially in '74, BG lost by 2 points to Central Michigan in a game that would have given them the NCAA bid. The year before, they lost by 1 point in overtime to OU (which went to the tournament). So I was indoctrinated into the BG House of Pain early on.

[Matty B]

It's a nice fantasy -- having them win the MAC tournament this year -- but I fear it's just that: a fantasy. I'll honestly be surprised if they get by Akron.

We are 4-2 this year against the 3 teams we are likely going through if we make it to Saturday, with pretty convincing wins against all 3. Only 1 point dogs vs Akron Thursday. Anything can happen, let's rock!!

[mbenecke]

Toledo survives Ball State in the opening game, 91-89 in OT.

Another clock operator issue in MAC play takes time off Ball State's chances to win at the end, and Toledo escapes a game that really shouldn't have been that close.

[hammb]

Toledo survives Ball State in the opening game, 91-89 in OT.

Another clock operator issue in MAC play takes time off Ball State's chances to win at the end, and Toledo escapes a game that really shouldn't have been that close.

I hope like hell that Huger watched a bit of the ending. I hope he saw that Ball State got the ball off an inbounds with 5.6s remaining, down 2, and didn't try an asinine baseball pass. Instead they actually inbounded the ball to the player they wanted to take the final shot, and he was able to dribble the entire length of the court and make a reverse layup as time expired to tie it up. All that in 5.6 seconds. Yet, in 4.6 seconds our best bet was to throw a BASEBALL pass?

Please, please tell me he was taking some notes. Or just as good, that he was interviewing with Fordham.

[BleedOrange]

Plowden deserved 2nd team over Graves, Littleson, and El-Amin. No doubt, BG's disappointing season cost him (but not Turner). Plowden could have been runner-up Defensive Player of the Year.

On that note, Jeenathan Williams belonged on the 1st team over Justin Turner.

[BleedOrange]

This article shows the full listing

https://www.cleveland.com/sports/colleg ... -year.html