On paper, the Bobcats are outmatched by the upstart Falcons, who are having a season even they didn’t know was capable.
The Bobcats are riding the low of a six-game losing streak, and they’ll welcome the Falcons into The Convo trying to play spoil Bowling Green’s MAC regular season title hopes Friday night. The game will also be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
After a lackluster 8-5 start to the season in their nonconference slate that featured losses in winnable games, the Falcons have caught fire. They’re are 11-2 in conference play, highlighted by a home upset of ranked Buffalo in the Stroh Center on Feb. 1. Since then, they’re 4-1, the lone loss coming to rival Toledo. Even with the loss to the Rockets and an earlier conference loss to Miami, Bowling Green is on pace to win the regular season conference crown for the first time since 2009.
The Bobcats, meanwhile, have taken a nearly opposite course to where they are now. They finished nonconference play at 8-4, including wins over decent teams, but they’ve won just three games since then.
Ohio hit its low point Tuesday night against Buffalo, when it lost on the road by 47, the worst margin of defeat since 1998. Now, the Bobcats will try to pick up the pieces from that blowout loss and rebound against one of the MAC’s best. But it’s not crazy to think the Bobcats can pull off the upset. There have been bigger upsets this season in the conference, such as Northern Illinois defeating Buffalo in DeKalb, Illinois. Upsets happen.
When Ohio and Bowling Green met on Jan. 8, the Bobcats had a tie game at halftime and hung around for 30 minutes behind a big night from Jason Carter. But Carter didn’t score in the latter part of the game, and the Falcons ran away with an 82-63 victory.
Justin Turner went off for 14 of his 20 points in the second half to help the Falcons. In that game, the Bobcats were outrebounded by nine and couldn’t defend the Falcons late.
Saul Phillips will coach against Michael Huger for the eighth time, and he’s 3-4 when facing Huger since he arrived in the MAC from his assistant role at Miami (Florida). Phillips is 3-6 all-time against the Falcons.
Game information
Opponent: Bowling Green
Game time: 6:30 p.m.
Venue: The Convo (Athens, Ohio)
Watch: CBS Sports Network
Listen: Ohio IMG Sports Network
Meet the opponent
Projected Starters
05 Dylan Frye (6-feet-2, 185 pounds)
03 Caleb Fields (6-feet-2, 185 pounds)
10 Justin Turner (6-feet-4, 205 pounds)
25 Daeqwon Plowden (6-feet-6, 220 pounds)
01 Demajeo Wiggins (6-feet-10, 240)
Individual Statistical Leaders:
Points: Turner (19.0 points per game)
Rebounds: Wiggins (11.2 rebounds per game)
Assists: Turner (3.3 assists per game)
Team statistical profile
Points per game: 78.9
Rebounds per game: 42.0
Assists per game: 13.4
Field goal percentage: 44.6 percent
3-point percentage: 37.1 percent
Free-throw percentage: 67.3 percent
