Cincinnati Highlights 2015-16 Non-Conference Schedule

2015-16 BGSU Men's Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
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Bowling Green, Ohio – First-year men's basketball head coach Michael Huger is excited to announce the 2015-16 Bowling Green State University men's basketball non-conference schedule, which will consist of seven home games highlighted by the second annual Bill Frack Challenge on Nov. 18 versus the Cincinnati Bearcats at the Stroh Center in Bowling Green, Ohio.

"I'm very pleased with our non-conference schedule. I think it is competitive and will prepare us for conference play," commented Coach Huger. "Our staff did a great job of putting it together."

The 2015-16 season will be the 100th year of men's basketball at BGSU, as the Falcons very first men's basketball game was played on Jan. 8, 1916. The Falcons suffered a 33-15 loss at Eastern Michigan.

Following a home exhibition contest versus Notre Dame College on Nov. 6, Coach Huger will make his head coaching debut at home versus New Orleans on Nov. 14 in the regular season opener.

BGSU will then host Cincinnati for the second annual Bill Frack Challenge on Nov. 18 at the Stroh Center.

"I believe that Bill Frack would be so proud to know we are hosting Cincinnati at the Stroh Center. The game serves as the second annual Bill Frack Challenge as we continue to realize his vision for Falcon men's basketball," stated BGSU Director of Athletics D. Christopher Kingston. "It is a great opportunity to celebrate Bill's legacy and strengthen our partnership with the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation."

Coach Huger will then make his return to the Sunshine State to take on Florida Gulf Coast (TBA), Youngstown State (TBA) and North Dakota (TBA) from Nov. 21-23 in the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic in Fort Myers, Fla., only two hours away from Miami where Huger spent the last four years on the sidelines as an assistant coach at the University of Miami. Each school will play the other three, and games will be set in advance. More information about the times and daily matchups, in addition to further tournament items will be announced at a later date.

"I'm looking forward to going back to Florida to play three games against very good competition," continued Huger. "I'm also excited to give Wes Alcegaire a chance to go home to play in front of his family and friends."

The Falcons will then return home for a three-game home stand versus Urbana (Nov. 29), University of Maryland – Baltimore County (Dec. 2) and Drake (Dec. 5) before a four-game road trip with return contests at Southeast Missouri (Dec. 8), at Detroit (Dec. 12), at Wright State (Dec. 20) and at Cleveland State (Dec. 23).

The non-conference portion of the 2015-16 schedule will conclude with a home game versus the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) on Dec. 31.

Game times, television & ESPN3 selections, as well as the Mid-American Conference schedule, will all be announced at a later date.

2015-16 Non-Conference Schedule Breakdown
Friday, Nov. 6 – Notre Dame College (Exhibition) (Bowling Green, Ohio)

For the second straight season the Falcons will host the Notre Dame College Falcons in an exhibition game to tip-off the basketball season. BGSU defeated Notre Dame College 88-64 in last year's exhibition contest on Nov. 7 at the Stroh Center. The Orange and Brown Falcons are 1-0 all-time versus the Falcons of NDC in regular season play having posted an 81-50 home win back in 2005. Notre Dame College went 16-14 overall last season.

Saturday, Nov. 14 – New Orleans (Bowling Green, Ohio)

Coach Huger will make his head coaching debut in the season opener when the University of New Orleans returns to Bowling Green, Ohio for the first time since the 2012-13 season when the Falcons defeated the Privateers 87-57 on Feb. 21. The 87 points scored by the Falcons in the lopsided win was the most points scored by a BGSU team in a single game until the Falcons posted 88 points at home versus Ball State last season in a first round MAC Championship Tournament win. BGSU is 1-0 all-time versus New Orleans. The Privateers, who are now members of the Southland Conference, recorded a record of 11-18 overall in 2014-15.

Wednesday, Nov. 18 – Cincinnati (Bowling Green, Ohio) – Bill Frack Challenge

The Falcons will host the Cincinnati Bearcats out of the American Conference as part of the second annual Bill Frack Challenge on Nov. 18. The Bill Frack Challenge, which was started last season in honor of Bill Frack who was a BGSU athletics supporter for over six decades, will be in its second year as the Falcons defeated Cleveland State 67-57 in the inaugural event on Dec. 13, 2014. The Bearcats, who posted a record of 23-11 overall last season, defeated Purdue in overtime 66-65 in the second round of the NCAA Championship Tournament before falling to the eventual national champions in the Kentucky Wildcats, 64-51, in the round of 32. Cincy head coach Mick Cronin, who sat out the majority of the 2014-15 season for precautionary reasons while dealing with a non-life threatening vascular condition known as arterial dissection, has been cleared to resume his duties and will be back on the sidelines for the Bearcats. This will be the first meeting for these two Ohio schools since BGSU defeated Cincinnati 69-67 at the Peggy Cronin Classic in 2007-08. However, the Falcons are just 1-7 all-time versus Cincy on the hardwood, which includes a 75-60 loss to the Bearcats in the first round of the NIT in 1990.

Nov. 21- Nov. 23 - Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic (Fort Myers, Fla.)
at Florida Gulf Coast (TBA)

Coach Huger will return to the Sunshine State for the first time as a head coach on day one of the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic versus the tournament host in Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) on Nov. 21. Huger spent the last four years as an assistant coach at the University of Miami. Not only will Huger be returning to his old stomping grounds, but so will a number of other Falcons. Assistant Coach Louis Rowe, a St. Petersburg, Florida native, spent the last two years as an assistant at Florida International University, while fellow assistant coach Mike Summey served as the Director of Basketball Operations at the University of Miami from 2009-13. Both Director of Operations Kevin Noon (2012-13) and Video Coordinator Ryan Kardok (2013-15) were previously graduate assistants on the Miami staff. BGSU junior guard Wes Alcegaire will also be returning home as he is from Miami, Florida and played his high school ball at Archbishop Curley Notre Dame. And if you needed more BGSU and FGCU connections, current FGCU Director of Athletics Director Ken Kavanagh was the senior associate athletic director at BGSU from 1988-96. Both BGSU and FGCU are coming off 20-plus win seasons and a postseason appearance, as the Eagles went 22-11 and made a postseason appearance in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) last season. It will be the first-ever meeting between these two programs.

vs. Youngstown State (TBA)

Separated by just three hours, the two Ohio schools will renew their rivalry on the basketball court almost 2,000 miles away in Florida on day two of the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic. The two teams will met for the first time since 2012 when the Penguins defeated the Falcons 58-49 in the Stroh Center. Despite Youngstown State holding a current two-game winning streak over the Falcons, BGSU still leads the all-time series at 9-4 over the Penguins, which includes eight straight wins over YSU from 1947-2005. In fact, as a player at BGSU, Coach Huger's teams went 3-0 versus Youngstown State from 1989-92. Last season, YSU went 11-21 overall and 2-14 in Horizon League play.

vs. North Dakota (TBA)

For the third time in the last four years BGSU will face off with North Dakota in non-conference action, only this time the game will be at a neutral site in the final day of play at the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic on Nov. 23. North Dakota edged the Falcons 56-53 in North Dakota back on Dec. 28, 2012. BGSU responded with a 79-69 win over NDU at home in the Stroh Center on Dec. 11, 2013 to tie the overall series up at 1-1. Last season, North Dakota went 8-22 overall.

Sunday, Nov. 29 – Urbana (Bowling Green, Ohio)

BGSU will welcome regional opponent Urbana to the Stroh Center for the first time on Nov. 29, as the two teams last met in Anderson Arena back in 2005. The Falcons are 6-2 all-time versus Urbana and have won each of the last six meetings over the Blue Knights dating back to 1998. In their first season under head coach Rob Summers, the Blue Knights went 6-23 overall in 2014-15.

Wednesday, Dec. 2 – UMBC (Bowling Green, Ohio)

The Falcons will tip-off the final month of the 2015 calendar year with a home contest versus UMBC on Dec. 2. This will mark the first-ever meeting between the two teams in men's basketball action. The UMBC Retrievers are coming off a 4-26 season in which they went just 2-14 in America East Conference play. BGSU's Kevin Noon, the Director of Basketball Operations, served as the Director of Basketball Operations at UMBC in 2013-14.

Saturday, Dec. 5 – Drake (Bowling Green, Ohio)

In a return game from last year's 2014-15 season opener at Drake in Des Moines, Iowa, the Falcons will host the Bulldogs on Dec. 5 at the Stroh Center. BGSU defeated Drake 77-58 in the two teams' season opener last season, giving the Falcons their first of 21 wins on the year. Drake went 9-22 overall last season and was just 1-11 in true road contests. The series between the two teams is tied at 1-1, as Drake beat the Falcons 78-65 in the second round of the 1975 National Commissioner's Invitational Tournament (NCIT) in Louisville, Kentucky.

Tuesday, Dec. 8 – at Southeast Missouri (Cape Girardeau, Missouri)

BGSU will kick start a four-game road trip with a return game at Southeast Missouri (SEMO) on Dec. 8 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Last season, the Falcons defeated SEMO 62-54 on Nov. 25 at the Stroh Center in the two teams' first-ever meeting. However, things will be different this year, as both program's will have a new head coach on the sidelines in this year's match up in the Falcons' Coach Huger and SEMO's Rick Ray. Last year SEMO posted a 13-17 overall record and lost in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament to Morehead State.

Saturday, Dec. 12 – at Detroit (Detroit, Michigan)

In what has become an annual battle, the Falcons and Titans will square off once again for the ninth straight year. BGSU stunned the Titans with a buzzer beater by Richaun Holmes to give the visitors in orange a 64-63 road win last year. The win extended BGSU's current winning streak to four straight over Detroit and pushed the Falcons' record to 9-3 versus the Titans over the last 12 meetings. This series has produced a number of close games as of late, as neither team has won by more than nine points in each of the last six meetings. In fact, each of the last four meetings, all BGSU wins, have been decided by six points or less. Overall, the Falcons are just 17-23 versus the Titans as the two teams first met back on Jan. 9, 1953. Returning to Detroit for the last time in his Falcon career will be senior forward Spencer Parker of Detroit, Michigan and West Bloomfield High School.

Sunday, Dec. 20 – at Wright State (Dayton, Ohio)

BGSU will head south down I-75 for a road contest against yet another Horizon League and regional rival in Wright State on Dec. 20. The Falcons flew past the Raiders with a 70-55 home win last year on Nov. 19. Local Germantown, Ohio product Zack Denny, who had a career-high 18 points on 4-of-4 shooting from long range in last year's win over Wright State, will head home with hopes of another career-high performance in 2015. BGSU will look for its second straight win and fourth in the last five match ups versus Wright State in the late Dec. meeting. In 2014-15, Wright State went 11-20 overall and 3-13 in the Horizon League.

Wednesday, Dec. 23 – at Cleveland State (Cleveland, Ohio)

The Falcons will conclude the four-game road swing with the third straight Horizon League and regional opponent in the Vikings of Cleveland State on Dec. 23. The Falcons, along with freshman Antwon Lillard from Cleveland Central Catholic High School and assistant coach and Elyria, Ohio native Anthony Stacey, will look for its second straight win over the Vikings having defeated CSU 67-57 last year in the inaugural Bill Frack Challenge on Dec. 13 at the Stroh Center. The Orange and Brown have won three of the last four meetings with Cleveland State after dropping five straight contests to the Vikings from 1977-92. BGSU, who is just 3-5 all-time versus Cleveland State on the road, holds a slight 9-8 advantage lead in the overall series. However, like BGSU, the Vikings who went 19-15 overall, are coming off a season in 2014-15 in which their last contest of the year was a second round loss in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT).

Thursday, Dec. 31 – UTRGV (Bowling Green, Ohio)

BGSU will wrap up its 2015-16 non-conference schedule with its first-ever meeting against the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). Formally known as the University of Texas – Pan American (UTPA) from 1989-2015, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley was created by the Texas Legislature on Dec. 7, 2012, in a historic move that combined the resources and assets of UTPA and the University of Texas at Brownville (UTB). UTRGV is a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and is located in Edinburg, Texas. UTRGV, or rather UTPA, posted a 10-21 record overall last season and a 4-10 record in the WAC.

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