Bowling Green Opens MAC Tournament At Toledo Monday Night

Monday, March 6

Toledo, OH

8:00 pm

Bowling Green State University

Toledo (First Round)

March 04, 2017 | Men's Basketball

By: by James Nahikian, BGSU Athletic Communications

OPENING TIP
• Bowling Green and Toledo will meet on the basketball court for the 170th time on Monday. The Falcons and Rockets will meet in the MAC Tournament for just the fifth-time ever. Toledo holds an 89-80 advantage in the all-time series.
• The two schools split the regular-season series, with the home team winning each game. BGSU snapped a six-game losing streak to UT by winning 104-100 in double OT on Feb. 4.
• In Bowling Green's double-OT win over Toledo, senior Zack Denny scored a career-high 30 points and went 5-for-5 from three-point range.
• The winner of Tuesday night's game will advance to play the No. 2-seeded Ohio Bobcats. The game will be played at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on March 9 at 6:30 p.m.
• In last year's tournament, BG upset No. 5 Kent State in the first round, before taking down No. 4 Central Michigan in the quarterfinals.
• BGSU finished the regular season with seven MAC wins – two more wins than last season.

HUGER'S THOUGHTS ON TOLEDO
"Monday will mark the start of March Madness for the MAC Tournament. Every team is 0-0, and anything can happen. Monday will be a fun matchup and surely another Battle of I-75 thriller. Defense and energy will be a major key for us. We are at our best when we get stops and run for open layups and threes. Our guys are ready to take care of business Monday and get back to Cleveland."

SCOUTING THE TOLEDO ROCKETS
Over Toledo's final seven games of the regular season, the Rockets alternated wins and losses, eventually ending the regular-season slate with a home win over Eastern Michigan on Friday (March 3). Toledo has played a crazy amount of close games in 2016-17, and tied the NCAA record this season for overtime games, as the Rockets played a total of eight of them. The Rockets enter the MAC Tournament with an overall record of 16-15. Toledo went an even 9-9 in conference play. A high-octane offense, Toledo averaged 79.5 points per game in 2016-17, which ranked second in the league. UT shot a conference-high 48.3 percent from the field, but also allowed its opponents to shoot 46.0 percent – third worst in the MAC. Senior guard Jonathan Williams ranks third in the conference in scoring (19.7). Fellow senior Steve Taylor Jr., a forward, currently sits first in the league in rebounding (12.5) and 11th in scoring (15.6). Sophomore guard Jaelan Sanford has been the other part to Toledo's "Big 3," as he's averaging 13.3 points and 3.1 assists per contest. Tod Kowalczyk is 118-108 in his seventh year at the helm of the program.

A BGSU WIN WOULD…
• Improve BGSU's overall record to 14-18
• Improve Bowling Green's record in the MAC Tournament to 23-34
• Push BGSU to 8-7 in the MAC Tournament in first-round games
• Advance BG to Quicken Loans Arena to face Ohio in the quarterfinals on March 9 at 6:30 p.m.
• Be Bowling Green's first win over Toledo in the MAC Tournament since 1996-97
• Give BGSU two wins over Toledo in the same season for the first time since 1998-99
• Mark the Falcons' second-ever win over Toledo in the MAC Tournament
• Give BG two-straight wins over UT for the first time since winning games in 2011 and 2012
• Send BGSU to the Cleveland portion of the MAC Tournament for the third-straight season
• Move Bowling Green to 3-1 in the MAC Tournament under Michael Huger
• Give the Falcons a road win to open the MAC Tournament for the second-straight year
• Narrow Toledo's all-time series lead to 89-81

BATTLE OF I-75 RUBBER MATCH
For the first time since 2006, Bowling Green and Toledo will play three basketball games against each other. In 2006, the Falcons took the first meeting of the season, before dropping the final two. This season, the Falcons have a chance to do the same. The Rockets took the first game of the season series back on Jan. 17 (85-73) in the Glass City, prior to Bowling Green winning an epic on Feb. 4 at the Stroh Center. Bowling Green's 104-100 win snapped Toledo's six-game winning streak over the Falcons. The winner will advance to Cleveland to play the No. 2-seeded Ohio Bobcats on March 9 at 6:30 p.m. The quarterfinal game will take place in the Cleveland Cavaliers' Quicken Loans Arena.

TOURNAMENT TIME FOR THE FALCONS
Bowling Green will make its 35th appearance in the MAC Tournament on Monday (March 6) night. BGSU played in its first MAC Tournament in 1980, and went to the championship game that season before losing to Toledo. Overall, the Falcons are 22-34 in the event, and have made three championship game appearances. However, BG has still never won the MAC Tournament. The Falcons have a win against 10 of the MAC programs, but Bowling Green, incredibly, has never played a game against Buffalo in the MAC Tournament. In first-round matchups, the Orange and Brown own an all-time record of 7-7.

BOWLING GREEN AND TOLEDO IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT
Bowling Green and Toledo will meet in the MAC Tournament for just the fifth-time ever on Monday (March 6). The two schools last met in the MAC Tournament nearly a decade ago. In the 2007-08 season, Toledo earned a 52-48 lead in a first-round matchup. The Rockets also won the first-ever meeting in the conference tournament, which was also the most-meaningful meeting between the two rivals in postseason play, as the Rockets defeated the Falcons in the 1980 tournament championship game. In 2006, UT beat BG in the first round again, but in 1997, in the quarterfinals, the Falcons defeated Toledo by a score of 94-69. Bowling Green's 25-point win in 1997 stands as the largest margin of victory between the two institutions in MAC Tournament play.

BATTLE OF I-75 BOOKMARK: BGSU BEATS TOLEDO IN DOUBLE-OT CLASSIC
In what was most likely the greatest men's basketball game ever played between Bowling Green and Toledo, the Falcons snapped a six-game losing streak to the Rockets by winning, 104-100, in double overtime on Feb. 4 at the Stroh Center. Zack Denny scored a career-high 30 points, while fellow senior Wes Alcegaire poured in 22.

Toledo appeared to have the game wrapped up after Jonathan Williams hit three free throws to give the Rockets an 87-80 lead with just 1:48 to go in the first overtime. However, Zack Denny capped a 9-2 run by hitting a three-pointer from the right wing to tie the score at 89-89 with six seconds left.

With the Falcons down by three in the second overtime, Denny tied the score at 99-99 with just 1:18 to go with a three-pointer. Denny gave BG a 102-100 lead with 28 seconds left after another cold-blooded three-ball. Denny's pressure forced a UT back-court violation on its ensuing possession. The senior went on to hit two game-sealing free throws for his 29th and 30th points of the game.

BATTLE OF I-75 BOOKMARK: ROCKETS DOWN FALCONS ON JAN. 17
In the 168th edition of the rivalry, Toledo knocked off Bowling Green on Jan. 17, 85-73. Toledo scored the final 13 points of the half to take an 11-point lead into the break. UT, which shot 54.7 percent (29-of-53) from the floor and 45.0 percent (9-of-20) from downtown, led by at least three possessions for the remainder of the contest. Toledo destroyed the Falcons at the line by making ten more foul shots, and attempting 19 more free throws than BG. Since the turn of the century, Toledo has attempted 162 more free throws than BGSU in games played at Savage Arena, which averages out to over 28 free throw attempts a game for UT. BG is shooting under 16 free throws a game across that span. Nate Navigato went 6-for-8 from three-point range to lead the Rockets with 22 points.

THE IMPORTANCE OF FREE THROWS IN THE BATTLE OF I-75
Free throw shooting is an important part of each college basketball game, but when Bowling Green meets Toledo, the charity stripe has proved to be extra important. In five of BG's last six wins over UT, including BGSU's win on Feb. 4, the Falcons have shot more free throws. In each of Toledo's last 10 wins over Bowling Green, the Rockets have shot more free throws. Since the turn of the century, the Falcons have shot just 34 more free throws than the Rockets in games played in Bowling Green. On the flip side, in what has become an alarming trend, Toledo has shot 162 more free throws than BG in games played in the Glass City across that same time frame. When looking at games dating back to the 2000-01 season, BG is averaging 21.1 free throw attempts in games played in Bowling Green, and 15.9 free throw attempts in games played at Savage Arena. Toledo is shooting 18.9 free throws per contest in Bowling Green, while shooting a robust 28.3 free throws per ballgame in games played against the Falcons at Savage Arena.

BGSU'S REMARKABLE RUN IN LAST YEAR'S MAC TOURNAMENT
In last year's MAC Tournament, Bowling Green became the first No. 12 seed in tournament history to reach the semifinals. BG's trip to the semifinals also marked the program's first appearance in the semifinals since 2009. Bowling Green lost 10 of its final 11 games, including the final three games of the regular season, and appeared to face a near impossible task in even winning a single game. However, the Orange and Brown defeated both Kent State and Central Michigan, before falling to top-seeded Akron. What made Bowling Green's two wins in the tournament even more amazing was the fact that Kent State and Central Michigan each went 2-0 against BGSU in the regular season. In fact, in each game, KSU and CMU won by double figures.

WILD REGULAR SEASON COMES TO AN END
The Falcons wrapped up a wild MAC season on Friday (March 3) night with a loss to Buffalo. Across the conference schedule, Bowling Green experienced six different stretches where it either won at least two-straight games, or lost at least two-straight games. The last 10 games of the BG's schedule summarize how much of an up-and-down year it has been for the Orange and Brown. BG's regular season ended with a three-game winning streak, followed by a three-game losing streak, and then with four games remaining, BGSU had a 2-0 week, which included a win over Akron, which snapped the Zips' 17-game winning streak over the Falcons. But to close things out, Bowling Green lost to both Kent State (Feb. 28) and Buffalo.

SUCCESS AND SIGNATURE WINS IN HUGER'S SECOND SEASON
The Orange and Brown have took a step forward in head coach Michael Huger's second season at the helm of the program. Bowling Green finished the 2016-17 regular season with seven MAC wins. In 2015-16, during Huger's first season, BGSU went 5-13. Last season, Bowling Green had the worst record in the league. In 2016-17, the Falcons' 7-11 mark tied for the eighth-best mark in the conference. This season, Bowling Green has also racked up a number of signature wins. Bowling Green secured its first win over arch-rival Toledo since Feb. 11, 2012. BGSU's 104-100 victory over the Rockets on Feb. 4 snapped Toledo's six-game winning streak over the Falcons. Later in the month, on Feb. 21, the Falcons defeated the regular-season champions in Akron. The win, which was Bowling Green's first over UA since March 1, 2009, ended the Zips' 17-game winning streak over the Falcons. The victory was also the Falcons' first home win over Akron since Jan. 28, 2003.

TOLEDO NATIVE DEMAJEO WIGGINS VERSUS TOLEDO
Demajeo Wiggins, a product of Springfield High School, has played two of his best games in 2016-17 against the Rockets of Toledo. In the two games combined, the forward is averaging 16.5 points and 8.0 rebounds, while shooting 63.6 percent (14-of-22) from the floor. In the first meeting of the season on Jan. 17 in Savage Arena, Wiggins posted one of his six double-doubles on the season by registering 17 points and 11 rebounds. Wiggins went 7-for-9 from the field. In Bowling Green's win on Feb. 4, the sophomore scored 14 points in the second half to finish with 16 points and seven rebounds. He was 7-for-13 on field goal attempts in the victory. After averaging 4.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in 2015-16, Wiggins is up to 10.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in 2016-17. He leads the team in field goal percentage (48.2), and in conference play, he's bumped his shooting percentage up to 51.4. Wiggins is shooting 61.4 percent from the free throw line after shooting 37.9 percent as a freshman.

MORE LATE-SEASON MAGIC FOR TWON?
Last season, Antwon Lillard willed Bowling Green to the semifinals in the 2015-16 MAC Tournament. Lillard averaged 17.0 points and 4.7 rebounds, while shooting 62.1 percent (18-of-29) across BGSU's three tournament games. That three-game stretch included a career-high 26-point outburst in the quarterfinals against Central Michigan. Lillard also went 5-for-7 from downtown that game, and gave the Falcons a one-point win by drilling a triple with 12.3 seconds left. In the late stages of the 2016-17 season, Lillard appears to have captured some of that March magic once again. Heading into the game against Miami (Feb. 25), the sophomore had scored 10-plus points in just one of the team's previous 12 games. However, he broke out of that slump in a huge way by posting 16 points and nine rebounds in the win over the RedHawks. He went 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. In the regular-season finale at Buffalo (March 3), Lillard registered 10 points and seven rebounds. For the season, the sophomore is averaging 8.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists.

DENNY'S RECORD-BOOK SEASON
Senior Zack Denny continues to rack up the accolades as his senior season approaches an end. Along with becoming the 44th player in program history to reach 1,000 points in mid-February, the senior moved into the top 10 in both career steals and career three-point field goals this season. Denny ranks seventh in three-pointers with 145, while he ranks ninth in career steals with 155. Additionally, Denny has 60 steals in 2016-17, and with one more, he'll move into a tie for ninth on the single-season steals list. Denny has also become a bit of a folk hero for his performances in Bowling Green's historic, and record-breaking victories over Toledo (Feb. 4) and Akron (Feb. 21). In the Toledo win, Denny scored in double-figures for the 50th time in his career, and he did so in style. He dropped 30 points, and went a perfect 5-for-5 from deep. He hit a number of ridiculously-clutch triples (see page 6), as well. In the win over the Zips, Denny registered the 10th double-double of his career, and finished the game with 20 points and 10 rebounds. He also racked up four steals. On the season, Denny is averaging a team-high 12.9 points, and he's scored 10-plus points a team-best 25 times. He's also averaging 5.1 rebounds, and a team-high 2.0 steals.

THE FRESHMEN BACKCOURT OF FRYE AND CALDWELL
Down the stretch of the season, Bowling Green has heavily relied on freshmen guards Dylan Frye and Rodrick Caldwell. Frye has started the last 13 games, while Caldwell has made starts in 10 of the last 11 contests. Frye has proven to be a pure scorer. He's averaging 9.8 points per game in MAC play, and is the only BG freshman this millennium to have three 20-point scoring nights in the regular season of MAC play. He's shooting 40.0 percent from three-point range, which ranks 10th in the conference. Frye has scored 10-plus points 13 times in 2016-17, and for the season, he's averaging 9.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists. Caldwell's best play has also come within the conference, as he's averaging 7.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in MAC play. Six of Caldwell's nine double-figure scoring games have come against conference competition, and he's shooting 36.4 percent from three-point range for the season. Caldwell has made multiple three-balls in five of the last eight regular season ballgames.

STREAKY SENIOR SEASON FOR ALCEGAIRE
Wes Alcegaire has had a streaky senior year as far as scoring, yet he's still averaging a career-high 11.4 points, which ranks second on the team. He's performed in the clutch, as well. Most notably as of late, he gave BGSU a 66-65 victory over Akron (Feb. 21) by sinking two free throws with 2.4 seconds left. Alcegaire will need to get his scoring in check, however, if the Falcons want to advance in the MAC Tournament. The senior has scored in double figures in just one of Bowling Green's last four games. This stretch comes on the heels of scoring in double digits in seven of the previous 10 games, which included a pair of 22-plus point efforts in wins over Miami (Jan. 31) and Toledo (Feb. 4). On the season, to go along with his 11.4 points, Alceagire is averaging 1.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds. He leads the team in three-point field goals (44), while shooting a career-high 42.1 percent from the field. Alceagire is shooting 33.6 percent from deep.

ALI CONTINUES TO SCORE AND (D)ISH OUT DIMES
Ismail Ali, a native of South Hayward, California, is scoring at an improved rate in 2016-17. Ali is up to 6.7 points per game this season. Last year, he averaged 5.4 points. In 2015-16, Ali scored in double figures a total of five times. This year, he's already reached double digits nine times, including 10-plus point performances in two of the last three ballgames. Ali scored 10 points at Miami (Feb. 25) and on Senior Night versus Kent State (Feb. 28), he posted a team-high 14 points and four assists. In seven of the nine games in which he's scored in double figures, he's also dished out at least four assists. Ali's 3.9 assists per game average ranks seventh in the MAC, while his 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio sits third in the league.

ROLE PLAYERS GIVING BGSU A BOOST
Junior Matt Fox and redshirt-sophomore Rasheed Worrell have come off the bench the entire season. Fox is relied on predominately for three-point shooting. Fox has made multiple three-pointers in eight games, and is shooting 37.5 percent from deep on the season. In the team's home finale against Kent State (Feb. 28), he went 3-for-5 from three-point range, and also tied his career high with five rebounds. On the season, Fox is averaging career highs in points (4.3), rebounds (1.7) and minutes (16.2). Worrell, Bowling Green's only true big man off the bench, has added at least four points and four rebounds in 16 games. He also leads the team in blocks with 20. Worrell has come on strong as of late. He posted seven points and six rebounds at Western Michigan (Feb. 14), and then scored eight points at Ohio (Feb. 18), before registering 11 points and six rebounds at Miami (Feb. 25). His 11-point outing at Miami marked just the second time this season that he's scored in double figures. In the last game of the regular season at Buffalo (March 3), he totaled four points, two blocks and seven rebounds.