MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team will close out their week on the road with a trip to Mount Pleasant, Mich. on Saturday (Feb. 1). Bowling Green will take on the Central Michigan Chippewas inside McGuirk Arena with a 7 p.m. start. The game will be the nightcap in a BGSU-CMU basketball doubleheader with the Bowling Green women's team facing off with Central Michigan at 1 p.m. Both games will be available to stream on ESPN+ with Todd Walker having the men's game radio call on WFRO Eagle 99 for the Falcons. 

Opening Tip
The Falcons and Chippewas will be meeting for the 90th time in program history with BGSU holding the all-time advantage with a record of 46-43. When playing in Mount Pleasant, the series leans to Central Michigan with a record of 25-19 over Bowling Green. The game will feature the top two players in the MAC for steals per game. BGSU's Javontae Campbell leads the MAC (3.2 steals per game) while CMU's Anthony Pritchard is second (2.4). BGSU and CMU are two of the top four teams in the MAC against the three-point shot. CMU is second allowing teams to shoot 31.4-percent while BGSU is fourth with a mark of 32.6-percent.

A Bowling Green Win Would… 

• Back-to-back wins over Central Michigan for the Falcons for the first time since winning on both Jan. 5, 2021 (90-69) and Jan. 9, 2021 (93-65). 
• Give the Falcons their first win in Mount Pleasant over Central Michigan since an 83-61 final over the Chippewas on Jan. 24, 2023. 
• Snap a four-game losing streak for the Orange and Brown.
• Push BGSU back above .500 during the Coach Simon Era. .

Campbell Cracks Program Top 10
Javontae Campbell joined the program's top 10 list for steals in a single-season with four against Kent State. Campbell has tallied 63 steals this season, ranking ninth all-time. The total for Campbell has him fourth in the nation for total steals while his 3.15 steals per game are also fourth in the country. At his current pace with 31 games on BGSU's schedule, Campbell is on pace to tally 98 steals during the regular season. The current BGSU single-season steals record is set at 82 by DeMar Moore in 1996-97. As for the MAC steals record, it's held by Ball State's Bonzi Wells with 103 during the 1997-98 campaign. Postseason play would count towards both records.

Scouting The Chippewas
Central Michigan enters the game with a 9-11 record on the season while being 3-5 within the Mid-American Conference. After an 0-3 start in conference play, CMU has bounced back with wins over Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan, all coming within their last five games. For the season, the Chippewas have been one of the top defensive teams in the conference, ranking second in points per game allowed (70.0) behind only Kent State (64.2). 

BGSU vs. Central Michigan, All-Time
The Falcons and Chippewas will be meeting for the 90th time in program history with Bowling Green holding the all-time advantage with a record of 46-43. The last 11 meetings have been tight between the two with BGSU taking six and CMU claiming five. Last season, the two met three times including once in the MAC Tournament. Central Michigan took both regular season games, the first going to two overtimes and the second to one, but Bowling Green came out on top in the tournament matchup. 

Johnson's Scoring Output
Marcus Johnson has recorded back-to-back 20-point games for the Falcons, giving him a team-leading eight for the season. Johnson has registered double-digit points in 18 of BGSU's 20 games, including each of the last 13. For the season, he is averaging 17.3 points per game, the only player in the Mid-American Conference averaging 17+ points per game. Additionally, Johnson is 13-for-14 at the line over the last four games, pushing up to a tie for 37th in the nation for free throw percentage with a mark of 88.3-percent.

Impact Being Felt In MAC Play
Jamai Felt has been making his impact known during MAC play this season. During the conference season, Felt has recorded 20 blocks, averaging 2.5 per game which leads the MAC. Only Ohio's AJ Clayton is averaging more than two blocks per game in MAC play, but Clayton has missed time and has just 14 total blocks. As for rebounds, Felt has pushed his way up to fourth in the MAC during the conference season, averaging 7.5 rebounds per game. Felt is the only player in the MAC inside the top five for both rebounds and blocks. 

Simon's Neck Of The Woods
The game against Central Michigan will mark a homecoming of sorts for BGSU head coach Todd Simon. A native of Fowler, Mich., Simon hails from roughly an hour away from Mount Pleasant. This will mark Simon's sixth time facing Central Michigan as a head coach and the fourth with BGSU. Last year's trip to Mount Pleasant for the Falcons resulted in the second-straight overtime game between the Falcons and Chippewas with CMU edging out a 62-60 final. 

Familiar Face, Different Bench
Derrick Butler will be making his return to Mount Pleasant after spending the 2023-24 campaign with the Chippewas before transferring to BGSU. Last year for CMU, Butler averaged 13.0 points per game over the three contests against the Falcons. This year for Bowling Green, Butler is averaging 13.4 points per game, appearing in all 20 games with 14 starts. He's currently second on the team in three-pointers made this season with 40 and has tallied double-digit points in 14 contests. 

Follow the Falcons
Be sure to follow the Falcons' men's basketball team on social media
Twitter - @BGSU_Athletics and @BGSUMBB
Instagram - 'bgfalcons' and 'bgsumhoops'
Facebook - 'BGSU Athletics'
YouTube - 'Falcon Athletics'