CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team will head to the MAC Tournament in Cleveland on Thursday (March 13), taking on the top-seeded Akron Zips. Bowling Green and Akron are the first game of the men's side of the MAC Tournament, playing at 11 a.m. inside Rocket Arena, the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The winner will advance to the MAC Semifinals on Friday (March 14). BGSU closed out the regular season with wins in seven of their last 10, including in each of their final four road games. The game between the Falcons and Zips will be broadcasted on ESPN+ while Todd Walker will have the radio call on WFRO Eagle 99.

Opening Tip
The Falcons and Zips will be meeting for the 75th time in program history and the sixth time in the MAC Tournament. Akron holds the all-time advantage with a record of 46-28 while being 3-2 over BGSU in the MAC Tournament with BGSU's wins coming in 2001-02 (60-58) and 1998-99 (80-74, OT). Over the final 10 games of the regular season, BGSU posted the No. 1 defense in the MAC for scoring defense (66.8) and field goal percentage defense (41.4). Over the same 10-game span, Akron posted the No.1 offense in the MAC for scoring offense (83.9) and field goal percentage (49.9). 

A Bowling Green Win Would… 

• Give the Falcons a win in the MAC Tournament in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 2014-15 (Home vs. Ball State, 88-75) and 2015-16 seasons (Away at Kent State, 70-69).
• Push Bowling Green to back-to-back MAC Semifinal appearances for the first time since the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons. 
• Grant BGSU wins in Rocket Arena in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history after topping Central Michigan last season (66-56) in the Quarterfinals. 

Defense Wins Championships?
Over the final 10 games of the season, the Falcons posted a 7-3 record and owed a lot of their success to defense. During the 10-game stretch to close the season, Bowling Green led the MAC in nearly every defensive category. The Falcons allowed a MAC-best 66.8 points per game with the next-best being Miami (OH) with 72.6. The Falcons also led the conference in field goal percentage defense, holding teams to a mark of 41.4-percent, as well as three-point field goal percentage defense, keeping teams to 29.0-percent behind the arc. Oddly enough, Akron was on the other side, leading the MAC in points per game (83.9) and field goal percentage (49.9-percent). 

Scouting The Zips
After facing BGSU in the MAC opener, Akron went on to claim the regular season title with a 17-1 conference record. Their lone MAC loss came on Feb. 22 to Ohio in an 84-67 final. For the season, the Zips lost only six times. In addition to Ohio, the Zips came up short to Arkansas State in overtime in the season opener, Saint Mary's, who was receiving votes at the time, Milwaukee, Yale and Princeton. For the year, Akron only has two players averaging double-digit points while 10 different players have played in at least 29 games. 

BGSU vs. Akron, All-Time
The Falcons and Zips will be meeting for the 75th time in program history and just the second time this season after only one regular season matchup. Overall, Akron holds the edge with a 46-28 record. This will be the sixth time the two teams have faced on a neutral floor and the first time since March 11, 2021.  BGSU and Akron faced on Jan. 3, 2025 in the MAC opener. Despite the Falcons leading for 36 minutes, Akron pulled ahead late for the win. BGSU had four double-digit scorers in the game and tallied a season-high 50 rebounds. 

Johnson Nearing 500-Point Milestone
Marcus Johnson will enter the MAC Tournament with 496 points this season, sitting just four points away from 500 on the season. If Johnson can reach the milestone, it will mark the third-straight season a Falcon has scored 500+ points in a year after Marcus Hill had 698 in 2023-24 and Leon Ayers III had 512 in 2022-23. The last time BGSU had at least three straight seasons with a 500-point scorer was a four-year stretch from 2004-07. Javontae Campbell is within shouting distance of 500 points as well with 467 entering the tournament. If both players reach the 500-mark it would be the first time with multiple Falcons above 500 points in the same season since 2002 when Keith McLeod had 755 and Len Matela had 525. 

Campbell's Defensive Resume
During the regular season, Javontae Campbell recorded 86 steals, breaking the program record for single-season steals. Additionally, Campbell worked his way up to sixth on the MAC's single-season list for the stat, sitting one steal away from fifth and five away from fourth. The MAC record is currently held by Ball State's Bonzi Wells who recorded 103 steals during the 1997-98 campaign. For the season, Campbell is currently fourth in the nation for total steals as well as steals per game with an average of 2.77. Campbell is the only player from the MAC to rank inside the Top 40 in the nation for any defensive stat according to the NCAA's stat page. CMU's Anthony Pritchard is the only other in the Top 50, being tied for 49th in steals per game (1.94) as well as 45th for total steals (60). 

Felt's Freshman Season
Stepping into a starter role as a freshman, Jamai Felt has blossomed with the Falcons this year. After missing two seasons due to injuries, Felt has become a defensive mainstay in the MAC. This season, Felt recorded a MAC-leading 46 blocks, averaging 1.5 blocks per game. Felt was one of just two freshmen in the MAC to lead the conference in a stat, joined by Miami (OH)'s Luke Skaljac who topped the three-point field goal percentage list, shooting 43.9-percent. As for the conference season alone, Felt tallied 34 blocks and averaged 1.9 per game, leading the MAC in both stats. For the MAC season, Felt was the only freshman to lead the conference in a stat. 

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'