Bowling Green, Ball State Set For Battle Of The Birds Saturday In Muncie
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team will conclude their two-game road trip on Saturday (Jan. 11), heading to Muncie, Ind. to take on the Ball State Cardinals. The Falcons and Cardinals are set for a 2 p.m. tip inside Worthen Arena. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+ with Todd Walker having the radio call on WFRO Eagle 99 for the Falcons.
Opening Tip
The Falcons and Cardinals will be meeting for the 97th time in program history with the Falcons holding the all-time advantage, 55-41. BGSU won both meetings between the two programs last season, including an 81-72 final in Muncie on Jan. 30, 2024. Bowling Green has won seven of the last 10 meetings in Muncie, but Ball State holds the all-time advantage when hosting the Falcons with a record of 27-19. The Falcons enter the game as the best team in the MAC against the three-point shot, holding opponents to a 30.4-percent mark behind the arc.
A Bowling Green Win Would…
- Push Bowling Green to 2-1 in the MAC for the third-straight season and the seventh time in the last eight seasons.
- Give the Falcons consecutive wins for the second time this season and consecutive road wins for the first time this season.
- Mark three straight wins over Ball State for the Falcons for the first time since winning four straight from Jan. 15, 2019 - Feb. 15, 2020.
Scouting The Cardinals
Ball State enters the weekend contest against the Falcons with .500 records across the board. The Cardinals are currently 7-7 on the season, 3-3 at home and 1-1 in the MAC. BSU opened MAC play with a road win over Kent State, 75-67, but fell at home to Miami (OH) on Tuesday (Jan. 7), 80-72. Statistically, Ball State is one of the better defensive teams in the MAC, ranking second in both scoring defense and opponent field goal percentage while being third in opponent three-point percentage.
BGSU vs. Ball State, All-Time
The Falcons and Cardinals will be meeting for the 97th time in program history with BGSU leading the all-time series, 55-41. Bowling Green has won the last two meetings, including the last game in Muncie, but that snapped a four-game winning streak by Ball State in the series. Overall, BSU holds the advantage when hosting the Falcons with a 27-19 record, but over the last 10 meetings in Muncie BGSU has made progress. Bowling Green has a record of 7-3 in their last 10 trips to Muncie, dating back to the 2011-12 season.
Campbell On Record-Breaking Pace
Javontae Campbell has established himself among the best in the nation for steals. Campbell is averaging 3.43 steals per game, ranking second in the nation, and has totaled 48 steals, the third-most in the country behind only UC San Diego's Hayden Gray (56) and Maine's Kellen Tynes (50). Campbell needs just 13 to break into BGSU's top 10 for a single season. At his current pace with 31 games on BGSU's regular season schedule, Campbell is on pace to tally 106 steals this 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.
Thomas Eyeing 1,000 Career Points
After posting season-high point totals in back-to-back games, Trey Thomas is closing in on 1,000 career points over his collegiate tenure. In the MAC Opener against Akron, Thomas posted 19 points before following it up with his first 20-point game of the season against Western Michigan, finishing with 22. Thomas now sits with 987 career points, needing 13 to hit the milestone mark. Thomas would be the second Falcon to reach 1,000 career points this season after Derrick Butler did so against St. Thomas on Dec. 21.
Strong Shooting For The Falcons
So far this season, Bowling Green has been one of the better teams in the MAC shooting the ball from all parts of the court. Beginning at the line, the Falcons currently lead the MAC in free throw percentage, posting a mark of 77.1-percent as a team. Similarly, the Orange and Brown sit in second for three-point field goal percentage in the conference, shooting 35.3-percent behind the arc and trailing only Miami (OH). As for overall field goal percentage, Bowling Green is fourth in the conference, shooting 45.6-percent from the field, sitting behind Miami (49.6), Ohio (46.8) and Toledo (46.1).
Block Impact Being Felt
Jamai Felt has had an increasing role for the Falcons this season. After missing the previous two seasons due to injuries, Felt has worked his way into the starting lineup for BGSU, starting in each of the last six games. Averaging 15.1 minutes per game, Felt has tallied 16 blocks for Bowling Green in 14 games. He is now averaging 1.1 blocks per game, ranking third in the MAC. He trails Ohio's AJ Clayton, averaging 1.9 blocks while playing 30.4 minutes per game, and Akron's James Okonkwo at 1.2 blocks while playing 20.1 minutes.
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'
Latest Men's Basketball News
- BGSU Athletics Announces 2025 Hall of Fame ClassThe Bowling Green State University Athletics Department has announced the latest class of inductees into the Athletics Hall of Fame in the fall of 2025. The induction ceremony and related events will take place on the weekend of Oct. 10-11, 2025, with the induction ceremony set for Friday evening, Oct. 10, and the inductees recognized at the football game vs. Toledo on Saturday, Oct. 11.
- BGSU Athletics Partners with Vet Tix to Provide Complimentary Tickets to Veterans, Military Personnel, First Responders and Their FamiliesBOWLING GREEN, Ohio— Bowling Green State University Athletics has announced a new partnership with the Veteran Tickets Foundation (Vet Tix) and 1st Tix, offering complimentary tickets to Falcon Football, Volleyball, Ice Hockey, Men's and Women's Basketball and Gymnastics home events during the 2025-26 season.
- Basketball Matchups Announced For First Games Of 2025-26 MAC-SBC ChallengeCLEVELAND, Ohio - The Mid-American Conference (MAC) and Sun Belt Conference (SBC) announced the first matchups in the third installment of the MAC-SBC Challenge Tuesday afternoon (July 1). The MAC-SBC Challenge is a scheduling alliance in the sports of men's and women's basketball and will be played during the opening week of the 2025-26 season with 12 MAC men's basketball programs hosting 12 SBC teams, while the 12 MAC women's basketball programs will visit 12 SBC teams.
- BGSU Signs Florida State Transfer Guard Justin ThomasBOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball program and head coach Todd Simon announced the signing of Justin Thomas on Wednesday (May 7). Thomas, a 6-foot-7 guard, will join the Falcons after spending the 2024-25 season with Florida State. A native of Baton Rouge, La., Thomas played in 32 games for the Seminoles last season, including five starts while averaging 22.1 minutes per game.
- Falcons Add Colorado Transfer Guard Javon RuffinBOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball program and head coach Todd Simon announced the signing of Javon Ruffin on Friday (May 2). Ruffin, a 6-foot-5 guard, will join the Falcons after spending the last four seasons at Colorado, including a redshirt season in 2021-22. A native of Phoenix, Ariz., Ruffin played in 75 games over three seasons for the Buffaloes, including making 12 starts with 10 being during the 2024-25 campaign.
- BGSU Inks NJCAA All-America Honorable Mention Jason Kimbrough Jr.BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball program and head coach Todd Simon announced the signing of Jason Kimbrough Jr. on Thursday (April 24). Kimbrough, a 6-foot guard, will join the Falcons after spending the 2024-25 campaign with Highland Community College in Illinois. A native of Maricopa, Ariz., Kimbrough was named an NJCAA Division I All-America Honorable Mention as well as All-Region Honors this past season in the NJCAA's Region 4.
