BOWLING GREEN — As of Monday, it has been exactly a month since Bowling Green last lost a basketball game.
The Falcons have been on their best run in conference play in 40 years, winning eight straight games in the Mid-American Conference.
While winning eight straight in the parity-jumbled league is difficult for anyone, BG has made an art form of finding ways to win. Through nine league games, the Falcons’ MAC point differential is a mere plus-14 — which is somewhat fascinating for a team that is 8-1 in those games.
After losing by 18 to Kent State in their MAC opener, the Falcons have won their next eight by an average of four points.
So how do the Falcons keep pulling it off?
Possessions matter, and BG doesn’t give many away
How does a team with relatively average offensive numbers keep winning? Start by valuing the basketball.
During the stretch of wins and the season at large, Bowling Green is one of the best in the country at maximizing possessions. Even though the Falcons have been so-so from the field (42.6 percent in MAC play), from 3-point range (32.7), and recording assists (97 in nine games), they very rarely turn over the ball. The Falcons average fewer than 10 turnovers per game in MAC play, and their turnover rate of 14.1 percent is the second-best mark in all of Division I, according to KenPom.
Further, BG also ranks second in non-steal turnover percentage, a measure of how often a team loses possession with things like bad passes, offensive fouls, and violations. The Falcons don’t throw the ball away very often, and over time, that is consistently leading to more shots than opponents.
Given how often turnovers turn into transition, BG simply isn’t giving away anything for free.
Free-throw shooting
Bowling Green doesn’t shoot a ton of free throws, but the Falcons have done pretty good work at the line. The Falcons are shooting 74.2 percent as a team, which is the second-best mark in the MAC behind Akron.
Further, BG can trust most of its rotation in big situations. Nine BG players have shot eight or more free throws during conference games, and seven of them are shooting 70 percent or better. And Caleb Fields, who is 7-for-11 in MAC play, made six of those free throws down the stretch on the road at Toledo to help win the game.
In end-game situations when opposing teams have to foul, BG can inbound the ball to just about anyone with confidence.
Team-wide defensive rebounding
In MAC play, Daeqwon Plowden is averaging 9.1 rebounds per game. No one else on Bowling Green is averaging more than 4.7 — and BG still leads the conference in defensive rebounding.
In this case, the numbers tell the story. Bowling Green does not have a frontcourt of massive post rebounders like Northern Illinois does, but what it does have is a roster full of willing rebounders.
Guards like Justin Turner (4.7), Fields (2.7), Dylan Frye (2.4), and Michael Laster (2.2) are all counted on to end defensive possessions just like post players. BG plays nearly 20 minutes per game — almost an entire half — without a center, but smaller lineups have still held up on the defensive glass.
Experience and chemistry
There is something to be said for the cohesion of Bowling Green’s group, which has played quite a bit of minutes together. The two leading scorers, Turner and Frye, are in their fourth years, and Plowden is enjoying a breakout season as a junior.
Aside from junior college transfer Trey Diggs, everyone averaging double-digit minutes has been at Bowling Green for at least two seasons.
The pieces fit together, and when the Falcons face dicey situations at the end of game — as they did their entire last month — they haven’t been rattled. Chemistry undoubtedly has been an asset for Bowling Green.
First Published February 3, 2020, 7:03 p.m.
