BOWLING GREEN — Bowling Green State University’s up-and-down nonconference slate in men’s basketball ended with a pair of high-scoring wins.

With Mid-American Conference play starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Eastern Michigan, coach Michael Huger and the Falcons are hoping a little more camaraderie and playing time together can go a long way in the league.

“You’ve just got to stay calm and just believe in the system. We believe in coach Huger, and we’ve just been trying to improve every single day we get on the court,” BGSU senior guard Leon Ayers III said this season. “If it’s in practice, in games, we’re just always looking to do something better.”

The Falcons (6-7) will be aiming to improve from its 6-14 record in MAC play last year (13-18 overall) after going 10-8 the previous season.

BGSU will look to win its seventh consecutive contest over Eastern Michigan (3-10) when the two teams square off at the George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti, Mich. The Falcons can secure their third straight victory and fifth in the last seven.

Eastern Michigan, led by 6-foot-10 sophomore forward and Memphis transfer Emoni Bates, has lost four of its last five games. Bates, a five-star recruit in high school, leads the MAC in scoring at 20.8 points per game. That mark ranks 12th in the nation, and he is one of just 19 players averaging at least 20 points per outing.

“We’ve got to be ready to play,” Huger said. “I know they’re going to be ready. Bates and all of those guys, he knows a lot of my guys on this team, so it’s going to be a lot of little chirping back and forth.

“I’ve got to get my guys to be calm and ready to play and just play basketball and don’t get into all the other stuff.”

Here is what we know and don’t know about BGSU men’s basketball at midseason.

Know: BGSU sharing, taking care of the ball

The Falcons have been one of the best teams in the MAC in limiting turnovers and assist-to-turnover ratio. BGSU averages 11.3 turnovers per contest, which is tied with Eastern Michigan and Toledo for best in the MAC and ranks 42nd nationally. The Falcons’ assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.3 is second in the MAC behind Toledo and 53rd in the country.

BGSU has had 11 or fewer turnovers in six games, including single digits in four. The Falcons committed just 16 total turnovers in wins over Division II schools Fairmont State (93-74) and Ohio Dominican (102-65 on Dec. 29) in their last two games.

After posting 20 assists against Fairmont State, BGSU tallied a season-high 25 against Ohio Dominican. The Falcons have reached double digits in assists in eight straight games after having just two in their first five.

BGSU’s ability to take care of the ball has been solid considering how many different starting lineups and new faces the Falcons have had this season. Ten different players have started for BGSU.

Ayers III, who transferred after playing for Duquesne last season, is the only player to start all 13 games. Sophomore guard Kaden Metheny has started all 11 of his games this season.

Junior forward Sam Towns has started nine contests after playing for Ohio the last two seasons, while junior forward Rashaun Agee has four starts after transferring from Casper College.

Don’t know: Can the Falcons win close games?

BGSU is 2-4 in games decided by single digits. The Falcons posted single-digit wins over Air Force (62-58) and Oakland (87-82) to start the season, but haven’t had any since.

The Falcons have kept most of their games close. BGSU’s last three losses have been by less than 10 points, and the Falcons’ largest margin of defeat was an 82-66 setback at Notre Dame on Nov. 22.

BGSU is averaging 75.8 points per game and allowing 74.4.

Know: Free-throw shooting has been solid

Perhaps a big advantage that could help BGSU win nip-and-tuck games is its shooting from the free-throw line.

The Falcons are third in the MAC and 34th in the country in free-throw shooting at 75.7 percent. In its past two games, BGSU has converted 50 of 56 free throws.

Samari Curtis, a 6-4 senior guard who is in his second year with BGSU after transferring from Evansville, is first in the MAC and third in the country in free-throw percentage (93.5 percent). He has missed just three times in 46 attempts.

Don’t know: Can the shooting improve?

Although BGSU has been efficient from the free-throw line, the Falcons have struggled from the floor.

BGSU’s 43.3 percent shooting is 10th out of 12 teams in the MAC and 241st out of 352 squads nationally. The Falcons’ 3-point shooting of 31.7 percent is 11th and 282 in the league and country, respectively.

Ayers III, who averages a team-best 16.8 points per game, is shooting 47.1 percent from the floor (35.9 percent from 3-point range). Metheny has been BGSU’s go-to shooter from beyond the arc with 29 of the team’s 96 made 3-pointers; he is averaging 10.2 points per game and shooting 39.2 percent from 3-point range.

BGSU could be heating up at the right time, though. The Falcons’ last two games were their best shooting performances of the season.

BGSU shot 53.6 percent against Fairmont State and 58.3 percent vs. Ohio Dominican. The previous best this season for the Falcons was 46.8 percent in an 81-75 loss at Norfolk State on Dec. 14.

First Published January 2, 2023, 7:12 p.m.