BOWLING GREEN — The latest edition of the longest and most significant rivalry for Bowling Green State University’s men’s basketball team will feature a whole lot of new faces.
The vast majority of the program, including first-year BGSU coach Todd Simon, will get their first taste of the Battle of I-75 when the Falcons make the short trip to Savage Arena to face Toledo at 2 p.m. Saturday. Along with Simon and most of his coaching staff, 10 of the 14 players on the roster will experience the rivalry for the first time.
“The rivalry’s important,” Simon said. “Part of the pageantry of college athletics is built on the backs of passionate fan bases and alums and all that good stuff. So it’s not just another game; it’s a rivalry game, and that’s part of what makes college basketball special.”
Simon, a native of Fowler, Mich. — about 2½ hours northwest of Bowling Green — said the BGSU-Toledo matchup is a special rivalry. The former Southern Utah coach has seen other Mid-American Conference rivalries after going to college at Central Michigan in the early 2000s, but is looking forward to his first experience with the northwest Ohio schools.
“It’s fun to be a part of now and just the proximity and the history behind it,” Simon said. “Two storied institutions that have been competing across all the sports, so it’s certainly a fun rivalry and we’re excited to be a part of it for the first time.”
Learning about the significance of the BGSU-Toledo showdown by other means, such as witnessing the Falcons and Rockets square off in other sports, has helped the men’s basketball players learn to appreciate the rivalry.
“It’s a big game that everybody talks about. With the football team, volleyball team, it’s a big thing, and obviously everybody knows about it,” said 7-foot senior center Jason Spurgin, one of nine transfers who made their way to BGSU since Simon took over in March. “They’re playing well right now, and you’ve got to make a statement with them and prove to the MAC that we’re here.”
Added Simon: “Obviously, attending the other sporting events and getting that feel for it, it certainly gets you a little amped up for it.”
The Simon era at BGSU has gotten off to a strong start with the Falcons (14-5, 5-2), who had 11 wins all of last season and missed the conference tournament for a second straight year, sitting in a tie for third in the MAC. A win over the three-time defending MAC regular season champion Rockets, however, would certainly be their most notable.
Toledo (12-7, 6-1 MAC), which has continued to win after losing several significant players from last season, has won four straight games against BGSU and 14 of the past 18. The Rockets upended the Falcons 91-77 at Savage Arena in the first meeting of the 2022-23 season, then earned a narrow 91-86 victory at the Stroh Center.
Toledo has scored at least 91 points in each of the past four meetings. BGSU’s last win over Toledo came on Feb. 13, 2021 when the Falcons won 88-81 on the road.
Only three players on BGSU’s roster — senior forward Rashaun Agee, senior forward Sam Towns, and sophomore guard Anthony McComb — have taken the court against the Rockets in a Falcons’ jersey. Agee, who has thrived this season with eight double-doubles in his past 11 games, had four dunks in a three-minute stretch in the first half and 14 points overall in his first game against Toledo.
Agee (12.4 points per game) is one of four BGSU players who are averaging double figures in scoring this season. Transfers Marcus Hill (20.7 points per game), Trey Thomas (12.4), and Spurgin (11.3) have also been key contributors.
BGSU’s lone losses in its past 14 games were an 83-67 defeat at MAC unbeaten Akron in which the Falcons led for most of the game, as well as a 90-84 overtime loss to defending MAC tournament champion Kent State on Tuesday.
Agee’s message to his team is to find a way to leave Savage Arena with a victory.
“We’re coming in and we want to win,” he said. “... I’m coming in preaching that we’ve got to come in and take things seriously.
“We can’t be slacking around every day. We’ve got to go in and practice knowing that this game is important to us.”
First Published January 26, 2024, 7:33 p.m.
