Falcons
FalconsNCAAB Bowling Green Falcons
General Team Information
NCAA Division: Division I
Conference: Mid-American Conference
Past Conferences: MAC, Ind
City: Bowling Green, Ohio
Stadium: Stroh Center
NCAA Tournaments: 1959, 1962, 1963, 1968
Championships:
- National Championships: 0
- Conference Titles: 0
Bowling Green Falcons Basketball Team History
Bowling Green State Falcons men’s basketball has had a difficult history of finding success during the latter half. From at least 1927-28 to at least 1930-31, Bowling Green participated in the Northwest Ohio Intercollegiate Athletic Association, but data on their conference performance are not available.
From 1933-34 to 1941-42, the program was also a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference, but the school never won an OAC championship. It would take a little over a decade before Bowling Green joined a major conference.
The Falcons didn’t compete in the Mid-American Conference until the 1953-54 season. Despite not making it to the NCAA Tournament during their first year, the program was able to accumulate 17 wins overall, with 10 wins in conference play.
During the 1958-59 season, Harold Anderson’s Bowling Green State Falcons posted an 18-8 record and qualified for the tournament for the first time. Unfortunately, the inexperience showed and the team suffered a brutal loss against the Marquette Golden Eagles in the first round.
The common theme for this program is they would have a lot of up-and-down years in between their tournament runs, since the only two years of positive consistency would take place in the 1962 and 1963 seasons.
Program’s Best Season
The 1961-62 season would the program’s best season as they were ranked as high as No. 7 and finished the season as #8 in the nation. Odds were very good this year because this is the highest the school has ever been ranked in its history, as the Bowling Green team stats showed throughout the regular season.
However, the result wasn’t what they hoped for in the Tournament; they lost a tight battle against the Butler Bulldogs in the opening round. The 1962-63 season is when they went all in because this would be Anderson’s last season as head coach.
Despite not being ranked, the Falcons made it past the first after defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. However, in the regional semifinals and the regional third-place game, the team would fall to the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
In 1967-68, the program made it to the tournament for the last time. Marquette faced the Falcons once again in a game that could be seen as a redemption game. However, Bowling Green lost a close game that was decided during the final seconds, when the Golden Eagles were able to snatch the victory.
Over the next few decades, the program would go through several changes to the coaching staff. Since then, the men’s basketball team has experienced extreme swings but has never reached the NCAA Tournament.
Michael Huger, their 17th head coach, will lead the charge once again. However, the team faces tough NCAAB odds, since the program has been on a downward spiral since the 2019-20 season.
All-Time Records
Points Scored
- Justin Turner 2,077
- Anthony Stacey 1,938
- Keith McLeod 1,895
Rebounds
- Nate Thurmond 1,265
- Cornelius Cash 1,068
- Demajeo Wiggins 1,066
Assists
- David Greer 768
- Antonio Daniels 573
- Brandon Pardon 529
Steals
- Anthony Stacey 226
- Scott Thomas 199
- Demar Moore 193
