:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61885483/DSC_0221.0.0.jpeg)
The Bowling Green Falcons men’s basketball team has been stuck in the middle under coach Huger. Last season they finished 16-16 overall and 7-11 in the conference. They have had some decent talent and a lot of close games, but things just haven’t fully worked out. There are grumblings among the Bowling Green faithful that it might be time to move on. I currently have them 11th in my preseason power rankings, and that is not a bad thing. I just don’t know where else to put them.
The MAC is loaded with a lot of talent this season. The Falcons have their share. It has been fun to watch Demajeo Wiggins grow as a player. He was so raw when he first got to Bowling Green that even though he has made amazing strides, the ceiling is still exceptionally high. Dylan Frye came to the team with stats out of Miami, FLA that made me question why he ended up at a place like Bowling Green. Maybe he killed a man just to watch him die. Then I saw him play for the first time and realized he looked like he was 12. By the end of his freshman campaign he looked like he belonged in the MAC. By the end of his sophomore campaign, he showed flashes of the player I believe he can be. Antwon Lillard is now a senior and has been very steady. There are also some interesting additions, like Tayler Mattos that might help Wiggins dominate the paint. However, there is one player that I think holds the key to the season.
Justin Turner came on the scene last season and was on the All-MAC freshman squad and honorable mention All-MAC. If coach Wiggins is a good coach, which I believe he is, then this kid will become a man in 2018-19. Frye and Wiggins and company, who have already shown great strides in improving, will also join that bandwagon, and the Falcons will finish much higher than my 11 preseason ranking.
Putting the Falcons at 11 is a testament to just how deep I think the MAC is this season. Usually I am high on a couple teams from the MAC, think there is a mob in the middle, and there are a few stinkers. This season I think they all have potential. One of the reasons I put Bowling Green so low is because of those rumblings. If there is a slow start and that could be a regime killer and that would be a shame. The locals will call for Huger’s head, and quite possibly get it. Then the talent will evacuate and the Falcons will try to rebuild. I don’t want to see that happen.