MAC Tournament: Central Michigan rips BGSU 81-48, and justice is served

I don't remember anything like this. First, BGSU beat Central Michigan by 25 points. Then they meet again in the tournament and CMU one-ups them with a 33-point thwacking. You don't trade lopsided victories that often.

Bowling Green was simply doused with their own medicine, albeit a slightly different formula. The Falcons usually forced the opposition into tough contested shots, but they rarely created many turnovers. CMU did a little bit of that, but only if they didn't force a turnover beforehand. BGSU had 17 turnovers in the first half and 32 for the game.

The TO rate for Bowling Green was 42 percent. Two of every five possessions ended with the ball in the hands of a Chippewa. Those that made it toward the rim went in 35 percent of the time. They did win the offensive rebounding battle, a moral victory by any measures. And they took two free throws. TWO.

When Central Michigan opened up the lead to 37-10, that was on the heels of a 32-3 run, and that's just silly. But it wasn't just the first half; BGSU found themselves only down 16 at halftime, which is a weird thing to say, and yet totally accurate. They nearly doubled that lead in the final 20 minutes. It was a revenge game for CMU.

They're good enough to beat Toledo in the semifinals; they've done it before. Bowling Green-Toledo is always a great game on the basis of its rivalry, but a Rockets-Chippewas game is going to be more competitive.

Bowling Green finishes the season 22-10; they'll see a postseason tournament for sure, provided they want one.