2023–24 Bowling Green Falcons men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Bowling Green Falcons men's basketball team represented Bowling Green State University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Falcons, led by Todd Simon in his first year as head coach, played their home games at the Stroh Center in Bowling Green, Ohio as members of the Mid-American Conference.[1][2][3] They finished the regular season 19–12, 10–8 in MAC play to finish in 5th place. They defeated Central Michigan in the first round of the MAC tournament before losing to Kent State in the second round. The Falcons received an invitation to play in the CIT where they were defeated by Purdue Fort Wayne in the opening round, bringing their final record to 20–14.[4][5][6]

2023–24 Bowling Green Falcons men's basketball
CIT, Quarterfinals
ConferenceMid-American Conference
Record20–14 (10–8 MAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Bryce Martin (1st season)
  • Lourawls Nairn Jr. (1st season)
  • German Srulovich (1st season)
  • Bob Gallager (1st season)
Home arenaStroh Center
Seasons
2024–25 →
2023–24 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Toledo 14 4   .778 20 12   .625
Akron 13 5   .722 24 11   .686
Ohio 13 5   .722 20 13   .606
Central Michigan 12 6   .667 18 14   .563
Bowling Green 10 8   .556 20 14   .588
Western Michigan 9 9   .500 12 20   .375
Miami (OH) 9 9   .500 15 17   .469
Kent State 8 10   .444 17 17   .500
Ball State 7 11   .389 15 16   .484
Eastern Michigan 6 12   .333 13 18   .419
Northern Illinois 5 13   .278 11 20   .355
Buffalo 2 16   .111 4 27   .129
2024 MAC tournament winner

Previous season

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The Falcons finished the season 11–20, 5–13 in MAC play to finish in a three-way tie for ninth place. They failed to qualify for the MAC tournament.[7] On March 5, 2023, the school fired head coach Michael Huger.[8] On March 15, the school hired Southern Utah Todd Simon the team's new coach.[9]

Offseason

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Departures

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Departures
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Ubong Abasi Etim F 6'9" 210 RS-Freshman Richmond, California Transferred to Central Arkansas
Brenton Mills G 6'3" 185 Senior Allen, Texas Transferred to Vermont
Leon Ayers G 6'5" 185 Senior Troy, Michigan Exhausted Eligibility
Kaden Metheny G 5'11" 180 Sophomore Morgantown, West Virginia Transferred to Liberty
Willie Lightfoot G 6'0" 170 Freshman Niagara Falls, New York Transferred to Odessa College
Isaac Elsasser G 6'4" 185 Senior Bowling Green, Ohio
Chandler Turner G/F 6'7" 210 Senior Detroit, Michigan Transferred to Radford
Samari Curtis G 6'4" 190 Senior Xenia, Ohio
Madini Diarra F 6'11" 260 Senior Bamako, Mali
Gabe O'Neal F 6'7" 240 Senior Cincinnati, Ohio
Jackson Watson G 6'1" 180 Sophomore Libertyville, Illinois Entered Transfer Portal

[10][11][12]

Incoming transfers

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Transfers
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Marcus Hill G 6'4" 185 Junior Rockford, Illinois Southern Union State Community College
Trey Thomas G 6'0" 160 Senior Durham, Ontario Vanderbilt
DJ Smith G 6'0" 160 Junior North Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock
DaJion Humphrey G 6'4" 185 Senior Detroit, Michigan Garden City Community College
PJ Edwards G 6'4" 200 Sophomore Springfield, Illinois UCF
Da'Shawn Phillip G 6'6" 180 Senior Baltimore, Maryland Maryland Eastern Shore
Jason Spurgin C 6'11" 250 Senior Toowoomba, Australia Southern Utah
Greg Spurgin F 6'7" 210 Sophomore Toowoomba, Australia Westminster
JZ Zaher G 6'0" 170 Sophomore Fenton, Michigan Eastern Michigan

[10][11]

Recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
EJay Greer
G
Lansdowne, Pennsylvania Rocktop Academy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 170 lb (77 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

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2023–24 Bowling Green Falcons men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 0 Marcus Hill 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Rockford, Illinois
G 1 Trey Thomas 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Sr Durham, Ontario
G 2 DJ Smith 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Jr North Little Rock, Arkansas
G 3 DaJion Humphrey 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Detroit, Michigan
G 4 PJ Edwards 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Springfield, Illinois
G 5 Da'Shawn Phillip 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Baltimore, Maryland
C 7 Jason Spurgin 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Sr Toowoomba, Australia
F 8 Greg Spurgin 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Toowoomba, Australia
G 10 Anthony McComb III 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Dayton, Ohio
F 11 Jamai Felt 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Fr Boston, Massachusetts
F 12 Rashaun Agee 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Chicago, Illinois
G 13 EJay Greer 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
F 14 Sam Towns 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Columbus, Ohio
G 17 JZ Zaher 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Fenton, Michigan
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: September 29, 2023

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Chicago State W 70–41  1–0
 18  Hill   4  Edwards   10  Phillip  Stroh Center (1,776)
Bowling Green, OH
November 11, 2023*
12:00 p.m., ESPN+
Arkansas State
MAC-SBC Challenge
W 81–75  2–0
 26  Hill   7  Towns   4  Hill  Stroh Center (1,513)
Bowling Green, OH
November 14, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Oakland L 62–81  2–1
 17  J. Spurgin   10  J. Spurgin   3  Hill  Athletics Center O'rena (2,384)
Rochester, MI
November 17, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Bellarmine L 67–85  2–2
 15  McComb   6  Tied   4  J. Spurgin  Stroh Center (1,775)
Bowling Green, OH
November 24, 2023*
7:00 p.m.
vs. Western Kentucky
Northern Classic
L 65–72  2–3
 29  Hill   9  Phillip   2  Phillip  Place Bell 
Laval, QC
November 25, 2023*
7:00 p.m.
vs. Lipscomb
Northern Classic
W 82–61  3–3
 33  Hill   9  Agee   5  Hill  Place Bell 
Montreal, QC
November 26, 2023*
4:00 p.m.
vs. Canisius
Northern Classic
W 77–73  4–3
 26  Hill   8  Agee   4  Hill  Place Bell 
Montreal, QC
December 2, 2023*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Southern Indiana W 54–52  5–3
 15  Hill   11  Towns   3  Thomas  Screaming Eagles Arena (1,539)
Evansville, IN
December 10, 2023*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Ohio Dominican W 97–49  6–3
 17  Agee   12  Edwards   3  Tied  Stroh Center (1,338)
Bowling Green, OH
December 16, 2023*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Kansas City W 79–69  7–3
 29  Hill   12  Agee   4  Thomas  Stroh Center (1,561)
Bowling Green, OH
December 19, 2023*
11:00 a.m., ESPN+
Hampton W 75–65  8–3
 25  Thomas   12  Agee   3  Tied  Stroh Center (2,995)
Bowling Green, OH
December 22, 2023*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Siena Heights W 79–58  9–3
 19  Thomas   9  Agee   3  Tied  Stroh Center (1,117)
Bowling Green, OH
MAC regular season
January 2, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Eastern Michigan W 92–90 OT 10–3
(1–0)
 35  Hill   11  Agee   6  Thomas  Stroh Center (2,439)
Bowling Green, OH
January 5, 2024
9:00 p.m., CBSSN
at Akron L 67–83  10–4
(1–1)
 19  Hill   6  Agee   4  Spurgin  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,394)
Akron, OH
January 9, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Ohio W 83–78  11–4
(2–1)
 20  Thomas   15  Agee   6  Agee  Stroh Center (1,982)
Bowling Green, OH
January 13, 2024
4:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Northern Illinois W 83–72  12–4
(3–1)
 24  Agee   10  Spurgin   4  Agee  Convocation Center (1,041)
DeKalb, IL
January 16, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Miami (OH) W 78–73  13–4
(4–1)
 23  Hill   12  Agee   3  Tied  Millett Hall (813)
Oxford, OH
January 20, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Western Michigan W 84–79  14–4
(5–1)
 28  Hill   14  Agee   3  Thomas  Stroh Center (2,232)
Bowling Green, OH
January 23, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Kent State L 84–90 OT 14–5
(5–2)
 21  Hill   10  Agee   3  Hill  Stroh Center (2,099)
Bowling Green, OH
January 27, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Toledo L 72–88  14–6
(5–3)
 25  Hill   6  Phillip   3  Hill  Savage Arena (7,318)
Toledo, OH
January 30, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Ball State W 81–72  15–6
(6–3)
 28  Hill   10  Agee   4  Thomas  Worthen Arena (3,488)
Muncie, IN
February 3, 2024
5:00 p.m., ESPN+
Central Michigan L 76–77 2OT 15–7
(6–4)
 22  Hill   14  Agee   7  Hill  Stroh Center (2,230)
Bowling Green, OH
February 6, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Buffalo W 87–73  16–7
(7–4)
 27  Hill   10  Agee   6  Thomas  Stroh Center (1,704)
Bowling Green, OH
February 11, 2024*
3:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Louisiana
MAC-SBC Challenge
L 60–86  16–8
 22  Hill   7  Agee   2  Tied  Cajundome (914)
Lafayette, LA
February 17, 2024
3:30 p.m., ESPN+
at Eastern Michigan L 60–69  16–9
(7–5)
 19  Hill   13  Agee   3  Tied  George Gervin GameAbove Center (3,304)
Ypsilanti, MI
February 20, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Central Michigan L 60–62 OT 16–10
(7–6)
 18  Agee   11  Tied   2  Hill  McGuirk Arena (1,525)
Mount Pleasant, MI
February 23, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Toledo W 76–68  17–10
(8–6)
 31  Hill   11  Agee   2  Phillip  Stroh Center (4,032)
Bowling Green, OH
February 27, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Miami (OH) L 58–66  17–11
(8–7)
 20  Agee   14  Agee   3  Tied  Stroh Center (1,825)
Bowling Green, OH
March 2, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Ohio L 59–66  17–12
(8–8)
 17  Agee   11  Agee   3  Spurgin  Convocation Center (6,134)
Athens, OH
March 5, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Western Michigan W 73–65  18–12
(9–8)
 17  Agee   15  Agee   5  Hill  University Arena (1,243)
Kalamazoo, MI
March 8, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Ball State W 80–70  19–12
(10–8)
 24  Hill   7  Towns   5  Hill  Stroh Center (1,926)
Bowling Green, OH
MAC Tournament
March 14, 2024
1:30 p.m., ESPN+
(5) vs. (4) Central Michigan
Quarterfinals
W 66–56  20–12
 20  Thomas   17  Agee   3  Hill  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 
Cleveland, OH
March 15, 2024
5:00 p.m., CBSSN
(5) vs. (8) Kent State
Semifinals
L 60–73  20–13
 22  Hill   7  Agee   2  Tied  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 
Cleveland, OH
CIT
March 20, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Purdue Fort Wayne
Quarterfinals - Jim Phelan Classic
L 75–77  20–14
 26  Hill   8  Spurgin   5  Spurgin  Stroh Center (1,219)
Bowling Green, OH
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[13][14]

References

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  1. ^ "Todd Simon". Bowling Green Athletics. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  2. ^ "MAC Men's College Basketball Standings - 2023-24". ESPN. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  3. ^ "Stroh Center". Bowling Green State University. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  4. ^ "MAC basketball tournament bracket set; Miami RedHawks face Akron in first round". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  5. ^ "Bowling Green 66, Central Michigan 59". ESPN. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  6. ^ "Kent State 67, Bowling Green 60". ESPN. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  7. ^ "MAC Basketball Standings - 2022-23". ESPN. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  8. ^ "BGSU men's basketball head coach fired, search for replacement announced". WTOL. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  9. ^ Jimenez, James H. (March 15, 2023). "Bowling Green hires Southern Utah head coach Todd Simon to same position". Hustle Belt. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  10. ^ a b "2023-24 Men's Basketball Roster". Bowling Green Athletics. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "2023 D1 Basketball Transfers". Verbal Commits. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  12. ^ "2022-23 Men's Basketball Roster". Bowling Green Athletics. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  13. ^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Schedule". Bowling Green Athletics.
  14. ^ "Bowling Green Falcons Schedule 2023-24". ESPN.