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MAC Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2023-24 season

By Jay George

PORTLAND, OREGON - MARCH 17: Enrique Freeman #25 of the Akron Zips reacts after a play against the UCLA Bruins in the first round game of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Moda Center on March 17, 2022 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON - MARCH 17: Enrique Freeman #25 of the Akron Zips reacts after a play against the UCLA Bruins in the first round game of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Moda Center on March 17, 2022 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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BOWLING GREEN, OH - MARCH 29: The Bowling Green Falcons cheer on against the Columbia Lions during a Fab 4 Round game of the Women's NIT tournament at Stroh Center at Stroh Center on March 29, 2023 in Bowling Green, Ohio. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
MAC Basketball Bowling Green Falcons (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images) /

6. Bowling Green State Falcons

Last Season: 11-20 (5-13 in MAC play)

In March of 2023, Bowling Green State University announced the hiring of Todd Simon as the 18th head coach in the program. The former Southern Utah coach saw great success rebuilding the program to produce 20-win seasons with a fast pace of play offensively. Hitting the transfer portal hard, he looks to bring that same exciting brand of basketball to Bowling Green this coming season to a program after some less than desirable outcomes the past few seasons.

This is a program that he creeped to the peak in past years, beating #18 Buffalo back in the 2018-2019 season and following it up the next year with a promising season stopped short in 2020. Now, with a team that has ten new faces and only four returning players, there is a lot of unknowns with this squad. The new roster construction seems to bode well for both MAC play and otherwise with a clear emphasize on fast guard play and a strong interior presence that can move across the floor at a fast pace.

Returning forwards Sam Towns and Rashaun Agee were one of the high points from last year’s team that will be competing for the Orange and Brown once again. Agee especially brings an explosive and aggressive playstyle down low with the ability to overpower defenders and rise to the basket. His ability to get boards and occasionally pop outside to hit threes open the floor and provide a lot of versatility to the team.

As for the newcomers, Simon brought in brothers Greg (sophomore forward) and Jason (Senior Center) Spurgin as added size and depth to the roster. Two top 20 Juco players from 2022-2023, Marcus Hill and Daijon Humphrey also made it to Bowling Green. Other notable transfers include UCF transfer PJ Edwards, and Vanderbilt transfer Trey Thomas. With what looks like a promising roster, the ceiling is high with this team. There is a potential to really build a complete roster with an explosive offense and length to keep things going defensively. There’s no telling where such a fresh team ends, but they should bring an exciting program within the mid-major ranks this year.

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