Bowling Green Falcons forward Rashaun Agee (12) boxes out Buffalo Bulls guard Shawn Fulcher (10) during a free throw attempt during the first half of a game on February 6 at the Stroh Center. Bowling Green defeated Buffalo, 87-73. (Scott W. Grau|Sentinel-Tribune file)
The Bowling Green State University men’s basketball team has accepted a bid to play in the 2024 CollegeInsiders.com Postseason Tournament (CIT).
The Falcons will host the first round at the Stroh Center on Wednesday against Purdue Fort Wayne with a scheduled 7 p.m. tip.
“We are honored to accept the invitation to play in the CIT,” said BGSU coach Todd Simon. “It is a great opportunity to continue to compete with this special group for BGSU and build on a 20-win season.
“We are excited to play in front of the absolute best fans as we bring postseason play to the Stroh Center. We are grateful to the CIT, our administration and the fans that showed out this season to make hosting a reality. Let’s pack the Stroh a couple more times.”
The appearance in the CIT will be the first for the Falcons since the 2014-15 campaign. In the first season under Simon, Bowling Green is coming off its first 20-win season since 2019-20 and just the program’s ninth 20-win season during the MAC era of Bowling Green basketball.
In the MAC Tournament, the Falcons advanced to the MAC Semifinals round with Simon becoming the fourth coach in program history to win a MAC Tournament game in their first season with the Falcons.
Purdue Fort Wayne posted a record of 21-12 this season while going 11-9 in conference play. In the Horizon League Tournament, they topped Robert Morris in the first round, but fell to eventual-champion Oakland in the second round.
The Mastodons are led by four players averaging 13 or more points per game with sophomore guard Jalen Jackson topping the stat sheet, averaging 16.2 points per game.
Each game in the first round of the CIT are trophy games. BGSU’s will be the Jim Phelan Classic. Known for his signature bow tie, Jim Phelan had an impressive career at the Mount. He led the Mountaineers to the 1962 NCAA Men’s Division II Basketball Championship.
When he retired in 2003, after coaching for 49 years, he had amassed 830 wins (overall record of 830-524) in all divisions. In those 49 years, 19 of his teams amassed 20 or more wins in a season. Upon his retirement, College Insider established the Jim Phelan award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top Division I coach.
Fans interested in attending the game can buy through the BGSU ticket office (419-372-0000). Season ticket holders will have access to their same seats for both days and will need to contact the BGSU ticket office to purchase. Students will have tickets automatically loaded into their accounts.
General Admission tickets are $11 with reserved chairbacks at $13. Prices will increase $2 at the game, so fans are encouraged to buy tickets in advance. Fans can email [email protected] with questions.
