The Bowling Green State University men’s basketball team will start its 2026 schedule with a road game against the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Minutemen on January 3. This marks the first meeting between the two programs and UMass’s debut season in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) for men’s basketball. The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. tip-off and will be streamed on ESPN+ with radio coverage by Todd Walker on WFRO Eagle 99.
Bowling Green enters the matchup with a 4-1 record in away games this season, while UMass holds a 6-2 home record. Both teams feature strong rebounders, including BGSU’s Sam Towns, who ranks seventh in the MAC with an average of 6.9 rebounds per game. As a team, Bowling Green leads the nation in steals per game at 12.9 and is second nationally in turnovers forced per game at 19.1.
A win over UMass would give Bowling Green its first victory against the Minutemen and increase their total to wins over 274 unique opponents in program history. It would also mark their first time going 2-0 on the road in MAC play since the 2020-21 season and improve their road record to 5-1 for this year.
Defensively, Bowling Green has established itself as one of the top teams nationally by holding opponents to an average of 66.4 points per game and limiting them to just over 41 percent shooting—both leading marks within the conference.
UMass, new to MAC men’s basketball this year, has faced challenges early in conference play with losses to Kent State and Eastern Michigan after previously securing five consecutive wins against non-conference opponents such as Oregon State, Boston College, and Florida State. Marcus Banks Jr., a transfer from UMBC, leads UMass scoring at an average of 16.2 points per game.
Javontae Campbell continues his standout defensive performance for BGSU, adding three more steals against Miami (OH) to bring his season total to a national-best of 51 through fourteen games—an average of 3.6 steals per contest. He is currently projected to surpass both his own single-season school record and potentially break the all-time MAC record set by Bonzi Wells during the late nineties.
Sam Towns is also achieving career highs across several statistical categories this season—including points scored, assists, steals, field goals made, three-pointers made, free throws made—and is approaching his personal best for rebounds.
Bowling Green has maintained an undefeated record when holding opponents under seventy points this year but remains winless when allowing eighty or more points in a game.
In recent play off the bench against Miami (OH), Josiah Shackelford and Mayar Wol contributed all twenty-four bench points for BGSU; overall this season, Falcon reserves are averaging just over thirty-three points per contest—second highest among MAC teams behind only Miami (OH).
“Be sure to follow the Falcons’ men’s basketball team on social media
Twitter – @BGSU_Athletics and @BGSUMBB
Instagram – ‘bgfalcons’ and ‘bgsumhoops’
Facebook – ‘BGSU Athletics’ and ‘BGSU Men’s Hoops’
YouTube – ‘Falcon Athletics'”
