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Friday, March 29, 2024
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The final five preview

Previewing the Bulls' final five games of the regular season

<p>Victor E. Bull runs down the court in Alumni Arena. The Bulls have their final five games of the regular season left.</p>

Victor E. Bull runs down the court in Alumni Arena. The Bulls have their final five games of the regular season left.

The men’s basketball team is less than three weeks away from the Mid-American Conference championship. They are only one win away from winning the East Division with their success this season.

The Bulls no longer hold the top spot in the MAC alone. They sit next to the Toledo Rockets after a recent loss to the Northern Illinois Huskies. These last five games will be the deciding factor in MAC tournament seeding.

The Bulls (19-7, 11-2 MAC) head into their final stretch off a recent 84-72 win over the Kent State Golden Flashes (12-14, 6-7 MAC).

The Bulls vs. The Bowling Green Falcons (16-10, 7-6 MAC)

The game is on Friday at Alumni Arena with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. The first game will be a deciding factor in the East Division. The Falcons are in second place and the Bulls only need one win over them to clinch it. This is the first meeting between the two teams this season.

Expect Falcons redshirt freshman guard Justin Turner to be a deciding factor in the game. He is coming off some strong scoring performances, but if the Bulls are able to defend against him, their night could be easier. The Bulls have succeeded throughout the season with guard-heavy offense.

The Bulls at The Miami (OH) Redhawks (13-13, 6-7 MAC)

This road game is set for Feb. 20 at Oxford, Ohio with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. The Bulls beat the Redhawks earlier this season at Alumni Arena 82-66 in January. Since then, the Bulls have gone 7-2 while the Redhawks have gone 4-5. The Bulls were solid on the road this season so expect a performance similar to the first game.

Redhawks junior guard Darrian Ringo had a good performance in the first game with 14 points and 7 assists. It will be key for the Bulls to not allow their offense to run through Ringo.

The Bulls vs. The Ohio Bobcats (10-15, 3-10 MAC)

The Bulls return home for this game on Feb. 24 with tipoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m. The teams played earlier this season with the Bulls picking up the 73-66 win on the road. The Bulls had big performances from junior forwards Nick Perkins and Ikenna Smart.

The forwards will make the difference for the Bulls. The Bobcats will likely rely on freshman guard Teyvion Kirk who picked up 18 points and 10 rebounds in their first outing. Expect the Buffalo guards to have a stronger performance than they did in the first game.

The Bulls vs. The Akron Zips (11-14, 4-9 MAC)

In their last home game of the season, the Bulls take on MAC rival the Akron Zips on Feb. 27 with tipoff set for 7 p.m. In their first game, the Bulls got the win with 87-65 in Akron. In their final games, the Bulls will look to attack hard, trying to pick up wins against the lesser conference team.

The Bulls dominated the first half when they played the Zips in early January, outscoring them 38-17. If the Bulls can get started like that again, another win over Akron is likely. Last game, Zips freshman guard Virshon Cotton lead the game in scoring with 23 points. Cotton was the only player in the game to score over 20 points.

The Bulls at The Bowling Green Falcons

The Bulls end their five game stretch the same way it started: against the Falcons. This time on the road, the game is scheduled for March 2 with tip off set for 6 p.m.

If the Falcons can stay hot, they can possibly upset the Bulls’ plans to take the division.

Sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com.

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