Falcons open postseason Wednesday
3/14/2012BOWLING GREEN -- Bowling Green State University men's basketball coach Louis Orr will not apologize for his team earning a berth in the postseason.
The Falcons were selected to play in the CollegeInsiders.com Postseason Tournament with a 16-15 overall record and will open with a contest at Oakland University in Rochester, Mich., Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Orr said his team's situation is similar to that of college football teams battling for bowl bids.
"You don't have to win a championship to go to a bowl game -- if you earn a certain record, you go," he said. "In basketball, having more opportunities to play is a good thing.
"I'm not apologizing. We've got a good team so I'm glad we're playing."
The CIT offers the Falcons a second chance after a disappointing loss to Central Michigan stopped BG in the opening round of the Mid-American Conference tournament. Orr said that loss to the 11th-seeded team in the tournament should not define his team's season.
"I think you have to take a look at a team's whole body of work," Orr said. "I think sometimes that is negated by one loss, so we appreciate this opportunity. We've had some successes in the season, and it's good to keep playing.
"In our league, we were 9-7 -- who else got in from our league with a winning record? It's a challenging conference, and there is more than one or two good teams in our league. And on any given day, anything can happen.
"Parity is there. And [making the postseason] is about consistency. Consistency is the key to having a good season."
Oakland is coached by Greg Kampe, a 1978 BG grad who is in his 28th season with the Golden Grizzlies. Oakland enters the contest with a 17-15 record thanks to a high-powered offense that ranks ninth among Division I schools with its average of 79.6 points per game. The Golden Grizzlies use the 3-pointer to good effect, ranking third in Division I with an average of 9.2 3-pointers made per contest.
Oakland's leading scorer, senior Reggie Hamilton, also leads the nation with with 25.7 points per game.
"They are a potent offensive team that you don't want to play 'tag' with," Orr said of the Golden Grizzlies. "You don't want to try to outscore them by trading baskets. You have to play to your strengths and run your stuff. You have to run good offense and take advantage of your opportunities. You have to be smart."
Contact John Wagner at: jwagner@theblade.com, 419-724-6481 or on Twitter @jwagnerblade.