Team preview: Bowling Green

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(Information in this team report is as of October 1.)

Bowling Green will have a new look in 2005-06. Not that the Falcons changed their school colors or moved out of Anderson Arena. And yes, they are back in the MAC East Division, but their roster is undergoing a metamorphosis.

Seven new players are in the fold. Just one double-figure scorer, guard Steven Wright (11.1 ppg), returns from last season's 18-11 squad. Six of the top nine scorers are gone and four of the seven returning letter-winners combined to score 57 points last winter. It may take a while for this team to mesh.

"I can't keep up," ninth-year head coach Dan Dakich said when asked about the comings and goings of his new players.

Two recent NCAA rule changes, however, are going to help the Falcons get on the same page. First, players can come together in the summer.

"We had to do that," Dakich said. "The guys have gained weight and worked really hard.''

Secondly, rules allow coaches to work out an entire team before the start of official practices.

"That's a big deal for this team," Dakich said.

Last season was a case of addition by subtraction. Many thought Bowling Green would stumble when guard Ron Lewis transferred to Ohio State weeks before the start of practice. But the Falcons knew the reality of the situation: They were a better team without Lewis.

Go figure. But a closer look at Lewis reveals that in '03-'04 he put up a team-high 367 shots (39.5 percent) and had 91 assists to 89 turnovers. Sure he scored 500-plus points, but the team finished 14-17.

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