Middleton's play proves silence is golden

It started in the first half of ESPN's Bracket Buster in Fresno State, with the UB men's basketball team's star point guard on the bench with two fouls and shooting woes plaguing the team.

In perhaps the most hyped play of the season, junior Roderick Middleton faced Dwight O'Neil one-on-one and served up a rejection that ESPN put on its Top Ten plays of the day.

That flash isn't representative of what Middleton brings to the Bulls, and Monday's Mid-American Conference Tournament playoff game against Northern Illinois showed just that.

For the fifth consecutive game since he was removed from the starting lineup, Middleton responded with vigor, showing court leadership, good judgment and a fine touch to help the Bulls advance to Cleveland.

"When we asked him (to come off the bench), he didn't even show me an ounce of disappointment in his face," Bulls head coach Reggie Witherspoon said. "That's what's so amazing about these guys."

Since the Fresno State game, Middleton has averaged 12 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Couple those stats with plays like his game-sealing steal against Northern Illinois, and the loss of Turner Battle next year feels a little less painful.

"I call Rod 'the Silent Assassin,' " said Battle. "He comes in, works hard and is aggressive. He does a lot for us."

Middleton wasn't the only player to step up for the Bulls Monday. Sophomore Parnell Smith was a physical force, holding his own in the paint and bringing down five rebounds in his 19 minutes.

"Parnell gives us the other post player we've been looking for," Witherspoon said. "We've been trying to find the right moment to put him in. When he starts, he's there, and it gives him a chance to settle down."

The emergence of underclassmen like Middleton and Smith proves the Bulls have the talent to be a good team for a while. Good teams win the games they should, even when they don't play well enough to win.

For more than half of Monday's game, the Bulls were out-rebounded, out-hustled and almost out-scored.

They won by seven.

This team should make for an intriguing, and hopefully long, run in Cleveland this week.