With virtually all signs pointing to a loss, Bulls' head coach Reggie Witherspoon and the men's basketball team look to upset the No. 2 nationally ranked Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday at Alumni Arena.
The list of obstacles standing between Buffalo (6-3) and a win in the upcoming game is almost as long as the number of consecutive wins Pittsburgh has under their belt. With nine consecutive wins to start its season, Pittsburgh (9-0) has once again asserted itself as a Big East Conference and NCAA Championship contender. Coming off a disappointing loss to Syracuse in the Big East Championship last year, this season's team seems motivated to improve on last season's success.
"They are obviously very good," Witherspoon said. "They are physical and play really hard. Now that is something that you can say vaguely about a lot of teams, but they play extremely hard and are extremely talented."
With only three freshmen and three sophomores on the roster, Pittsburgh stands in stark contrast to the very young Buffalo team. The 12 underclassmen suiting up for the Bulls have proven themselves thus far. However, the experience gap is none the less profound between the two teams. Four of the five top scorers for he Panthers last season that remain on the roster bring skill as well as experience to the team, while the Bulls have only four seniors in forwards Yassin Idbihi, Parnell Smith, Barnard Onyenucheya and guard Darwin Young. The young players of the Bulls are still very excited and optimistic.
"I'm excited to play a number two team in the nation," said sophomore forward/guard Greg Gamble. "It is a good opportunity but I think you should play the same whoever you play. I definitely believe we can upset them. We have a solid team. I believe we are deep enough to get it done."
Buffalo was hoping to come into its match against Pittsburgh on a winning streak, but the Bulls fell short against Tulane on Wednesday. The Panthers, on the other hand, have won their last 20 games against non-conference teams.
The biggest obstacle that Buffalo must overcome if it wants any shot at winning is the massive seven-foot tall, 270-pound center Aaron Gray. Gray, who last year had a break out season in which he was named the Big East's Most Improved Player and All-Big East First team honoree, is the only player in Big East history to have averaged a double-double with 13.9 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. As a senior, Gray has become the Panthers' go-to-man. In their second-half win over the Robert Morris Colonials, Gray stood four inches above any opponent. Despite all efforts by Robert Morris, the Panthers were still able to force the ball inside to Gray and get the victory.
Buffalo is not as outmatched as Robert Morris though. Buffalo carries eight players over six-foot five inches tall, including Smith, Idbihi and freshman forward Kambi Laleye. Idbihi, the six-foot 10-inch senior, will have to remain at the top of his game in order to subdue Gray. The Buffalo big man entered the season with a whopping 220 rebounds last year with 128 of those being defensive boards. Idbihi could well be the deciding factor in Saturday's match-up. Although a force on defense, Idbihi is also a consistently high scorer racking up 448 points last season. With confidence in his own skill, Gray does not intimidate Idbihi.
"I know he is dominant and will be drafted really high," Idbihi said. "This match-up is just going to show how good me and him really are."
Other contributing Bulls will undoubtedly be Smith and sophomore Eric Moore who have 95 and 112 points this season, respectively. Robinson will also be counted on as he has scored in double figures in each of the last two games.
"I guess it is good for our program," Witherspoon said. "Right now we are trying to get better with every game, so if we can use this to get better then that would be great."
Tip off is at Alumni Arena at 4 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
