After their running all over the Buffalo State Bengals, a Division III squad, in an exhibition match, the Buffalo Bulls basketball team opens the season against another lower division foe. And if all goes well for the Bulls, they will advance to play one of the perennial superpower teams in the country.
The Bulls open up their 2007-08 campaign against the Fighting Scots of Ohio Valley University, which is the first game of the 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in the Storrs, Conn. regional bracket. The winner will play the next night against the winner of Connecticut (Uconn)/Morgan State game for the right to advance to New York City.
The Fighting Scots are a Division II squad and play in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC). They finished up their 2006-07 season with an 8-20 record, which included five conference victories.
Before the Bulls completed their 2006-07 season 12-19, they had three winning seasons where they averaged over 19 wins per year. Head coach Reggie Witherspoon is ready to start a new season after the disappointment of last season.
"It's always hard to handle when you don't get the success that you want, but in the end, a lot of good things came out of last year," Witherspoon said.
The Coaches vs. Cancer tournament is the usual the start of the college basketball season. This prestigious tournament starts off at four regional sites with the winner from each site heading to Madison Square Garden (MSG) to determine the champion. This year's regional series are being held on the campuses of UConn, Memphis, Kentucky and Oklahoma.
Last year, St. John's, Maryland, Texas and Michigan State advanced to New York City after all blowing through the competition in their respective regional groups. Maryland edged out Michigan State to capture the title.
Buffalo is hoping to catch the eyes of the nation by beating host UConn, their potential opponent on Thursday, and head to MSG. But first, they will have to take care of the relatively unknown team of Ohio Valley.
The Bulls will look to repeat their performance against Buffalo State to advance in the tournament. Led by sophomore Sean Smiley with 24 points, the Bulls were able to score often and easily against the Bengals.
Witherspoon knows that Smiley will be a vital component for the Bulls in this tournament, as well as in future games.
"He's kind of been a forgotten man because of all the injuries," Witherspoon said. "It's really good to have him back, and he'll help contribute to what we're doing here."
If the Bulls knock off Ohio Valley, they will face off against Uconn, who are coming off a disappointing 17-14 season in which they did not make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001. They are returning most of their squad, and have one of the most talented frontcourts in the nation, led by center Hasheem Thabeet.
Last season, Thabeet finished third in the nation with 119 blocked shots. The Huskies currently find themselves just outside of the nation's top 25 rankings.
Witherspoon knows his frontcourt will have to perform well if they want to advance past even the first game. Six-foot-eight junior Brian Addison had a solid first game for the Bulls, scoring 10 points to go along with his eight rebounds.
"It's going to have to be a collective effort," Witherspoon said of the big men he can call upon for the upcoming season.
Against Buffalo State, the Bulls were able to try a new approach by utilizing a fast, pressuring defense. The team forced 53 turnovers, which led to 66 points. They also flexed their new fast break offense, which accounted for 16 points against the Bengals.
Tip off for the first game is 4 p.m. on Wednesday at Gampel Pavilion. The game will immediately be followed by Morgan State vs. UConn. If the Bulls lose, they will play at 6 p.m. on Thursday against the loser of Morgan St/UConn. If the Bulls defeat Ohio Valley, they will play the winner of the second game on Thursday at 9 p.m. The regional championship game will be broadcasted live on ESPNU.
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
