???At 17-6, the men's basketball team is sitting pretty in the MAC. The surprise season continued recently as the Bulls went 5-1 against their MAC West counterparts.
???But the Bulls' recent play on offense has not been attractive or impressive.
???Buffalo heads into a final six-game stretch that will determine whether a MAC Championship is achievable. The Bulls are currently first overall in the conference, but their place in the standings is not due to an impressive offense.
???Instead, it was the Bulls' defense that sparked a huge nine-game winning streak and positioned Buffalo for the No. 1 seed in the MAC Tournament. Buffalo's defense emerged as one of the best in the MAC over the course of the conference season, holding MAC opponents to only 58.8 points a game.
???But against the MAC West, Buffalo's once-efficient offense was almost non-existent. The shooting fell off and the Bulls failed to score easy baskets. They averaged only 60.5 points a game during the 5-1 run against teams that currently have a combined record of 41-102.
???Despite the apparent difference in talent, the Bulls struggled to pull away from their MAC West opponents. Central Michigan almost got a win on Buffalo's home floor while Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan put a scare into the Bulls.
???Unfortunately, scoring 60 points a game during the next three weeks will not get Buffalo a NCAA Tournament bid.
???Buffalo's team is a deep and defensive squad that will win ugly. Most of their wins will come on the defensive end, but if the offense can't help the defense then the Bulls might as well kiss a MAC Championship goodbye.
???The important stretch of games begins tonight at Alumni Arena against Bowling Green, a team that hung 86 points on the Bulls in Buffalo's MAC opener. The defense has improved since the January loss, but the offense that scored 82 against the Falcons has been missing.
???Buffalo doesn't need an explosion of offense during the stretch, but a couple things need to change.
???Junior forward Calvin Betts needs to become the leader he once was this season. After scoring 20 points against Ohio, Betts has failed to reach double figures. The Bulls are 8-2 when Betts scores in double figures. Whenever Betts plays well on offense, the whole team plays much better.
???It's also time for head coach Reggie Witherspoon to change his strategy with his frontcourt players. For the last 14 games, Witherspoon has started freshmen forward Titus Robinson and Mitchell Watt. Both players have shown flashes of brilliance but have not received enough time to help the team as starters.
???Witherspoon should either play the two freshmen more or put junior forward Max Boudreau and senior forward Vadim Feditov into the starting lineup. Both guys have produced off the bench and have started before.
???The bench might be Buffalo's advantage over other teams, but they shouldn't be getting just six points combined from their starting forwards.
???The men's basketball team has surprised the country this season. Buffalo has put itself in a good position to capture their first NCAA Tournament bid. It would be a shame if a previously powerful offense was the reason Buffalo missed out.
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
