Four games will determine whether the men's basketball team has the skill, determination and heart worthy of being Mid-American Conference regular season champions. But it'll take a resurgence of energy and confidence if Buffalo wants to be the favorite in the MAC Tournament.
The journey towards the top seed in the MAC Tournament begins Thursday night as the Bulls (17-8, 9-3 MAC) host the Akron Zips (17-10, 8-4 MAC).
Akron is one of four teams that find themselves a game behind Buffalo in the MAC East after the Bulls dropped three games in a row. The last loss came Saturday at Vermont where the Bulls built up an early 13-point lead before falling to the Catamounts by eight points.
Despite the loss, the Vermont game gave Buffalo an opportunity to try some things out without the pressure of losing a conference game. The offense scored 70 points, the highest point total since scoring 74 points in a win over Western Michigan in January.
"We wanted to really work hard offensively and get it going a little bit," said head coach Reggie Witherspoon. "The team just wanted to roll out there and give everything they got."
Junior guard Rodney Pierce, who scored 21 points against Vermont, thought the offense was able to flow better in Saturday's game. In his mind, the team fought a lot harder than it had in previous games.
"We had a little more movement, which helps a lot. In this kind of offense you can't be stagnant. We have to get back to doing that against MAC opponents," he said. "Even though we lost, we fought and played hard even though we were down. The team came together, which is important."
Buffalo hopes the fast pace offense returns against Akron. The Zips, which have won nine of their last 11 games, have one of the best defenses in the MAC, holding teams to just 59.5 points a game.
A loss to Akron will drop the Bulls from sole possession of first place in the East division. Witherspoon knows this and hopes his team can hold their lead.
"Akron is an aggressive team. They defend with a lot of pressure and they're experienced across their frontline," he said. "We have to make sure we can do everything we can for every second that we're competing to give ourselves the best chance to succeed."
The team is counting on some players to improve their performance Thursday night.
Junior forward Calvin Betts dominated competition earlier this season. Before suffering an ankle injury and dealing with the loss of his grandfather, Betts scored in double digits in 10 of 15 games. Since then, he has averaged 4.9 points in his last nine games.
Witherspoon believes Betts is struggling from the mental aspect of recovering from his injury. He hopes Betts can recover during the Akron game and the final stretch.
"[Calvin] has struggled a little bit," Witherspoon said. "We're going to keep pushing him and hope he regains his concentration and his energy because he's had a bit of a struggle."
Witherspoon also hopes freshmen Titus Robinson and Mitchell Watt can maximize their potential during the rest of their season. Against Vermont, the two combined for 18 points and seven rebounds.
But Witherspoon sees the freshmen struggling mentally during this stressful stretch. After practice on Tuesday, Witherspoon talked to the freshmen for almost an hour hoping to raise their
"With them, it's always so tough for them mentally. Physically it's the same game, but mentally it's so different to what they had in high school," he said. "They've got to be prepared to stand up and fight back."
With Robinson and Watt among the players in an unfamiliar position, the Bulls know they will be tested every game. Buffalo was unsuccessful in contending for a MAC title the last two years and now realizes what the pressure of holding first place feels like.
"I think everyone is giving us their best shot," Witherspoon said. "For the most part we have competed and even in the games we've loss we were right there. Right now we just have to strap them up and not worry about not experiencing first place before."
At the same time, Pierce believes his team can be successful despite going through struggles. Buffalo is 4-0 against the teams left of the schedule, so he knows they can win.
"We know we've done it before. As a team was just have to stay together and keep talking," he said. "We'll have success, we just have to play hard."
Witherspoon understands that his team will face hardship. Currently in first place, the team will face each of the four team's best effort.
"You can't be a champion without taking punches," he said. "We're taking some hits and we have to fight back. Everyone else in the MAC is fighting, so we have to do the same."
Tip-off against Akron is at 7 p.m. at Alumni Arena.
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
