Opponent: Saint Peter's Peacocks
Record: 15-11, 10-6 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Peacocks have now recorded 10 MAAC wins for the first time since the 2004-05 season. They have also guaranteed themselves at least a .500 record, which will mark their first winning season since 2005-06. They currently sit in 4th place in the MAAC.
Last meeting: Dec. 30, 1993. They faced off in the Pepsi Marist Classic, where Buffalo won, 68-61. St. Peter's is scheduled to visit Buffalo next season.
Venue: Yanitelli Center in Jersey City, NJ. The crowd capacity is 3,200.
St. Peter's last game: 69-61 win vs. Loyola. They went on a 19-4 run to rally from being down nine in the second half. Junior guard Nick Leon scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Peacocks to victory.
Buffalo's four-game wining streak: During their current streak, the Bulls are outscoring their opponents by 13 points, averaging 71 points per game while only allowing 58. Rodney Pierce is scoring close to 19 ppg in this stretch and as a team, they've dished out 15.25 assists per game.
St. Peter's key players: Wesley Jenkins is averaging 14.2 points per game and Ryan Bacon has been huge on the boards for the Peacocks, pulling in a team-high nine rebounds per game. Leon, who hails from Brooklyn, NY, is a steady point guard who can put up big points, as seen in their last matchup.
This game is extremely important for both teams because it is an ESPN Bracket Buster matchup. Although Buffalo will most likely need to win the MAC championship in order to reach the NCAA tournament, a victory against the Peacocks can help its seeding if it is to make it to the Big Dance.
Last Saturday, the Bulls played outstanding basketball on national television as they knocked off the Kent State Golden Flashes, 70-55. While beating the No. 1 team in the MAC was important, Buffalo still has a lot of work to do. It has two tough in-conference matchups on the road (Akron and Miami [OH]) and is likely to be met by hostile crowds.
A victory on Saturday will extend the Bulls' win streak to five games and give them momentum to finish out the regular season. Buffalo, however, has been inconsistent on the defensive end and will need big stops if it plans to shut down the Peacocks. In the past few games, the Bulls' defense has illustrated that they are committed to locking up their opponents and expect to carry their hard work into the weekend's matchup.
Despite the importance of the game, Buffalo is looking to improve as it faces an opponent that it isn't familiar with.
'Our number one approach to [our matchup against St. Peter's] is that it's an opportunity to get better,' said head coach Reggie Witherspoon. 'It's against someone we haven't played, so it will show us where we stand.'
It's late in the season and Buffalo has grown accustomed to facing opponents within the MAC. Although it may not know exactly what to expect, Witherspoon is confident that his team will respond to the adversity and have a good showing in New Jersey.
'At this time of year, we're [used to] playing [teams] that we've already played once,' Witherspoon said. 'It's an opportunity to get back on the road and we've had some success on the road, so we're looking forward to it.'
Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on 1230 WECK.
E-mail: sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
