After going on the road and ending one team's senior day with a thrilling four-point win, the men's basketball team looks to turn from hunter to hunted, preventing another team from doing the same to it.
Everything is at stake as the Bulls (18-9, 11-4 Mid-American Conference) host Bowling Green (16-13, 9-6 MAC) on Saturday evening. A win, combined with an Akron (20-10, 12-3 MAC) loss on Friday, will clinch just the second regular season conference championship in men's basketball history.
Almost as important are the group of seniors that will be gracing the floor of Alumni Arena with their presence for the last time. That quartet – consisting of forwards Mitchell Watt, Titus Robinson, Dave Barnett, and guard Zach Filzen – are a special group. It has won more games (77) than any other senior class in program history.
"They've been great for the university, and in the classroom," said head coach Reggie Witherspoon. "They're great ambassadors to the community and they've been great on the court. Now, the interesting thing about them is that none of them are point guards, and they have done it with four different point guards. I think that's unheard of, I don't know if you can find anywhere else in the country where you can say that. That's a pretty remarkable achievement."
Perhaps no senior has meant more to this team this year than Watt. He has played outstanding of late, averaging 20 points and seven rebounds in his last five games. Over the course of the MAC season, he has averaged 15.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks – numbers that are strong enough to warrant MAC Player of the Year consideration.
"Well I think we are fortunate enough to have not one, but two candidates for MAC player of the year," Witherspoon said. "But [Watt] has had a tremendous run, a tremendous senior season, and the things that he's overcome are pretty well-documented. He's been remarkable. He's gotten better at everything. It's a tribute to how hard he works to get his body healthy and to get strong. His game is better, he's been doing things on both ends of the court and he's sustained that kind of quality for quite a while."
On the other side of the court will be another player vying for that honor. Falcons' Forward A'uston Calhoun is a player that can light up teams offensively. Buffalo got a taste of this the last the two teams met, as he torched them for 29 points and eight rebounds.
"I've said all along that he's one of the best players in the conference," Witherspoon said. "The most important thing you can do with a player like that is to try to make whatever he does as difficult as possible. You don't want to give him easy shots."
The Bulls defenders will have a tough task outside of Calhoun. Forward Scott Thomas has been the best 3-point threat for the Falcons this year, making 39 percent of his attempts. Guard Dee Brown is another guy that has had a number of 20-point performances in MAC play.
Stopping that trio will not be an easy task for the Bulls.
"We are going to try to keep them out of the lane," Witherspoon said. "With guys like Thomas and Brown, they have so many guys that have gone off in big games. We have to make things difficult for them, and that's a challenge, because they can make it look easy."
For the Bulls offensively the effort from the second unit has been a real plus. Whether it's timely scoring from Barnett and junior guard Tony Watson or defensive efforts by Robinson and sophomore forward Cameron Downing, it is crucial that the backups raise the level of play and make a positive impact on the game.
"I don't think you can go through such a long season and think that you can depend on five or six guys," Witherspoon said. "You need to have guys – and I've said this all along – but it's not who's going to start. We need people that are going to come off the bench, evaluate the game from the bench, and be able to recognize a fire and put it out, or start a fire themselves."
In these senior games, it can be a challenge to start the game off strong. A game can quickly get away from a team, especially in an arena packed with parents and eager fans for senior day – Akron knows this all too well. But Witherspoon doesn't have doubts about this group of players.
"It's been a challenge all year long for us to maintain a level of poise and savvy and not let your adrenaline dictate your decisions offensively," Witherspoon said. "We don't want to be a victim of our own adrenaline but we can use those things defensively and that's what we have been going over with our guys all season long."
The Bulls look to make history and earn a bye into the semifinals Saturday at Alumni Arena. Tipoff for the senior night game is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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