Bulls to face Bulldogs in 'Bracket Buster'

California dreaming usually brings to mind beaches, blondes, and boards. This weekend, however, California will carry a completely different meaning for the UB Men's Basketball team: Bulldogs.

For the first time, the Buffalo Bulls (16-7 overall, 9-6 Mid-American Conference) will face the Fresno State Bulldogs (14-9, 8-6 Western Athletic Conference) as a part of ESPN's third annual Bracket Buster Saturday.

UB is coming off a hard-fought win at home this past Tuesday against Kent State, 77-66. After struggles in the first half, including poor passing and lack of communication causing turnovers, Buffalo was able to pull together in the locker room during halftime and battle back for the win.

"The two words to describe what took place in the locker room were 'soul searching'," said Bulls' head coach Reggie Witherspoon. "The guys came out and I heard a couple of them say 'It's gut-check time,' and it really was. I think we had to really go within ourselves to find a way that we could get everything out of ourselves, energy wise and effort wise."

Energy will be a factor in Saturday's game due to the amount of travel the Bulls encounter en route to the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif.

"That is going to be a prime challenge for us because it's going to take a long time to get there," said Witherspoon. "We have to get up very early in the morning and depart from here Thursday morning to get a 6 a.m. flight. We have a time change associated with it. It puts us clearly at a disadvantage, but we have to embrace that challenge."

Another challenge facing the Bulls will be the fans wearing the Bulldog's red and blue and supporting their Bulldogs. Fresno State averages over 14,000 fans a game, more than twice the capacity of the Bulls' home court, and three times the size of a typical Alumni Arena crowd.

Stepping out onto the court of an unfamiliar team typically isn't a factor in the Bulls' schedule but as Buffalo is facing a team from the WAC instead of the MAC, extra preparation and effort is crucial.

"It's a difficult thing to do that this late in the year, but hopefully it's equally difficult for them to prepare for us too," said Witherspoon. "Our preparation is going to take a little longer to do that. We're given player tendencies and these guys have never played against them before, whereas the game (against Kent State) some of our guys have played against them for a couple years."

The unfamiliar opponent, Fresno State, enters the game after ending a two game losing streak against Tulsa at home, 71-69. Dreike Bouldin, a 6-foot-7-inch senior forward, came off the bench strong for the Bulldogs, scoring 20 points. Freshman Donovan Morris and sophomore Ja'Vance Coleman also posted double digit scoring, 14 and 11 points respectively. Mustafa Al-Sayyad led Fresno State in rebounds, bringing down seven boards.

Coleman currently leads Fresno State's offensive attack, averaging 17.4 points on the year. He is complimented by Al-Sayyad who is averaging 12.2 points and 7.7 rebounds on the year. The Bulls conversely are led by Turner Battle, who is averaging 15.8 points per game, and their leading rebounder, Mark Bortz, averages just 5.8 boards per game. The two teams have relatively matched individual statistics; therefore team play overall is going to be a big factor for both sides.

This is the third year ESPN has organized this event, which started with just 18 teams and grew to 64 this year. The purpose of Bracket Buster Saturday is to give national credit to mid-major teams that could be a threat come March Madness.

"I think for the University to be associated with a nationally recognized event, it's good. It's good for the campus, it's good for the students, and it's good for the intercollegiate experience. I think more than anything those are the three things it means," said Witherspoon.

Out of the 22 teams that will play on Saturday, six of the teams come from the MAC, the most from any conference. ESPN and ESPN2 will broadcast six of the 11 games while the other five will be available regionally or through pay-per-view.

Locally, WNLO (UPN 23) will be broadcasting the game on television while WLVL 1340 AM will air the radio broadcast. Also, the UB Division of Athletics will be sponsoring an event at Buffalo Wild Wings.

Tip off is set for 7 p.m.