Wednesday night's men's basketball victory over Kent State has galvanized an excitement on campus that has not been seen in years, if ever. Obviously, people have plenty of things to say about it.
Corey Griswold (Former Spectrum Editor): I know I have waited four years for something like this; to see students actually care about a victory. I feel good knowing that those players have waited a long time too. They deserved that night for how hard they played.
Jerry Sullivan (Buffalo News): It was difficult to see with all the fans on the court. But late Wednesday night, I think I finally saw UB basketball turn the corner.
Jim Hofher (UB football head coach): If you closed your eyes, you would not have known it wasn't Cameron Indoor Stadium! It was one more piece of evidence that UB continues to grow, and can compete in the MAC successfully, and none of us know where the end of the rainbow is yet, but the colors are getting brighter! It was UB's biggest MAC victory that I know of, and I am confident that our football team wants to work even harder than they are already to share with each other the same experience that the basketball Bulls shared last night. I told the kids this morning at our team workout that last night was no accident for UB, the team was ready, played with poise, handled each tough situation in the game and rose above each one, and was simply the hungrier lion in the fight.
Daniel Gvertz (Spectrum Staff Writer): The feeling in the air was absolutely electric. It felt like those college basketball games you see on ESPN all the times. It seemed like the crowd was a 6th player on the floor for UB who played really good defense. When Idbihi drained his 3-pointers, the feeling in the stands was indescribable, just plain euphoria.
Tim Burrows (senior psychology major): I am a senior and that was the single greatest UB athletic event I have ever seen here. I had been waiting to rush the court for four years.
Maria Brady (sophomore PrePhysical Therapy/Exercise Science Major):The men's basketball team blew both Kent State AND my expectations of a UB team OUT OF THE WATER!. They definitely played an awesome game that kept me cheering the WHOLE time.
Jon Amitrano (sophomore undecided major): The crowd was amazing, I have never seen so many students so hyped up like that. Daniel Gilbert really has been playing great the past couple games and last night he really showed up and pretty much gave us the game. At first I was worried about what would happen because I knew Mario Jordan was going to be out, but everyone else picked up the slack for him. I don't know what to say about Yassin Idbihi's performance, I watched him practice one day and he hit like 20 some threes in a row, so I know he has the distance. I think once that first one went in, there was no stopping him. Overall I hope we get a lot of fans for the Ohio game and if we get a home playoff game we should be packed.
Matt Goul (Daily Kent Stater): Storming the court and chanting "Over-rated"-Buffalo fans must not be used to an upset of a first-place team. But the Buffalo players played like they were used to it.
Michael Scott (former Senior Sports Editor, The Spectrum): It was overwhelming to see the program finally burst onto the scene in two important ways on the same night. For one, UB proclaimed their arrival as contenders for a MAC title by running the conference's signature program right out of the gym. Second, UB basketball established itself as a thrilling entertainment option, those fans will be back.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
