Hump day wound up being a career night for two members of the men's basketball team. Senior guard Tony Watson and junior forward Javon McCrea posted career highs in scoring and rebounds, respectively, as Watson finished the night with 24 points and McCrea gabbed 16 rebounds.
Last year, the Bulls finished second in fielding percentage in the Mid-American Conference. This year, they look to improve on that statistic with an experienced infield.
It's common baseball lore that the pitcher controls the pace of the game. The Bulls' pitching staff is looking to set the squad's tempo in its quest to exercise past demons this season. Last season, opposing teams had a .299 average and the Bulls allowed 577 hits.
The men's and women's track and field teams both competed in two events this past weekend: the SPIRE Division I Invitational and the Cornell Kane Invitational. The men's team won one event and had five athletes finish in the top five over the course of the weekend, while the women's team had two athletes finish in the top five of their events. Both teams set new school records at the SPIRE meet. For the men's team, freshman distance runner Brian Crimmins beat the previous school record for the 1,000-meter dash by three seconds, finishing in 2:24:16.
A loss can be as much of a motivator as a disheartening event. A loss does not always come with pain; many times it can have a silver lining. The Bulls (2-2) suffered a hard defeat this weekend against their second Ivy League opponent of the spring season, getting shut out 7-0 by the Cornell Big Red (4-1).
With Valentine's Day approaching, the men's basketball athletes will be spending their time with each other rather than their sweethearts back in Buffalo. The Bulls play Toledo at home Wednesday night and then begin traveling bright and early on Thursday for a game with Miami Ohio on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday marked one of the most entertaining, tumultuous days in college basketball history. There were half-court buzzer-beaters and a five-overtime barnburner to conclude the day.
The men's basketball team went to Michigan twice last week and lost by a combined 30 points. Midway through the Mid-American Conference schedule, desperation is brewing for a team that was one of the best in the conference last season. On Saturday, the Bulls (9-15, 4-6 MAC) outlasted Northern Illinois (5-17, 3-7 MAC), 59-54.
Two teams met on Sunday - both only one game out of first place in their respective divisions in the Mid-American Conference.
With the NFL season coming to a close, fans must endure an offseason full of rumors and speculation directed toward free agency, trades and the draft.
On Wednesday, the football team announced 18 high school seniors had committed to play ball for UB. Head coach Jeff Quinn stated the Bulls had signed 11 players on the defensive side of the ball and six on the offensive side, in addition to one special teams player. Here's a run down on some of the most notable recruits. Blake Bean: ILB, 6-1, 235, Butler Community College Bean is already enrolled here at Buffalo after completing two seasons at Butler Community College.
The youthful men's basketball team has experienced many different scenarios this season, but a new one was on the horizon on Wednesday night. Only three UB players put their mark in the second-half scoring column of the Bulls' (8-15, 3-6 Mid-American Conference) game against Eastern Michigan (11-11, 4-4 MAC). Buffalo scored just 13 points in the final 20 minutes.
So far this season, the wrestling team has battled a more difficult opponent than conference foes: Injuries. The Bulls (1-9, 1-3 Mid-American Conference) fell to rival Kent State (7-4, 3-1 MAC) 22-19 on Sunday afternoon after losing four straight matches and squandering a 16-point lead. Buffalo was aided by Kent State forfeiting the 125-pound match due to sickness, giving the Bulls a 6-0 advantage before even taking the mat. "That gave us a nice bonus and opportunity to win," said head coach Jim Beichner. After losing the 133-pound weight class, Buffalo earned wins in its next four matches between 141-165 pounds.
Aside from academics, Ivy League schools are known for some of the best tennis in the country. Over the weekend, the men's tennis team learned the conference's reputation is valid. The Bulls (2-1) took on the University of Pennsylvania Sunday afternoon and fell 6-1 against the Quakers (1-1) at Levy Tennis Pavilion. Penn lost its first match of the spring season against Penn State on Saturday.
UB Athletics will publicize the 2013 freshman football class in a media-only press conference at 4 p.m.
After shooting an efficient 46.6 percent from the field and 45.8 percent from behind the arc in Thursday's win over Miami, the women's basketball team traveled northeast to take on Akron (14-7, 5-3 Mid-American Conference). The Bulls (7-14, 5-3 MAC) came into the game tied for first place in the MAC East but saw their shooting numbers fall drastically in the second game of their Ohio road trip, as they suffered a 75-57 defeat at the hands of the Zips. The story of the game was the difference in shot making, as the Bulls could only cash in on 32.8 percent of their field goal attempts and only four of their 17 attempts from three-point range. "We were taking the shots but unfortunately they weren't finding the hole," said head coach Felisha Legette-Jack.
On a day where junior forward Javon McCrea etched his name in the Buffalo record books, the men's basketball team was unable to etch a 'W' into the win column. The Bulls (8-14, 3-5 Mid-American Conference) were unable to hold off a late offensive surge by Western Michigan (14-7, 6-2 MAC), resulting in a 71-60 loss on the road Saturday night. Buffalo came within four points late in the second half but missed three consecutive shots, and the Bulls were unable to overcome the Broncos' 7-0 run in the final three minutes. There were 38 fouls in the second half.
On the day reserved for celebrating the men's and women's swimming and diving team's seniors, 14 members of the senior class set a precedent of a winning identity.
As some of you may know, the Super Bowl is this Sunday. For sports fans, it's the holy grail of sports, a holiday comparable to Thanksgiving or the best day ever.
Solutions by The State News
