Quick hits: teams now all in thick of MAC play, women’s basketball brings in transfer
UB Athletics' "New York" wordmark was a controversial subject for fans and alumni, as it put large emphasis on the word "New York" with the word "Buffalo barely visible underneath. Those same fans and alumni took to Twitter on Tuesday to make their feelings on the subject known.
UB announced that a new “Buffalo Bulls” wordmark will replace UB Athletics’ current “State University of New York Buffalo” wordmark.
Before James O’Hagan became the anchor of the Buffalo football offensive line, he was a wrestler by trade. And he was one of the best. He held the title of the best heavyweight in the state of New York and was one of the top wrestlers in the country at 285 pounds. But holding that title also had its limitations. For O’Hagan, it was food. Hovering around 285 pounds may sound easy, but weight management is a much taller task than many imagine. Now that his wrestling days are behind him, the rising sophomore center’s only focus is maintaining the perfect body for football. And he can finally do something he longed to do in high school.
Located at 1300 Sweet Home Road, in the same complex as the Buffalo Exchange Luxury Apartments and directly across from UB’s North Campus, the Blue Bull Tavern is a sports bar meant for Buffalonians and out-of-towners who want a true Buffalo experience.
It will be Marshall’s fifth coaching gig but his first as a head coach.
Despite it being the reining Mid-American Conference champions, Buffalo men’s tennis head coach Lee Nickell thinks his team has “outshined [its] expectations” so far this season. After a conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance, the team lost two of its best players to graduation and another who quit the team to become a model in Europe. Needless to say, Nickell wasn’t sure what to expect from his team this season. Yet with four games left in the regular season, the Bulls (9-5, 2-1 MAC) are winners of four of their last five matches and looking to continue their positive momentum into the MAC Tournament. “I think we’ve definitely outshined our expectations,” Nickell said.
We're ranking the top 10 moments from UB Athletics this past month, including a trip of championships, olympians and rising stars.
The Bulls’ prosperous history of running backs has been evident for the better part of a decade. It started with current NFL backs James Starks and Branden Oliver, and continued last season with All-Mid-American Conference back Anthone Taylor. Now, the starting job is in the hands of Jordan Johnson, a local product from Sweet Home High School that has been waiting his turn to take over the starting job.
Last season, Sobieraski played third base and performed well at the plate. He finished fourth on the team in batting average (.265) and led the team with four home runs as a freshman. Near the end of the regular season, he received some time on the mound with 10.1 innings pitched.
There's something about the allure of the youth movement. Some of the best players in the league aren’t even 25 yet. There’s still so much potential in these young rosters that may or may not break out this year. So this season will be interesting. Who will prevail: the veterans who have been in these situations before or the young players who are primed to take over the game?
The World Series is just as open as ever. Half of the league, including the defending champion Kansas City Royals, could make the World Series this year. While the MVP awards seems destined for a handful of players, the Cy Young awards are always pretty random. Let’s talk about the predictions for MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of The Year and World Series.
But UB Athletics must understand Syracuse will always be New York’s college team. People know about Syracuse athletics, despite the fact it’s located in a city with a population of less than 150,000. Most people around the country have no clue about UB Athletics, despite the fact it plays in a city with a population of more than 250,000.
The Buffalo baseball team understands the season doesn’t really begin until Mid-American Conference play begins. The non-conference schedule will not get a team into a conference tournament.
The NL is stacked with young talent, elite pitching and future All-Stars on nearly every team. These young studs are spread all across the league – making for even matchups and thrilling storylines throughout the year. But which teams will be playing through October?
Despite a league full of potential playoff teams, here are the five teams that I believe will make it to October, with a chance to represent the National League in the World Series.
The Mid-American Conference has granted Raheem Johnson a medical hardship waiver and the senior forward will get one more year of eligibility. Johnson missed all but one game this past season. After missing the early party of the season with a foot injury, Johnson scored four points and grabbed seven rebounds against Iowa State on Dec. 7 before re-injuring his foot and missing the rest of the season.
The Major League Baseball season will start on April 3 with the New York Mets facing the Kansas City Royals. To kick off the baseball season, I wanted to provide some predictions on who will make the playoffs, who will win the major awards and who will ultimately walk away with a World Series championship. Let’s start with the American League playoff teams.
If you predicted Josh Donaldson to take home MVP honors or no-name Dallas Keuchel to win the Cy Young, you are probably lying. Last season was one of the most unpredictable years in the MLB’s American League in quite some time. Players that weren’t even on the radar before the season now enter as some of the hottest storylines to follow for the 2016 season. There will always be fresh talent ready to amaze the baseball crowds. It’s just a matter of whom. Here are my predictions for the 2016 AL playoff teams.
One of the hottest teams on campus, the women's tennis team is currently riding a four-game winning streak, including a pair of victories over the weekend to start MAC play.
Solutions by The State News
