The Bulls (1-0) routed Division-III Pittsburgh-Bradford (0-1) 109-49 in Alumni Arena to open the 2015-16 season Friday night. Buffalo shot more than 50 percent and had six players score double-digits in what was Oats’ first game and win as head coach.
The Bulls (8-6-4, 2-2-1 MAC) defeated Western Michigan (11-4-4, 3-1-1 MAC) 2-1 in overtime of the MAC Tournament Semifinals Friday to advance to the championship game against Akron for just the third time in program history. Buffalo got the game-tying goal from junior defender Daniel Cramarossa with about four minutes left in regulation before Cicerone, a junior forward, scored in overtime.
Overall prediction: 19-11 (11-7 MAC) It’s rather easy to be down on the Bulls this year.
But this is a new season for these two guards. They are playing without the veteran personnel they played with last year. They each have one more year of basketball knowledge to their names. Both were already named the starting guards for the Bulls. It’s now their team to lead into another postseason opportunity.
And now, after 18 years of being a student of the game, and just before he makes his debut as the head coach of the Buffalo men’s basketball team, Oats is ready to be the teacher.
Well, it was a good story while it lasted. That’s what I can’t help but think while looking at the Buffalo men’s basketball team.
Sharkey is one of the most prolific players in program history. She ranks fifth in program history in both career games (120) and free throws (305), 10th in rebounds (759) and 11th in blocks (98). Sharkey returns as an assistant coach to teach the young wave of new Bulls what it’s like to play in Buffalo.
The men’s basketball team, the reigning Mid-American Conference Champions, isn’t even nationally ranked in the top-100. That’s according to CBS Sports. And even Buffalo’s own conference’s media has picked it to finish no better than fourth – in the MAC East. But it’s nothing of concern for first-year head coach Nate Oats.
As soon as the Mid-American Conference Championship banner was revealed on the wall of Alumni Arena, something changed.
This is a young women’s basketball team, but let’s backtrack for a second. Buffalo is coming off its best season in program history, winning 19 games and making its first-ever Women’s National Invitational Tournament appearance.
Two true freshmen and a junior college transfer combined to score 55 points in the men’s basketball team’s first and only preseason game against Daemen College last week. And they are less than half of Buffalo’s new players this season. The Bulls’ roster is filled with new players after an offseason of turnover with the transfer of star point guard Shannon Evans, the expulsion of MAC Player of the Year Justin Moss and the graduation of impact seniors like Will Regan and Xavier Ford.
Legette-Jack wants to use the same mentality used to help raiser her to raise her Buffalo women’s basketball program.
Despite a Bulls’ (5-5, 3-3 Mid-American Conference) comeback, Northern Illinois showed why it is the superior team and claimed a 41-30 victory at UB Stadium Wednesday night. The loss puts an end to Buffalo’s three-game winning streak, as the Bulls will have to wait another week to try for its sixth victory to make them bowl eligible for just the third time since rejoining Division I in 1999.
The Spectrum has your scouting report on who has the edge in Wednesday’s matchup.
The Bulls (5-4, 3-2 Mid-American Conference) seek their all-important sixth win of the season when they take on MAC West powerhouse Northern Illinois (6-3, 4-1 MAC) at UB Stadium Wednesday night.
A breakdown in the week of UB Athletics.
On a night where the Bulls hung their Mid-American Conference Championship banner in Alumni Arena, new faces who weren’t even on last year’s championship team lead the way for an 87-68 exhibition win over Daemen Friday night. New players Massinburg, Conner and Perkins accounted for 55 of the team’s 87 points on a night where Buffalo turned the ball over 24 times.
The Broncos (12-3-5, 8-1-2 MAC) ended the Bulls’ (11-7-3, 7-3-1 Mid-American Conference) season with a 1-0 victory in the MAC Semifinals Friday, one season after Buffalo defeated Western Michigan 1-0 in the conference championship game.
The football team (5-4, 3-2 Mid-American Conference) picked up its third straight conference victory with an 18-17 come-from-behind win over Kent State (3-6, 2-3 MAC). With the victory, the Bulls are just one win away from being bowl eligible for the third time since returning to Division I. Here is your report card of the Buffalo performances.
The Bulls (5-4, 3-2 Mid-American Conference) defeated the Golden Flashes (3-6, 2-3 MAC) 18-17 Thursday night in Kent, Ohio to move one step closer to bowl eligibility. The Bulls are currently on a three-game win streak and are one victory away from being Bowl eligible.
Solutions by The State News
