Syracuse
Bulls Head Down I-90 To Meet Syracuse
12/18/2020 12:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Buffalo (3-2, 1-1 MAC) vs. Syracuse (5-1, 1-0 ACC)
December 19, 2020
Carrier Dome (Syracuse, NY) - 6:00 pm
Bulls on the Air
Buffalo - ESPN 1520
Television
ACC Network
10 Things To Know About Today's Game
1. Buffalo will face Syracuse at Carrier Dome on Saturday evening, the third time in the last four years that the Bulls have faced the Orange. In the last meeting between the schools, the Bulls, then ranked 14th in the nation, defeated Syracuse, 71-59. It was Buffalo's first win over the Orange since 1963.
2. Assistant coach Angres Thorpe will serve as action head coach for the Bulls during today's game. Head coach Jim Whitesell is following protocols set forth by the Erie County Department of Health and is currently in a 14-day quarantine after coming into contact with a close contact who tested positive for COVID-19.
3. Junior Jeenathan Williams scored 21 points on Tuesday night to hit 100 for the season in his fifth game. He becomes the fastest UB player to 100 points in a season since 1996-97 when Rasaun Young also scored exactly 100 points through his first five games.
4. Over the last two games, the Bulls are averaging 48.5 points in the first half of games as they have shot 60% or better from the floor in each of those two games. On Tuesday against Miami, the Bulls shot 60.7% in the first half, including a 13-for-16 performance from inside the arc (81.3%)
5. This will be the 61st all-time meeting between Buffalo and a school currently in the ACC. UB is just 8-52 in those all-time meetings, but won the last meeting, which was the previous game against Syracuse. Over the last six seasons, the Bulls have also faced Duke, Pittsburgh, and Miami (FL), which was in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
6. With last season's MAC Tournament canceled due to COVID-19, the Bulls are still looking to accomplish something no MAC school has ever done and that is win three straight Mid-American Conference Tournament Championships.
7. Buffalo led the nation in rebounding last season, averaging 41.94 boards per game and they were second in the nation in offensive rebounding. Junior Josh Mballa was ninth in the nation in offensive rebounding.
8. Senior Jayvon Graves is 12th amongst all active players in career games played as he competed in his 109th career game on Tuesday night at Miami (OH).
9. According to Kenpom, the Bulls have the sixth shortest possession time in the nation, averaging 14.1 seconds per possession. Winthrop is first in the nation at 13.1 seconds per possession.
10. The Bulls are in the midst of playing eight of their first nine games away from home, including the current stretch which includes five straight road games. This is Buffalo's longest stretch of games away from home since 2016-17 when they played six straight away from home, but three of those were at the Great Alaska Shootout.
Bulls Head Down I-90 To Meet Syracuse
The University at Buffalo men's basketball team takes the two-hour trip east on I-90 as they face Syracuse on Saturday at the Carrier Dome. The Bulls have won two straight, coming off a 90-62 victory at Miami (OH) on Tuesday evening. 11 different players scored for the Bulls in the win, led by 21 points from junior Jeenathan Williams, who leads the team in scoring at 20.0 per game.
Syracuse is 5-1 on the year as they have played four of their first six games inside the friendly confines of the Carrier Dome. The Orange are coming off a 62-56 win over Northeastern have won two straight, including an impressive 101-63 victory at Boston College.
This will be the third time in four years these two teams meet and the 35th time overall in program history.
Bienvenidos A Miami
WELCOME TO MIAMI...OHIO THAT IS! The Bulls had quite the welcome to Millett Hall on Tuesday night with a 90-62 victory over the Miami RedHawks. The victory for UB was their largest in a MAC game since Feb. 19, 2019 when Buffalo defeated Ohio, 114-67 and their largest road win since a 100-70 win at Bowling Green on Mar. 2, 2018.
For the RedHawks, the 28-point loss was a margin hardly seen in Oxford. It was the largest home loss for Miami since Nov. 28, 2001, an 87-58 loss against Xavier. In MAC games, it has been 52 years since the RedHawks have lost by as many as 28 at home and that came on Feb. 3, 1962 with a 94-61 loss against Bowling Green.
A Season Unlike Any Other
Due the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this season will go down as one of the most unique in college basketball history. The pandemic, which caused the cancellation of conference and national tournaments last season, has altered the way student-athletes and coaches get ready for each game.
It is suggested and widely implemented that, all Tier 1 individuals, which include student-athletes, coaches, and day to day support staff, must test for COVID-19 at least three times a week on non-consecutive days. At Buffalo, this test is a rapid antigen test. Should those tests come back inconclusive, a second PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test will be administered.
In addition to the testing done by players, all travel party members must wear face coverings for the duration of any and all bus trips. Face coverings are required for the travel party at all times unless in your own room or on the playing court during the game.
Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner
Buffalo continues to be one of the winningest programs in the nation over the last three seasons. Since the 2017-18 season, the Bulls have won 82 games, tied with six other teams for 14th most in the nation during that time frame. Gonzaga leads the nation with 99 victories since 2017-18 season.
The Bulls have a 12-victory margin on any other team from the Mid-American Conference as Toledo is second in the league with 70 wins, good for a tie for 55th in nation.
The Bulls have won 20 or more games in five of the last six seasons, including a school and Mid-American Conference record 32 games during the 2018-19 season.
Bulls Look To Three-Peat
With last season's Mid-American Conference tournament being canceled due to COVID-19, the Bulls still hold claim to winners of the last two conference tournaments. UB enters this season with a MAC Tournament title in site and if they are successful, Buffalo would become the first program in MAC history to win three straight. The Bulls have also won four of the last five MAC Tournament titles.
In order to achieve this, the Bulls will play in a MAC that has a distinctive new look. Gone are the days of an East and West division as all 12 programs will be seeded from top to bottom. The MAC also moved their league schedule up to 20 games this year, the most UB has played in conference play since joining the league. The first round tournament games at campus sites have also been scrapped with the top eight teams going directly to Cleveland.
Graves Digger
The Bulls are led by senior Jayvon Graves who was named to the preseason All-MAC First Team and locally was named the preseason Big 4 Player of the Year. Graves led the Bulls in scoring last season, averaging 17.1 points per game. He was consistent through out the year, averaging 17.2 points per game in conference action. The highlight of his season came in a double overtime victory at Kent State where Graves scored a career high 33 points.
He begins the 2020-21 season 17th in school history in career scoring with 1,080 points, one of 23 players ever for UB to score 1,000 points in their career. Graves set the UB single-season record last year with 479 field goals attempted. Graves scored 20 points against Towson to open the year and finished with a game-high 23 points against Bowling Green. He finished just shy of a triple-double against Mercyhurst with 13 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. He now has 1,162 points for his career.
On The Rebound
Junior Josh Mballa had a breakout season last year in his first season with the Bulls after transferring in from Texas Tech. Mballa, who was named a preseason second-team All-MAC and second-team All-Big 4 selection, recorded 308 boards last season, the most in the Modern Era but a Buffalo player and the most by any UB player since Sam Pellom in 1977-78.
Mballa averaged a double-double in conference play with 10.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. His career high in boards came at Akron with 17, a stretch of three straight double-doubles from the then sophomore. Overall, Mballa was ninth in the nation in offensive rebounding and was one of 31 players with 308 or more boards in the country last year. Mballa returned to the UB lineup on Tuesday night at Miami after missing three games with a foot injury.
The Sixth Sense
Buffalo has had a knack for developing sixth men of the year something the Bulls have done for the last four years. After Nick Perkins became the first player in NCAA history to be named a league's sixth man for three straight years, the torch was passed last year as junior Ronaldo Segu was honored by the Mid-American Conference after coming off the bench for all 32 games.
Segu averaged 8.1 points per game last season having a breakout performance against Harvard where he scored a then career high 21 points. Segu also scored 20 points in the final game of last season against Miami (OH).
The MAC Sixth Man of the Year was first handed out following the 2002-03 season. Since then, the Bulls have won the award five times beginning with Mark Bortz in 2005. Segu had a game-high 18 points against Army West Point, while adding four pilfers. He recorded a new career best in scoring with 23 points at Bowling Green.
Williams Ready For New Heights
Junior Jeenathan Williams had a career year last season as he finished second on the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game, increasing that to 12.8 in MAC play. Williams, who was named to the All-Big 4 Second Team this preseason, had a stretch of nine straight games in double figures last year. Williams scored a career high with 26 points against Ohio, scoring 20 of those in the second half.
A highly touted recruit our of Rochester, NY, Williams played at powerhouse Prolific Prep in Napa Valley, CA before coming to UB. This season, Williams is reunited with one of his teammates from Prolific Prep in walk-on sophomore Lucas Saleh who joined UB after playing last year at Feather River Valley CC.
Williams had a huge start to 2020-21 as he finished with a career high 28 points and a career best 12 rebounds in the win over Towson. He had a career high five assists against Army. Williams, who leads UB in scoring and rebounding, finished with 17 points and 12 boards in the win over Mercyhurst. Williams added a game high 21 points against Miami.
Brew Crew
Senior transfer Keishawn Brewton had his waiver approved by the NCAA last week and played in his first game of the season against Mercyhurst, where he had 11 points.
Brewton averaged 14.5 points per game last season at Coastal Carolina. Prior to that he played at Chipola CC under current UB assistant coach Brendan Foley.
Brock And Roll
The Most veteran player on this year's squad is fifth-year senior Brock Bertram, who has been a member of the UB basketball program since the 2016-17 season. Bertram redshirted his first season with the Bulls and has played in 56 games over the last three seasons.
Bertram missed all of conference play last year, but saw action in 18 games, making seven starts. He set a career best in rebounding last year, capped off by a career high seven boards against Bowling Green. Bertram also set his career best for blocked shots last year despite playing in only 18 games.
Bertram was impressive in the season opener on against Towson as he set new career highs in points (8), rebounds (12), and blocked shots (4).
Fagan Returns To Lineup
After missing all of last season due to a knee injury, redshirt junior Tra'von Fagan has returned to the Buffalo lineup and will look to provide immediate depth as one of the top options off the bench.
He knocked down his first career three pointer in the season opener to 2020-21 against Towson. He tied his career high with eight points against Mercyhurst and had a career best eight rebounds at Bowling Green.
David is Goliath
A pair of David's are looking to make a big impact this season in senior David Nickelberry and redshirt freshman David Skogman.
Nickelberry is one of the most versatile players on the UB roster and can play almost anywhere on the court, but at 6-7 he will be a huge mismatch for opposing guards. Nickelberry played in 18 games last season, scoring a career high six points against Nazareth. Prior to joining the Bulls, Nickelberry spent a year at Trinity Valley CC and his freshman season at the University of Memphis. Nickelberry had a career high 12 points against Miami (OH).
Skogman sat out his first season at UB as a redshirt, but is a versatile big man who can shoot the three. He has a distinguished career at Waukesha West High School where he averaged 18.6 points and 12.6 rebounds per game. He made his debut against Mercyhurst and had four points and five boards. He knocked down his first two career three pointers against Miami.
Sophomores Look To Take Big Leap
UB returns a pair of sophomores who both had some big moments during their freshman campaigns in LaQuill Hardnett and Savion Gallion. Hardnett played in 30 games last year, starting five of them. He led the Bulls in field goal percentage at 76.1%, including a stretch where he made 26 of 27 shots from the floor. His biggest night came against Canisius where he finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.
Gallion played in 17 games off the bench, averaging 1.5 points per game. He came on late in the season and started to heat up from long range, hitting his first career triple at Toledo. Prior to UB, head played one season at Mt. Zion Prep, averaging 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game. He had a career high six points against Army West Point.
On The Rebound
The Bulls are looking to continue a trend from last season as UB led the nation in boards at 41.9 per game. They were second in the nation in offensive boards behind only West Virginia, an opponent Buffalo will see later in the non-conference portion of the season.
Junior Josh Mballa was the leader in rebounding at 9.6 per game, but the Bulls had three players over 5.0 rebounds a game, including a pair of guards in outgoing senior Davonta Jordan and current senior Jayvon Graves.
Buffalo has led the MAC in rebounding in every season since 2016-17.
