Ball State
Bulls Return To The Road; Head to Ball State Tuesday
2/1/2021 12:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Buffalo (6-6, 4-4 MAC) vs. Ball State (6-8, 4-5 MAC)
February 2, 2021
Worthen Arena (Muncie, IN) - 6:00 pm
Bulls on the Air
Buffalo - ESPN 1520
Television
ESPN+
10 Things To Know About Today's Game
1. Buffalo returns to the road on Tuesday night when they head to Ball State for their second meeting of the season against the Cardinals. It will be the first road contest for the Bulls in two weeks as UB has not been on the road since a Jan. 19 matchup at Kent State.
2. Buffalo won the first meeting between these two schools 86-69 on Jan. 9, UB's first game back from a three-week pause due to COVID-19. Junior Josh Mballa had the best game of his career in the win, recording 19 points and career highs of 19 rebounds and six assists. In all, five UB players scored in double figures in the win as the Bulls had a huge second half, scoring 53 points over the final 20 minutes.
3. With his game-high 18 points against Ohio, senior Jayvon Graves now has 1,266 for his career. He is 14 away from Rick Coleman (1987-91) for 14th place and 21 points shy of Curtis Blackmore (1970-73) for 13th place on the all-time scoring list.
4. Buffalo has been one of the best defenses in the nation when it comes to defending the three-point line. The Bulls are first in the Mid-American Conference and eighth in the NCAA in three-point field goal defense at 27.7%. Alabama leads the nation at 22.4%.
5. After leading the nation last season in rebounding per game, the Bulls are again amongst the leaders in that category as UB is averaging 42.50 rebounds per contest which is fourth nationally. North Carolina leads the nation 43.12 rebounds per game. Josh Mballa leads the team at 9.4 per game, which is second in the MAC, while Jeenathan Williams is second at 7.9 per game.
6. UB's strength lies in its offensive rebounding as the Bulls are 11th in the nation and first in the MAC on offensive rebounding, averaging 14.08 per game. Josh Mballa is eighth in the nation in offensive rebounding at 3.89 per contest.
7. Junior Ronaldo Segu has scored in double figures in 10 of the last 11 games, including seven straight. He is averaging 15.0 points per game during those last seven contests. Segu is tied for the MAC lead in 3pt field goal percentage at .500 and he is also fourth in the league in free throw shooting at .857.
8. Junior Jeenathan Williams has recorded at least 15 points and six rebounds in all 11 of 12 games this season, tied for fourth nation. They trail Luka Garza of Iowa, Malachi Smith of Chattanooga, and Terry Taylor of Austin Peay by one game for the national lead.
9. Sophomore LaQuill Hardnett finished with career high 13 points in the win over Eastern Michigan, going 4-of-4 from the floor, while also adding a career best five assists.
10. After recording less than 40 rebounds just once over the first 10 games, UB has recorded on average just 34.0 boards over the last two games.
Bulls Return To The Road; Head to Ball State Tuesday
The University at Buffalo men's basketball team travels to Muncie, IN on Tuesday night for their second meeting this season with the Ball State Cardinals. The Bulls defeated Ball State 86-69 in the first meeting on Jan. 9. This will be just the second game for the Bulls in the last 12 days as UB had games against Northern Illinois and Central Michigan postponed. They went eight days in between games against Eastern Michigan and Ohio. UB is looking to get back in the win column following a 76-75 loss to the Bobcats Friday night.
Ball State enters Tuesday's contest with a 6-8 record and the Cardinals have lost three straight following a 74-42 loss on Saturday. However, Ball State has only played four games at home this season, the fewest in the conference.
Can You Spare Me A Dime?
Buffalo recorded 27 assists on Thursday against Eastern Michigan, its highest total since also recording 27 against Ohio on Feb. 24, 2018. In the win over the Eagles, five UB players had four of more assists as UB had 27 assists on 34 made baskets (79.4%).
Three players had five assists in the game, all coming from the forward position, as sophomore LaQuill Hardnett had a career high five dimes, while Jeenathan Williams and Josh Mballa also finished with five assists.
The 27 assists are also the most by a Mid-American Conference team this season. In the victory, UB shot 74.3% from two-point range, which is the 12th highest shooting performance from two in the nation against a Division I opponent.
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. Buffalo is coming off a three-week pause due to COVID protocols.
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 85 games, tied for 24th most in the nation during that time frame. Gonzaga leads the nation with 111 victories since 2017-18 season.
The Bulls have a five-victory margin on any other team from the Mid-American Conference as Toledo is second in the league with 80 wins, good for a tie for 36th 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 added 22 points and seven assists at Syracuse and 17 against Bowling Green and he is now 15th place on Buffalo's all-time scoring list with 1,266 points.
Slam-balla
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, who returned from a foot injury against Miami, had a career day at Syracuse leading the Bulls with 27 points, going 11-of-18 from the floor. He was even more impressive against Ball State as he finished with 19 points, 19 rebounds, and six assists in the win over the Cardinals. Mballa is one of only two players in the nation this year with that stat line joining Hayden Brown of The Citadel. Mballa is the only one to do it against a Division I opponent. Mballa added 15 rebounds against Bowling Green and he had 22 points and a career-high seven steals against Kent State, tied fourth in school history for steals in a game.
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. Segu had 13 points and six assists against Syracuse, including a three that sent the game to overtime. Segu finished with 15 points against Bowling Green and has scored in double figures in 10 of the last 11 games, including 19 points at Kent State and 19 more against Eastern Michigan. Segu is averaging 15.0 points per game of the last seven games for the Bulls.
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. 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. He added 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists at Syracuse. Williams had 25 points and a career high 14 rebounds in the win over Western Michigan and he has added 24 points against Eastern Michigan. Williams has scored 20 or more in three of the last five games and he is fourth in the MAC in scoring and sixth in rebounding.
Brew Crew
Senior transfer Keishawn Brewton had his waiver approved by the NCAA and played in his first game of the season against Mercyhurst, where he had 11 points. He scored a career high 12 points in the win over Ball State, hitting three shots from behind the arc. He has started each of the last two games.
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 64 games over his career.
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 rebounds (12) and blocked shots (4). He had six points and four boards in the win over Ball State. He is tied for second in the MAC in blocked shots. He set a new career high in scoring with 10 points at Kent State.
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 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. Hardnett had nine rebounds for the Bulls against Bowling Green, including five of those coming on the offensive end. Hardnett had a career high 13 points in the win over Eastern Michigan, going 4-of-4 from the floor.
Gallion played in 17 games off the bench as a freshman. He had a career high six points against Army West Point.
