Northern Illinois
Bulls Begin Busy Week At Northern Illinois
2/22/2021 12:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Buffalo (9-7, 7-5 MAC) vs. Northern Illinois (2-13, 1-9 MAC)
February 23, 2021
Convocation Center (DeKalb, IL) - 5:00 pm ET
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10 Things To Know About Today's Game
1. The Bulls are set to begin a busy week on Tuesday as UB plays the first of three games in five days, heading to Northern Illinois. This game is a makeup from one month ago, a game that was postponed on Jan. 23 due to COVID issues in the NIU program.
2. The Huskies have had more success over Buffalo than arguably any MAC team over the last three years. NIU is currently riding a three-game winning streak in the series, including a 73-72 win last year at Alumni Arena. NIU's last three wins have come by a combined five points. Buffalo is looking for its first win at Northern Illinois since Feb. 2, 2016.
3. With only one scheduled game for this week on 2/27, the Bulls are using this week to makeup postponed contests against NIU (2/23) and CMU (2/25). In all, the Bulls have had 10 games this season postponed or canceled due to COVID-19. Of the seven MAC games postponed for UB, four will be made up by the end of this week.
4. After leading the nation in rebounding a year ago, Buffalo again leads the country in that category, averaging 43.62 boards per contest. Junior Josh Mballa is 21st in the nation at 10.1 boards per game, one of three UB players with 5.7 boards or more. The Bulls are third in the nation in offensive rebounds, led by Mballa who is fifth nationally.
5. In their nine victories this season, the Bulls have won by an average of 19.8 points per game, as only one of the nine wins has been by less than 10 points. Buffalo currently leads the MAC in scoring offense at 81.4 points per game, which is 18th in the nation.
6. Despite a solid shooting performance from Toledo, the Bulls are ninth nationally and first in the Mid-American Conference in three-point field goal percentage at 28.4%. Overall, UB is second in the MAC in field goal defense at .413.
7. Since joining the starting lineup at the beginning of February, sophomore LaQuill Hardnett has missed just one shot from the field, as he is 9-of-10, including hitting his first career three-pointer against Toledo.
8. Senior Jayvon Graves is currently 12th in school in scoring with 1,316 points. He is just 21 points shy of Rob Middlebrooks (1988-92) for 11th place on the list.. On Tuesday night, Graves will play in his 1234d career game, which will put him alone in seventh place in school history.
9. After not reaching double figures over the first 34 games of his career, UB redshirt junior Tra'von Fagan has averaged 11.0 points per game over the last three games. He is 14-of-19 (.737) from the floor in those three games, including 5-of-9 from three point range.
10. The Bulls have the sixth shortest average possession length according to KenPom.com at 14.6 seconds.
Bulls Begin Busy Week At Northern Illinois
The University at Buffalo men's basketball team will play its first of three games in a five day stretch on Tuesday at Northern Illinois. This will mark the first meeting this season between the Bulls and the Huskies. UB had its three-game winning streak snapped on Friday night against Toledo, while NIU has dropped eight of its last night games.
Northern Illinois will be playing its second straight home game after a stretch of three in a row on the road, separated by their pause. In all, NIU is 2-5 at home and 1-3 in conference play.
Each of the next two games for the Bulls are makeups of previously postponed contests. The NIU game was originally supposed to be played on Jan. 23, while the Bulls have had both of their meetings with Central Michigan postponed. The game on Thursday is a make up of the Jan. 26 contest at Alumni Arena.
Can You Spare Me A Dime?
Buffalo recorded 27 assists on Jan. 21 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. The Bulls had 23 assists in the win over Miami, including 16 combined from junior Ronaldo Segu and senior Jayvon Graves. It was the first time since the 2018 season that two UB players have combined for 16 or more assists.
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 88 games, tied for 26th most in the nation during that time frame. Gonzaga leads the nation with 118 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 83 wins, good for a tie for 38th 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 12th place on Buffalo's all-time scoring list with 1,316 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. He had 22 points, 16 rebounds, and five steals against Ball State, the only such performance in the nation.
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.
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, who scored 20 points at Ball State, failed to score in double figures for the first time in nine games on Feb. 6 against Miami, but did finish with a career high nine assists against the RedHawks.
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.
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.
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.
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. Fagan had a career day against Miami with 14 points including a pair of three pointers, one a 35-foot buzzer beater to head into halftime. Fagan followed that up with 11 points in the win over Western Michigan and he has hit five three pointers over the last two games, after having just one in his career to date before that. Fagan has averaged 11.0 points per game over the last three contests.
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 finished with a career best 14 points against Western Michigan, the fourth time this year he has score in double figures.
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. He had the best game of his career in the second meeting with the RedHawks with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
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.
This season, Hardnett had a career high 13 points in the win over Eastern Michigan, going 4-of-4 from the floor. Picking up the start at Ball State, Hardnett responded with 11 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Hardnett has started the last four games for the Bulls and has missed just one shot from the floor since joining the starting lineup.
Gallion played in 17 games off the bench as a freshman. He had a career high six points against Army West Point this season.
