Kent State
Bulls Close Out Regular Season Friday Night
3/4/2021 3:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Buffalo (13-7, 11-5 MAC) vs. Kent State (15-6, 12-5 MAC)
March 5, 2021
Alumni Arena (Buffalo, NY) - 6:00 pm
Bulls on the Air
Buffalo - ESPN 1520
Television
ESPNU
10 Things To Know About Today's Game
1. Buffalo is set to close out the regular season on Friday evening when the Bulls host Kent State at Alumni Arena. Both the Bulls and Golden Flashes have clinched a berth in the upcoming MAC Tournament, but the winner of Friday's game will claim the number two seed.
2. The Bulls have won four straight games, their longest winning streak of the season and seven of their last eight games dating back to Feb. 2. Kent State has won seven of nine heading into the game. Kent State won the first game between these two teams 84-81. The Bulls overcame a 22-point deficit before falling late. Junior Josh Mballa led Buffalo with 22 points and seven steals.
3. Senior Jayvon Graves had the first triple double of his career with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists on Tuesday against Akron. It was the first by a UB player since 2018 and the 17th in the nation to do it this season. Buffalo is the only team in the nation to have recorded a triple double on both the men's and women's side this year.
4. Over the last eight games, the Bulls are outscoring their opponents by an average of 16 points per game, while holding a +13.3 margin on the glass.
5. After leading the nation in rebounding a year ago, Buffalo again leads the country in that category, averaging 44.15 boards per contest. Junior Josh Mballa is 20th in the nation at 10.0 boards per game, one of three UB players with 5.9 boards or more. The Bulls are second in the nation in offensive rebounds, led by Mballa who is fifth nationally. No team nationally has finished a season averaging 44.0 or more rebounds since Quinnipiac averaged 45.37 during the 2014-15 season.
6. Over just the last five games, the Bulls have recorded 50 or more boards three times and are outrebounding their opposition, 238-161, an average of 15 more rebounds per game.
7. The Bulls will be honoring five seniors pregame in Jamon Bivens, Tra'von Fagan, David Nickelberry, Brock Bertram, and Jayvon Graves. Both Bertram and Graves have been part of two NCAA Tournament teams, winning a pair of MAC Titles. Bivens and Fagan were both part of the run in 2018-19. The Bulls have won 92 games with Bertram and Graves part of the active roster, just four victories behind the all-time lead.
8. Buffalo is 11th nationally in scoring offense, averaging 82.8 points per game. The Bulls have scored at least 80 points in 13 of 20 games this year and are 11-2 when they hit the 80-point. UB's only loss in regulation when scoring 80 or more points was against Kent State.
9. Head coach Jim Whitesell won his 420th career game as head coach on Tuesday. He is currently 48th amongst all active head coaches in career wins.
10. The Bulls have the eighth shortest average possession length according to KenPom.com at 14.8 seconds.
Bulls Close Out Regular Season Friday Night
The University at Buffalo men's basketball team looks for their fifth straight win and their eighth in nine games since the beginning of February. The Bulls are coming off an 80-78 win over Akron on Tuesday afternoon and has now beat tournament bound teams Ohio and Akron in back-to-back contest. Senior Jayvon Graves recorded the third triple double in school history with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in the win. Graves was one of four players to score in double figures.
Kent State is currently second in the MAC standings after having their game canceled on Tuesday night due to COVID protocols. The winner of Friday's contest will secure the number two seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament.
The Bulls and Golden Flashes have lost just two games since Jan. 27, while Buffalo has lost just once since Feb. 2.
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 the second 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.
Giving 100%
Buffalo hit the 100-point mark for the first time this season in its 102-74 win at Northern Illinois. It was the first time UB hit 100 points since a 104-98 win at Kent State and the first time they have done it in regulation since scoring 109 against Nazareth on Nov. 11, 2019.
The 102 points are the fifth most scored in a road game in school history and third highest in Division I. Only one time had Buffalo scored more points in a Division I game on the road in regulation and that was against Niagara on Nov. 29, 2017, a 106-87 win.
The 102 points scored are also the most against a Northern Illinois team since Notre Dame scored 108 on Dec. 8, 2007 and UB is the first opponent to score over 100 points in DeKalb in regulation since Akron scored 103 on Feb. 5, 2001.
UB is the third team this season to score 100 or more points with three or fewer three-pointers in a game. Syracuse actually achieved that feat against the Bulls in their overtime win, while UMKC had 138 points with zero three pointers against Greenville. Only Buffalo and Gonzaga have Division I victories in a game where they scored 100 points with 39 or more two-point baskets. Finally, the 102 points score by Buffalo are the most by a Mid-American Conference school against a Division I opponent this season.
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 92 games, tied for 14th most in the nation during that time frame. Gonzaga leads the nation with 120 victories since 2017-18 season.
The Bulls have a eight-victory margin on any other team from the Mid-American Conference as Toledo is second in the league with 84 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 added 22 points and seven assists at Syracuse and 17 against Bowling Green and he is now 11th place on Buffalo's all-time scoring list with 1,369 points. Graves had the third triple double in school history with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists on Tuesday against Akron. He joins Shannon Evans (12/30/14) and CJ Massinburg (12/5/18) as the only UB players with a triple double.
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. Mballa finished with 21 points and 12 boards against Northern Illinois. He had 23 points against Ohio, including 19 of those in the first half.
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. He had a career high 11 assists on Feb. 25 against Central Michigan, notching his first career double-double. Segu went 8-of-10 from the free throw line against Akron, helping the Bulls seal the victory on Tuesday.
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.
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 had 10 points against Ohio and seven more against Akron.
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. Nickelberry finished with 14 points against Western Michigan and had a career high 16 points against Ohio, his fifth game scoring 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. Skogman had one of the dunks of the year against Northern Illinois finishing with eight points and seven boards against the Huskies.
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 led the Bulls in field goal percentage at 76.1%, including a stretch where he made 26 of 27 shots from the floor.
This season, Hardnett has again been UB's most efficient scorer from the field. Picking up the start at Ball State, Hardnett responded with 11 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Hardnett has started the last six games for the Bulls and has missed just one shot from the floor since joining the starting lineup. He had a then career high 16 points in the victory over Northern Illinois, but followed that up with 20 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Central Michigan. Hardnett had made 23-of-24 shots from the floor since joining the starting lineup and 18 field goals straight before missing his first shot against Akron.
Gallion played in 17 games off the bench as a freshman. He had a career high six points against Army West Point this season.
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 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 set a new career high in scoring with 10 points at Kent State.
