Bulls Wrap Up Regular Season on Friday Night

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo men's basketball team (14-16, 8-9 MAC) will face the Miami (OH) RedHawks (12-18, 6-11 MAC) on Friday evening to close out the regular season. The game will tip-off at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ with Paul Peck on play-by-play and Matt Mattia as the analyst. Josh Whetzel and Bob Gaughan will be on the radio call. You can listen to the game on 1400 AM or online with the Varsity App. Tune in early to the broadcast as the team will honor LaQuill Hardnett and Armoni Foster in this year's senior ceremony.

The Bulls are coming off an 85-75 win at Northern Illinois on Tuesday evening. With the win, Buffalo clinched a berth to the MAC Tournament next week. Curtis Jones led all scorers with 21 points. Isaiah Adams also finished with 20 on the night. LaQuill Hardnett (15) and Jonnivius Smith (10) finished in double figures. At the glass, Hardnett and Isaac Jack secured eight rebounds each. This marked C. Jones' 10^th 20-point performance of the season. Adams is up to five 20-point games on the season. With Hardnett scoring 15 points, this was the sixth time the Bulls had three players score 15 or more points in a game.

The matchup between the Buffalo Bulls and Miami RedHawks will be the 55th all-time meeting. Miami (OH) leads the series, 28-26. The Bulls are 14-11 at home against the RedHawks. Buffalo has won the last six home regular season games against Miami (OH). This will be the second meeting between the schools this season. Miami (OH) won the first meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 10 by a score of 91-80. In his career Head Coach Jim Whitesell is 6-3 against the RedHawks. The matchup between the Bulls and Huskies will feature two of the top scorers in the MAC. Curtis Jones averages 15.1 ppg with Mekhi Lairy averaging 17.6 ppg.

BUFFALO QUICK FACTS
• Buffalo is 8-0 on the year when shooting 50.0% or better from the floor.
• The Bulls have had six games this season with three players scoring 15 or more points.
• Jonnivius Smith recorded his sixth game of the season shooting 100% from the floor on Tuesday night at NIU.
• Curtis Jones is 11^th in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.94. In the last seven games he's had 28 assists and six turnovers.

The Miami RedHawks are 12-18 overall and 6-11 in the MAC after defeating Western Michigan 77-62 on Tuesday, Feb. 28. The RedHawks are the second hottest team in the MAC as they've won four straight. Toledo has won 14 in a row. Miami (OH) was selected to finish 11^th in the MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 36 points. With a win, the RedHawks will clinch a spot in the MAC Tournament. The RedHawks are 3-8 on the road averaging 68.8 ppg. They allow 76.4 ppg away from Millett Hall. In the last three meetings against the Bulls, Mekhi Lairy averages 23.3 ppg. He scored 20 points in the Bulls' 91-80 loss in January. Morgan Safford (5.9 rpg) leads the team in rebounding. As a team, Miami is the best free throw shooting team in the MAC at 78.0%.

With a win, the Bulls will clinch the 6-seed in the MAC Tournament. If the Bulls lose, they can drop to the 7-seed if Northern Illinois defeats Eastern Michigan. If Buffalo and Northern Illinois lose, the Bulls will remain as the 6-seed. Buffalo will face one of three teams in the MAC Quarterfinals; Akron, Kent State, or Toledo.

The Bulls will play their quarterfinal game on Thursday, March 9. The opponent and time are TBD.

Bulls Wrap Up Regular Season on Friday Night

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Players Mentioned

Isaiah Adams

Armoni Foster

LaQuill Hardnett

Isaac Jack

Curtis Jones

Jonnivius Smith

University at Buffalo Athletics