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Saturday, January 10
Athens, Ohio
2 p.m.
University at Buffalo
at
Ohio
Photo by: Paul Hokanson/UB Athletics
It’s a Battle Between the Bulls and Bobcats on Saturday in Athens
1/9/2026 9:32:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo men's basketball program (13-2, 3-0 MAC) will travel to Athens, Ohio to face the Ohio Bobcats (9-7, 3-1 MAC) on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off from the Convocation Center will be at 2 p.m. on ESPN+. Josh Whetzel will be on the radio call on Buffalo 1520/Rochester 1280 and on the Varsity Network App.
LAST TIME OUT
The Bulls are coming off an 85-72 home victory over the Ball State Cardinals on Saturday afternoon. With the win, Buffalo improved to 13-2 overall on the season and 3-0 in MAC play. This is just the fourth time in program history the Bulls have started conference play 3-0 and the first time since 2018-19. Through 15 games, this is Buffalo's best start to a season since 2018-19 when the team started 14-1.
In the win, Tim Oboh scored a career-high 21 points with five rebounds and a pair of blocks. Ryan Sabol scored a game-high 22 points, drilling four threes. Angelo Brizzi and Noah Batchelor had exceptional nights from the floor as they finished with 15 and 12 points, respectfully.
ABOUT THE BOBCATS
• Ohio Head Coach Jeff Boals, a 1995 graduate of Ohio, returned to Athens in 2019 after spending three seasons at Stonybrook from 2016-19. With the Seawolves, he guided them to a 55-41 (.573) overall record including a 24-8 record in 2018-19. He's tallied a 123-83 (.597) record at Ohio including a MAC Championship in 2021. In the NCAA Tournament, the Bobcats went on to upset 4-seed Virginia, 62-58.
• The Bobcats were selected fourth in the 13-team league in the Mid-American Conference Preseason Poll. Last season, Ohio went 16-16 overall and 10-8 in conference play. They lost to Toledo in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament. Jackson Paveletzke and Javan Simmons were named to the Preseason All-MAC Team.
• The Bobcats are led by Paveletzke (16.5 ppg), Simmons (13.1 ppg) and Aidan Hadaway (7.7 rpg).
THE BULL-ETIN BOARD
• Buffalo's next four opponents in Ohio, Kent State, Miami (OH) and Akron are a combined 12-2 (.857) in conference games this season.
• The second leg of the 2025-26 MAC-Sun Belt Challenge was announced on Tuesday afternoon. The Bulls will travel to Mobile, Ala. to face the South Alabama Jaguars.
• Dating back to 2004-05 on available records, this is the second time in program history the Bulls have had five 30-point performances in a season tying the 2012-13 squad. Over the last three previous seasons, Buffalo only had four such performances. Daniel Freitag has done so three times as Ryan Sabol has done it twice this season.
• The Bulls have made at least 10 three-pointers in four consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 13-23, 2018. They've gone 47-for-107 over those games, shooting 43.9% from deep. The last time they had 10+ threes in five straight games was March 1-17, 2016, when they did so in six straight games in their MAC Championship and NCAA Tournament run.
• The Bulls are seeking their third 4-0 start in MAC play and their first since 2018-19 when they started 5-0.
• Buffalo and Akron are first and second in the MAC in offensive and defensive field goal percentage in conference play. The Bulls are shooting .515 from the field and holding their opponents to a conference-best .401. Akron leads the MAC in field goal percentage at .518 while limiting the opposition to .402 from the floor.
• Buffalo has made 277 free throws this season. Of their 1,198 points this season, 23.1% have come from the free throw line, that is a conference best as Kent State (22.1%), Bowling Green (21.6%) and Northern Illinois (20.9%) are the only other schools above 20%.
• UB has made 143 three-pointers so far this season. 35.8% of their points have come from three-point range, the second-best mark in the MAC behind Miami's 36.6%.
• The Bulls jumped three spots in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll on the evening of Monday, Jan. 5th to No. 6. Teams in the poll on Buffalo's schedule are No. 2 Miami (OH) (1), No.16 Kent State, No. 17 Akron, RV Bowling Green (31), Vermont (2).
• The Bulls have the best margin of victory at +14.7 in conference play.
• UB has recorded 16 20-point performances this season. Last year they finished with just 16 such games.
• Daniel Freitag leads the MAC in free throw makes and attempts with 100 and 121, respectfully. He's sixth in makes and 12th in attempts in the country.
• Daniel Freitag (296) and Ryan Sabol (256) have accounted for 46.1% of Buffalo's 1,198 points on the season. They are the highest scoring duo in the MAC as UMass's Leonardo Bettiol (257) and Marcus Banks (252) make up 39.5% of the Minutemen's points.
• A Buffalo win would give the Bulls a 14-2 start to the season and a 4-0 start in conference play for the first time since the 2018-19 season when they started 5-0. This would be their third time starting 4-0 as they also did so in 2017-18 (8-0). They'd defeat Ohio for the first time since Jan. 3, 2023. This would be the program's second-best start through 16 games since 2018-19 when the team started 15-1.
• Ryan Sabol recorded his 13th game of his career with five or more three-pointers in a single game against Penn State Behrend when he went 7-for-8, tying his career-high in made three-pointers for the fourth time. He has 33 games with at least three three-pointers in his time in the blue and white.
• In conference play, the Bulls are averaging just 10.3 turnovers per game, the third lowest mark in the league. At Western Michigan on Dec. 20th, they tied a program record for fewest turnovers in a game with four.
• Following his 31-point performance against Penn State Behrend, Ryan Sabol surpassed the 900-point mark in his career. He became the 36th Bull to reach 900 points. He's currently at 952 points in the blue and white.
• Under Halcovage, the Bulls are 22-1 when leading with 5:00 to go.
• Since 2023-24, the Bulls are 18-1 when they score at least 80 points including a 18-game win streak. In their wins, they've outscored the opposition by an average margin of 10.8 points.
• On the season, Ryan Sabol has the best +/- on the team at +132. Daniel Freitag is just behind at +131 with Noah Batchelorr third with +126.
• Ryan Sabol has made 189 three-pointers in his career at UB. He passed Jarryn Skeete last game against Ball State and is just three away from passing Jayvon Graves for fifth in program history.
For all the latest on UB men's basketball, follow @UBuffaloMBB on Twitter/X, @ubuffalo_mbb on Instagram and like the UB Men's Basketball Facebook page.
Click here for ticket information.
Click here for information on the Bulls Championship Fund and how you can help UB Athletics.
LAST TIME OUT
The Bulls are coming off an 85-72 home victory over the Ball State Cardinals on Saturday afternoon. With the win, Buffalo improved to 13-2 overall on the season and 3-0 in MAC play. This is just the fourth time in program history the Bulls have started conference play 3-0 and the first time since 2018-19. Through 15 games, this is Buffalo's best start to a season since 2018-19 when the team started 14-1.
In the win, Tim Oboh scored a career-high 21 points with five rebounds and a pair of blocks. Ryan Sabol scored a game-high 22 points, drilling four threes. Angelo Brizzi and Noah Batchelor had exceptional nights from the floor as they finished with 15 and 12 points, respectfully.
ABOUT THE BOBCATS
• Ohio Head Coach Jeff Boals, a 1995 graduate of Ohio, returned to Athens in 2019 after spending three seasons at Stonybrook from 2016-19. With the Seawolves, he guided them to a 55-41 (.573) overall record including a 24-8 record in 2018-19. He's tallied a 123-83 (.597) record at Ohio including a MAC Championship in 2021. In the NCAA Tournament, the Bobcats went on to upset 4-seed Virginia, 62-58.
• The Bobcats were selected fourth in the 13-team league in the Mid-American Conference Preseason Poll. Last season, Ohio went 16-16 overall and 10-8 in conference play. They lost to Toledo in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament. Jackson Paveletzke and Javan Simmons were named to the Preseason All-MAC Team.
• The Bobcats are led by Paveletzke (16.5 ppg), Simmons (13.1 ppg) and Aidan Hadaway (7.7 rpg).
THE BULL-ETIN BOARD
• Buffalo's next four opponents in Ohio, Kent State, Miami (OH) and Akron are a combined 12-2 (.857) in conference games this season.
• The second leg of the 2025-26 MAC-Sun Belt Challenge was announced on Tuesday afternoon. The Bulls will travel to Mobile, Ala. to face the South Alabama Jaguars.
• Dating back to 2004-05 on available records, this is the second time in program history the Bulls have had five 30-point performances in a season tying the 2012-13 squad. Over the last three previous seasons, Buffalo only had four such performances. Daniel Freitag has done so three times as Ryan Sabol has done it twice this season.
• The Bulls have made at least 10 three-pointers in four consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 13-23, 2018. They've gone 47-for-107 over those games, shooting 43.9% from deep. The last time they had 10+ threes in five straight games was March 1-17, 2016, when they did so in six straight games in their MAC Championship and NCAA Tournament run.
• The Bulls are seeking their third 4-0 start in MAC play and their first since 2018-19 when they started 5-0.
• Buffalo and Akron are first and second in the MAC in offensive and defensive field goal percentage in conference play. The Bulls are shooting .515 from the field and holding their opponents to a conference-best .401. Akron leads the MAC in field goal percentage at .518 while limiting the opposition to .402 from the floor.
• Buffalo has made 277 free throws this season. Of their 1,198 points this season, 23.1% have come from the free throw line, that is a conference best as Kent State (22.1%), Bowling Green (21.6%) and Northern Illinois (20.9%) are the only other schools above 20%.
• UB has made 143 three-pointers so far this season. 35.8% of their points have come from three-point range, the second-best mark in the MAC behind Miami's 36.6%.
• The Bulls jumped three spots in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll on the evening of Monday, Jan. 5th to No. 6. Teams in the poll on Buffalo's schedule are No. 2 Miami (OH) (1), No.16 Kent State, No. 17 Akron, RV Bowling Green (31), Vermont (2).
• The Bulls have the best margin of victory at +14.7 in conference play.
• UB has recorded 16 20-point performances this season. Last year they finished with just 16 such games.
• Daniel Freitag leads the MAC in free throw makes and attempts with 100 and 121, respectfully. He's sixth in makes and 12th in attempts in the country.
• Daniel Freitag (296) and Ryan Sabol (256) have accounted for 46.1% of Buffalo's 1,198 points on the season. They are the highest scoring duo in the MAC as UMass's Leonardo Bettiol (257) and Marcus Banks (252) make up 39.5% of the Minutemen's points.
• A Buffalo win would give the Bulls a 14-2 start to the season and a 4-0 start in conference play for the first time since the 2018-19 season when they started 5-0. This would be their third time starting 4-0 as they also did so in 2017-18 (8-0). They'd defeat Ohio for the first time since Jan. 3, 2023. This would be the program's second-best start through 16 games since 2018-19 when the team started 15-1.
• Ryan Sabol recorded his 13th game of his career with five or more three-pointers in a single game against Penn State Behrend when he went 7-for-8, tying his career-high in made three-pointers for the fourth time. He has 33 games with at least three three-pointers in his time in the blue and white.
• In conference play, the Bulls are averaging just 10.3 turnovers per game, the third lowest mark in the league. At Western Michigan on Dec. 20th, they tied a program record for fewest turnovers in a game with four.
• Following his 31-point performance against Penn State Behrend, Ryan Sabol surpassed the 900-point mark in his career. He became the 36th Bull to reach 900 points. He's currently at 952 points in the blue and white.
• Under Halcovage, the Bulls are 22-1 when leading with 5:00 to go.
• Since 2023-24, the Bulls are 18-1 when they score at least 80 points including a 18-game win streak. In their wins, they've outscored the opposition by an average margin of 10.8 points.
• On the season, Ryan Sabol has the best +/- on the team at +132. Daniel Freitag is just behind at +131 with Noah Batchelorr third with +126.
• Ryan Sabol has made 189 three-pointers in his career at UB. He passed Jarryn Skeete last game against Ball State and is just three away from passing Jayvon Graves for fifth in program history.
For all the latest on UB men's basketball, follow @UBuffaloMBB on Twitter/X, @ubuffalo_mbb on Instagram and like the UB Men's Basketball Facebook page.
Click here for ticket information.
Click here for information on the Bulls Championship Fund and how you can help UB Athletics.
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