At-large hopes hinge on Ohio, Akron games
ATHENS, Ohio - With 11 days remaining until the NCAA unveils the participants for its 65-team bash, Ohio is the swing state for the University at Buffalo.
In a four-day span, the Bulls (18-7 overall, 10-6 Mid-American Conference) play two teams tied with them for second place in the MAC East. First comes tonight's game at Ohio University (7, Radio 1340 AM), which dealt the Bulls a 92-90 loss Feb. 2 in Alumni Arena. The regular season ends with a Senior Day matchup Saturday at 4 in Alumni against Akron. The Zips beat UB, 75-59, on the road Jan. 12.
And there's another adversary: the hype sweeping through Amherst. The Bulls, on the bubble for an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament, were part of the discussion Sunday on ESPN's
"SportsCenter" and have been part of sports radio talk shows all over the country. UB fans are lapping it up.
After viewing "SportsCenter," former UB player Modie Cox called coach Reggie Witherspoon on his cell phone and asked, "Were they talking about our UB?" After a practice Monday at Alumni, a fan yelled from the stands, "When you make the tournament, drop it like it's hot!"
So the staff has cautioned the players not to get caught up in the March buildup, although the players are fully aware of what lies ahead. The Bulls' next win will be a school record and their Ratings Percentage Index is already high enough to be considered for the National Invitation Tournament no matter what happens.
"We're starting to smell it a little bit," UB senior swingman Daniel Gilbert said. "We can almost see it and taste it . . . a little history coming."
There's still work to be done to strengthen the Bulls' case for an at-large berth. The MAC ranks ninth in conference RPI - just behind the Missouri Valley and just ahead of Conference USA - and should receive at least one more NCAA bid other than the automatic berth given to its league tournament champion.
With the regular season race coming down to the wire and eight teams still in the running for one of the top three seeds for the league tournament, it would be difficult to find a better mid-major conference from top to bottom.
With a five-game winning streak, UB ranks 41st in the RPIs behind league rivals Miami (25) and Akron (39). By winning their next two games, the Bulls would finish the regular season with 20 victories, which would be favorable in the eyes of the NCAA committee but probably wouldn't give Buffalo enough of a push for an invite unless it has more success in the MAC Tournament.
UB has to hope favorites from mid- to low-major conferences win their league tournaments and keep those leagues at one bid. Teams like Vermont (America East), Pacific (Big West), Nevada (Western Athletic), and Old Dominion (Colonial Athletic) all currently have higher rankings in the RPIs than the Bulls.
If the Bulls beat Ohio and Akron, they could finish among the MAC's top three teams and get a bye to Cleveland for the MAC Tournament rather than have to play a prequarterfinal game Monday night.
Of course, the way to avoid all the arguments is to win the MAC Tournament and claim the automatic berth. But that's looking too far ahead, something Witherspoon and his staff are trying to avoid.
"We realize that the next week or so is going to be a tough stretch," sophomore forward Parnell Smith said. "We have to come out and play the games like we've been playing. Around campus, they've been talking about us a lot but we're trying to stay sharp for the conference tournament."
The Bulls can't afford to look past Ohio (16-9, 10-6). The Bobcats were picked to finish last in the MAC East, but they've won their last three and eight of 10. UB has never won in Ohio's Convocation Center (0-6) and the Bobcats are 11-1 against UB since the Bulls joined the MAC in 1998.
Tonight's game could come down to defense on the perimeter. In the last meeting, Ohio guard Sonny Troutman's ability to penetrate and dish resulted in easy baskets for forward Leon Williams, who finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Turner Battle scored a career-high 29 points for UB, but couldn't get a shot off before time expired on the final possession.
"Our guard play has to step up in terms of defense," Gilbert said. "Offensively, we'll let it come."
Battle, meanwhile, was named MAC Player of the Year by Collegeinsider.com on Tuesday. Battle is averaging 15.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game. The league will announce its selection for Player of the Year after the regular season.
ATHENS, Ohio - With 11 days remaining until the NCAA unveils the participants for its 65-team bash, Ohio is the swing state for the University at Buffalo.
In a four-day span, the Bulls (18-7 overall, 10-6 Mid-American Conference) play two teams tied with them for second place in the MAC East. First comes tonight's game at Ohio University (7, Radio 1340 AM), which dealt the Bulls a 92-90 loss Feb. 2 in Alumni Arena. The regular season ends with a Senior Day matchup Saturday at 4 in Alumni against Akron. The Zips beat UB, 75-59, on the road Jan. 12.
And there's another adversary: the hype sweeping through Amherst. The Bulls, on the bubble for an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament, were part of the discussion Sunday on ESPN's
"SportsCenter" and have been part of sports radio talk shows all over the country. UB fans are lapping it up.
After viewing "SportsCenter," former UB player Modie Cox called coach Reggie Witherspoon on his cell phone and asked, "Were they talking about our UB?" After a practice Monday at Alumni, a fan yelled from the stands, "When you make the tournament, drop it like it's hot!"
So the staff has cautioned the players not to get caught up in the March buildup, although the players are fully aware of what lies ahead. The Bulls' next win will be a school record and their Ratings Percentage Index is already high enough to be considered for the National Invitation Tournament no matter what happens.
"We're starting to smell it a little bit," UB senior swingman Daniel Gilbert said. "We can almost see it and taste it . . . a little history coming."
There's still work to be done to strengthen the Bulls' case for an at-large berth. The MAC ranks ninth in conference RPI - just behind the Missouri Valley and just ahead of Conference USA - and should receive at least one more NCAA bid other than the automatic berth given to its league tournament champion.
With the regular season race coming down to the wire and eight teams still in the running for one of the top three seeds for the league tournament, it would be difficult to find a better mid-major conference from top to bottom.
With a five-game winning streak, UB ranks 41st in the RPIs behind league rivals Miami (25) and Akron (39). By winning their next two games, the Bulls would finish the regular season with 20 victories, which would be favorable in the eyes of the NCAA committee but probably wouldn't give Buffalo enough of a push for an invite unless it has more success in the MAC Tournament.
UB has to hope favorites from mid- to low-major conferences win their league tournaments and keep those leagues at one bid. Teams like Vermont (America East), Pacific (Big West), Nevada (Western Athletic), and Old Dominion (Colonial Athletic) all currently have higher rankings in the RPIs than the Bulls.
If the Bulls beat Ohio and Akron, they could finish among the MAC's top three teams and get a bye to Cleveland for the MAC Tournament rather than have to play a prequarterfinal game Monday night.
Of course, the way to avoid all the arguments is to win the MAC Tournament and claim the automatic berth. But that's looking too far ahead, something Witherspoon and his staff are trying to avoid.
"We realize that the next week or so is going to be a tough stretch," sophomore forward Parnell Smith said. "We have to come out and play the games like we've been playing. Around campus, they've been talking about us a lot but we're trying to stay sharp for the conference tournament."
The Bulls can't afford to look past Ohio (16-9, 10-6). The Bobcats were picked to finish last in the MAC East, but they've won their last three and eight of 10. UB has never won in Ohio's Convocation Center (0-6) and the Bobcats are 11-1 against UB since the Bulls joined the MAC in 1998.
Tonight's game could come down to defense on the perimeter. In the last meeting, Ohio guard Sonny Troutman's ability to penetrate and dish resulted in easy baskets for forward Leon Williams, who finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Turner Battle scored a career-high 29 points for UB, but couldn't get a shot off before time expired on the final possession.
"Our guard play has to step up in terms of defense," Gilbert said. "Offensively, we'll let it come."
Battle, meanwhile, was named MAC Player of the Year by Collegeinsider.com on Tuesday. Battle is averaging 15.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game. The league will announce its selection for Player of the Year after the regular season.
