Is This a Different Buffalo Team? Saturday’s Opener Will Answer The Question… Somewhat

A decent 7-4 start has failed to get Buffalo fans excited about the commencement of MAC play. Casual UB fans saw the non-descript out-of-conference schedule and expected the MAC finalist from last season to lose at most two games.

To many, losses to the likes of Jacksonville, Canisius and Vermont provide enough evidence that nothing has changed. There’s no reason to believe this team will finally reach the NCAA Tournament… there’s no reason to put any weight on those early Bracketology projections that pitted No. 14 seed Buffalo against No. 3 Kansas State in March.

Saturday is Buffalo’s time to show that the times are, indeed, changing as it plays its first game of the new decade.

When Buffalo won it’s last MAC opener, “Grillz” by Paul Wall was owning the Billboard charts and Night at the Museum was killing it at the box office. Only one current Bull – senior guard Sean Smiley – was on the roster during that game, and he logged a total of zero minutes.

In the grand scheme of thing, it’s only been four years, but a 1-0 start with a win against always tough Miami would give fans some hope.

You never want to start conference play on a sour note, and to be honest, Coach ‘Spoon can’t afford to fall behind in the conference standings. According to the fans, he should be on a short leash, and no matter how tough Miami’s out-of-conference slate was, losing to a 3-10 team wouldn’t have the Alumni Arena fans feeling jolly. Just look how they reacted when Buffalo took a loss to 1-7 Jacksonville.

The Spectrum Game Preview: Bulls (6-3) vs. Jacksonville Dolphins (1-7)

Senior Ben Smith, the Atlantic Sun Preseason Player of the Year, leads Jacksonville with 16.8 points per game.

VS

When: Tuesday, 4:30 p.m.

Where: UCF Arena, Orlando, Fla.

Scouting the Dolphins

2009 Record: 1-7 (0-2 Atlantic Sun Conference)

Last Game: Loss at East Tennessee St., 93-70

Last Meeting: 1994, Jacksonville 79-77

Game Notes:

- Buffalo is currently on a three-game winning streak.

- This will be Jacksonville’s eighth game (of nine total) away from home.

About the opponent/game

Jacksonville has logged a lot of bus miles this season, but getaways from its campus have not yielded happy trips back home. Picked as the preseason favorite to capture the Atlantic Sun this year (24/31 media members picked them as the 1st place team in the conference), the Dolphins are currently experiencing a rough beginning to the season in which nine of their first 10 games are away from Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.

This murderers row of games has resulted in a 1-7 record. According to Sagarin ratings, Jacksonville has played the third-toughest schedule to date. The Dolphins lone home game came against the Florida Gators, who beat JU 85-67.

Though Jacksonville’s schedule has pitted the Dolphins against Florida State, California, South Carolina and the aforementioned Gators, the team must be disappointed with the start. They came into ‘09-‘10 with momentum after an 18-14 season, a regular-season conference championship and an appearance in the NIT. With four returning starters, Jacksonville expected to add an NCAA Tournament bid to its list accolades.

Jacksonville did finish last season 16-7 after starting the season 2-7 record, but the team expected to capture one of its big games and is 0-2 in conference play.

The starting lineup is experienced and talented, but eight of the nine reserves are underclassmen, resulting in a big drop-off when the starters get their limited minutes of rest.

Unlike Jacksonville, Buffalo does not want to bring it on home. The team comes into this UCF Classic with confidence and a three-game winning streak, including road wins over Niagara and Green Bay. The Bulls are now 4-1 away from home after struggling away from Amherst for most of the decade.

Usually balanced in the scoring column, the Bulls have recently relied on star Rodney Pierce to provide the offensive firepower. The senior guard has scored 20-plus points in each of his last three games. This may be one of his hot streaks, but Buffalo will ride Pierce’s shooting for the rest of the season.

Buffalo holds all the advantages on paper, but don’t count the Dolphins out of this one. Their starting five is talented enough to hang with the Bulls, and if the team has grown and matured during its tumultuous start to the season, it may be able to hang with Buffalo.

Two Jacksonville Players to Watch:

G – Ben Smith (Sr.)

Smith, Jacksonville’s point guard, will be one of the better players the Bulls play this season. He was named the Atlantic’s Sun Preseason Player of the Year and has proved the billing to be worthy. By Smith’s standards, he’s having a sub-par season, but his 16.8 points/game average leads the Dolphins. Due to increased pressure to score, Smith’s shot attempts have increased, and his shooting percentage and assists have decreased. Nonetheless, Smith is Jacksonville’s most dangerous weapon, so Buffalo will need to make sure he’s contained.

G – Travis Cohn (Jr.)

Aside from Smith, most of Jacksonville’s returning starters have struggled this season. Cohn, who scored 6.8 points/game last season, has not followed this trend and has stepped up to become Jacksonville’s second scoring option. He has raised his scoring average to 9.5 points/game this season, but averages more turnovers (2.4) than assists (1.4) a game. Regardless, Cohn is a reliable shooter that the Bulls will have to keep their eyes on.

Buffalo will win if…

The team can take advantage of a sub-par Jacksonville defense. The Dolphins have given a staggering 78.2 points per game. Only two opponents have shot less than 50 percent from the floor. Jacksonville’s perimeter defense has failed to limit hot shooters, so if Pierce, Sean Smiley and Zach Filzen can get going, it may be a long night for the Floridians. Jacksonville has scored above 70 points two times this season, so if Buffalo makes this a high-scoring affair, it will surely win.

Jacksonville will win if…

It can limit turnovers and works hard to match the Bulls’ rebounding strength. Despite a 1-7 record, Jacksonville has out-rebounded all but two opponents. If some of those misses become second-chance points for Jacksonville, the Dolphins might be able to hang with the Bulls. Ben Smith is good enough to put the team on his back and carry them to the W. The supporting cast has struggled so far this year, but is bound to explode any game now; it’ll be up to the Bulls to make sure it doesn’t happen this game.

Prediction:

David Sanchirico, Senior Sports Editor

“Everything points to a Buffalo blowout. The team is feeling strong after back-to-back road wins, and the team’s stars (Pierce and Calvin Betts) have shaken off tough starts.

“But I expect this contest to be close for most of the game. Smith has enough talent and will to make the team competitive, and part of me thinks this Jacksonville team will eventually put it together.

“In the end, the Bulls have too much for a reeling Jacksonville team that lacks depth right now.

Bulls 74, Dolphins 62

How Quinn Can Secure The Best Recruiting Class In UB History…

… making this happen again:

UB Football could get a very nice start to the decade without any breaking news coming from Amherst, NY. The program’s new head coach will be working triple duty as Cincinnati’s head coach, offensive coordinator and offensive line coach against Florida in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.

A glorified rehearsal in front of a national audience.

The odds are against Cincinnati in more than one sense. As of now, the Bearcats are 11-point underdogs. More important, the Bearcats lost their head man Brian Kelly and are scrambling to restore player morale and staff stability. They’re going against the former national champions manned by Tim Tebow, college football’s infatuation and ESPN’s favorite Bible reader.

But if we’ve learned anything during this past decade of bowl games, it’s this: the team that comes in most motivated has the advantage. The 2008 Fiesta Bowl comes to mind. A Rich Rodriguez-less West Virginia team came in with an unknown leading the team in Bill Stewart, and as an underdog coming to grips with its coach’s preference to leave it for Michigan.

West Virginia overcame the odds and beat Oklahoma 48-20. Stewart’s 28-point victory gave him the best interview possible, shocking the national audience and landing him the WVU coaching position.

Quinn has already secured the Buffalo job, but this audition will give Bulls fans, players and recruits a rehearsal of what they will see next year.

Back in Buffalo, the UB faithful is temporarily bleeding black and red. Cincy’s interim main headset occupier has received rave reviews from Buffalo fans and beat writers, but a big name won’t keep the fans singing. They want results, and it could be argued that after losing their prized possession in Turner Gill, they need results.

They’re worried about the standout recruiting class Gill put together while his UB Stadium office was occupied. They’re worried that the success they’ve experienced in the past was due solely to Gill.

A Cincinnati win would alleviate these concerns until September. It’ll show that Quinn can rise above and motivate a bunch of lost kids to defeat the defending national champions, impressing potential Bulls that the program’s future is in quality hands.

Kansas got a nice early Christmas gift in Gill, but a Cincinnati win would be a Buffalo stocking stuffer.

Pierce and Physical Play Prevail: Three-in-a-row

Hustle plays from Calvin Betts and the rest of the Bulls helped Buffalo grab an impressive 71-65 road victory at UW-Green Bay on Tuesday night (H. Marc Larson/Press-Gazette).

Senior leadership does not come in a dearth for Buffalo. There are six Bulls that have been through the ups and downs of the last three seasons, so the trials of this season are nothing new.

Just don’t blame senior guard Rodney Pierce for taking it upon himself to making sure the unfulfilled goals of previous years are finally brought to fruition.

Pierce showed his best Calvin Cage impersonation Tuesday against a quality Green Bay team from the Horizon League. Against a 10-3 Phoenix team that beat Wisconsin earlier this month, Pierce took 36 percent of Buffalo’s shots and scored 41 percent of the team’s 71 points.

And Buffalo won, capturing its most impressive victory to date.

Pierce should get 100 percent credit for the result.

His 29 points, coming off a consistent downpour of jumpers, carried the Bulls to the team’s best win of the season – a 71-65 win over the Phoenix. It was Buffalo’s third-straight victory, and Pierce’s third-straight 20-point outing. See a positive correlation?

In the past, Buffalo’s balanced scoring output always meant the team was in games, but there was never a player that could get a basket when adversity hit. It seems that Pierce, in his final year on the Amherst campus, has grown tired of the mediocrity and has made it his responsibility to give the team some offensive stability and leadership.

From there, the team can impose its will in other facets of the game. Buffalo’s tough and physical squad stymied Green Bay’s offense and limited Green Bay’s effectiveness in its pick-and-roll offense. They out-rebounded the Phoenix by nine and even handled the ball better than their opponents (Buffalo had 11 turnovers compared to Green Bay’s 14).

“They were long, strong and they bodied up,” said Green Bay guard Rahmon Fletcher. “They got into us and out-toughed us.”

Sounds like the Buffalo team we know: the gritty, tough squad that doesn’t bury teams, but physically beats them up.

After troublesome home losses against Vermont and Canisius, the Bulls are starting to get into form. Pierce has taken the leadership role, and the supporting cast is doing its thing. Two winnable games in Florida precede New Years, and then MAC play initiates.

But an inconsistent Pierce can’t show up by the time Jan. 9, Buffalo’s MAC opener against Miami, rolls around. His offensive explosiveness is needed if the MAC Championship is to land in Buffalo.

A Quinn Win for UB?: Cincy Coach Brings Strong Credentials, Few Questions to Buffalo

Buffalo head coach Jeff Quinn (center) will remain at Cincinnati to coach the Bearcats on Jan. 1 in the Sugar Bowl against Florida (Courtesy of Cincinnati Athletics).

It took all of seven days for athletic director Warde Manuel to name a replacement for head coach Turner Gill. It took many candidates, many interviews, and certainly numerous trips to Duff’s and the Anchor Bar to tempt candidates with Buffalo’s claim to fame.

Good work by Manuel, who worked tireless hours looking for an employee. A drawn out process would have limited Buffalo’s replacement options and could have been a nightmare from a publicity and program-building standpoint.

Instead, Manuel succeeded in getting an experienced, respected and successful coach to replace Gill. The days of hiring head coaches with a 56 percent winning percentages at Cornell are over. Those worried about replacing Gill must commend Manuel for not settling for a coach with a limit of accolades and a bevy of questions.

Quinn, a big name with 27 years of coaching experience, is someone Manuel couldn’t interview four years ago when Jim Hofher was fired. Around the time of Gill’s hiring in ’05, Buffalo was one of the worst programs with few positive attributes to sell itself with.

But Gill showed that winning at the Western New York university isn’t an unrealistic illusion, constructed by Buffalo sports fans long yearning for success in any sport.

With that said, a good coach, one with enthusiasm and who knows how to pitch the university to talented recruits skeptical of the school, was needed.

So is Quinn the guy that can continue Buffalo’s emergence as a competitive Division I program?

Initial observations point toward yes. Labeled as the best, most enthusiastic assistant coach by the country by highly regarded offensive line coach and ardent UB football supporter Jim McNally, Quinn brings a successful offensive scheme for quarterback Zach Maynard and the rest of Buffalo’s offensive weapons to utilize. It didn’t matter who Cincinnati’s quarterback was this year; Quinn’s philosophy put the signal caller and other offensive players in a position to succeed and brought the team to a 12-0 record.

From an X’s and O’s point of view, Quinn is a big-time hire.

And the big name Quinn possesses will help convince some of the highly-regarded recruits that committed to the Gill-led program to keep their allegiance with the Bulls.  There’s no doubt that some recruits that chose Buffalo because of master recruiter Gill will have second thoughts, with some possibly following Gill to KU, but Quinn helped Brian Kelly secure respectable classes built to bring Big East Championships to Bearcat Nation.

But Quinn’s refusal to go Benedict Arnold on his old team impresses me the most. We’re in an age where coaches like Brian Kellys and Rich Rodriguez, ones that leave their old teams out to dry, are common. It shows true character and commitment for Quinn to be there for his former team before the most important game in its history.

This refusal to leave Cincinnati won’t hurt Buffalo in the hunt for commitments. It’s currently a dead period in recruiting and coaches are not allowed to talk to recruits until after Jan. 1.

But that doesn’t mean Quinn can’t show potential UB Bulls what he’s about. He has a chance to impress potential UB Bulls while other coaches are celebrating the start of a new decade. Quinn, who was offensive coordinator  for Cincinnati during the last three years, will lead the Bearcats in the team’s Sugar Bowl matchup against the mighty Florida Gators on Jan. 1. Right now there is no better recruiting tool than seeing a potential head coach shouting his rear-end off and encouraging his players in one of the biggest bowl games. The publicity Buffalo will also give the program that much more credibility.

And what about if, somehow, Cincinnati defies all the odds and beats Tim Tebow and the Gators? Fans, players, recruits and everyone associated with UB Football will be sold.

The days of mining the fertile recruiting lands of Texas and Florida may be over, and battling MAC teams for tough-minded midwestern recruits may begin, but everything points to a solid hire by Manuel.

Bulls fans will bring in the new decade as Bearcat fans for one night.

Safe to Say Now: Gill to Kansas, Chain Reaction Begins

Almost four years ago on Dec. 16, 2005, Turner Gill signed to became the head coach at the University at Buffalo. He is now moving on to coach the Kansas Jayhawks of the Big 12 North. (Paul Hokanson/UB Athletics)

This time last year – end of the fall semester classes – Buffalo fans were rejoicing their football team’s win in the MAC Championship. Bulls fans around the nation celebrated; years of agony were finally relieved by a feeling of euphoria.

Oddly enough, I sat in my bed last night and watched most of that MAC Championship game between UB and Ball State. A permanent smile blessed my face as I got chills watching wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt score three touchdowns, safety Mike Newton return “The Fumble Recovery”, and head coach Turner Gill’s “Speechless” speech.

Even though the possibility of Gill leaving was in my head, never did I think it would occur the next afternoon. I guess my decision to relive last year’s surreal experience foreshadowed Gill’s goodbye.

Despite no confirmation from UB Athletics, I’m going to confirm it; Gill is on his way to coach in the Big 12. He must have something for stadiums with tracks…

Kansas Memorial Stadium

We all thank Gill for what he’s done. I remember sitting at freshman orientation watching him talk about how Buffalo football won’t be a joke for much longer.

Of course, all the future freshmen in Knox 20 during that speech laughed, but he proved them, and all of college football land’s inhabitants, wrong.

And his miracle work in Western New York brought him a new opportunity and much more money.

It’s going to be quite interesting what’s going to go down at Buffalo. Gill’s departure will certainly set events, many that UB fans did not want to think about, in motion.

What’s going to happen to this recruiting class saturated with three-star recruits? What assistant coaches are going to be on staff next year?

Most important, what’s Warde Manuel going to do, and who will man the sidelines next season? Names will be thrown around, and if Manuel is still the big boss of UB Athletics, he’ll probably try to make a statement hire. At the same time, promoting Danny Barrett remains entirely possible.

I’m anxious, yet very very afraid, of what the future holds. How do you feel?

The Day Has Come: Gill moves on to Kansas?

Yahoo! Sports is reporting that head coach Turner Gill is on his way to Lawrence, Kan. to become the Kansas Jayhawks’ new head coach. Rumors regarding KU’s coaching search have floated around for some time now, but this one comes from a pretty reputable source, as the Yahoo/Rivals reporter breaking the news is a former KU beat writer.

At the same time, UB Associate Athletic Director Paul Vecchio does not confirm if the rumor is true. We’ll know sometime this evening whether the Gill is once again coaching in the Big 12 or not.

Depth shows in Buffalo’s win over Army

Sophomore forward Mitchell Watt struggled, but four other Bulls scored in double figures to lead Buffalo to a 74-67 win over Army. (John Hickey/Buffalo News)

Sophomores Mitchell Watt and Titus Robinson only combined for five points, and senior Calvin Betts only mustered six points. When three of a team’s starters total for just 11 points, bad things happen.

But this Buffalo team is going to receive contributions from different sources each and every game game, and senior bench players Sean Smiley and Max Boudreau were the two that carried the Bulls on Thursday night. Smiley had one of his best games as he finished with 14 points on 4-for-7 shooting from 3-point range, and Boudreau nailed a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds during Buffalo’s 74-67 home victory over Army.

Smiley, Boudreau and the rest of the reserves totaled 36 points. Head coach Reggie Witherspoon has always used a deep rotation, but the players backing up the starters finally warrant playing time. Guys like Boudreau, Smiley, sophomore Zach Filzen and junior Jawaan Alston have showed they deserve playing time and give Buffalo extra weapons that it didn’t have at its disposal in previous years.

Still, there is a need for consistency in the starting five. The sophomore duo of Watt and Robinson looked destined for greatness during the season’s first three games, but,  especially in Watt’s case, it has gone cold. Growing pains? Maybe, but if this team is going to win the MAC, the duo needs to mature faster.

Two extremely tough road games lie ahead, but the team’s first home win must have the team feeling better than it did over Thanksgiving break.

The Spectrum Game Preview: Bulls (2-2) vs. Army Black Knights (5-1)

Senior guard Cleveland Richard (14.8 points & 5.3 rebounds a game) and the Black Knights enter Buffalo on a five-game winning streak.

vs.

When: Thursday night, 7 p.m.

Where: Alumni Arena

Scouting the Black Knights

2009 Record: 5-1

Last Game: Win vs. Bryant, 64-58

Last Meeting: Feb. 11, 1978, Army 74-53

Game Notes:

- A Buffalo win would be the basketball program’s 1,000 all-time win.

- Buffalo is attempting to prevent the team’s first 0-3 home start since 2000-01.

About the opponent/game

These are pretty happy times around the West Point athletic facilities. Army’s big rivalry game against the Naval Academy is upcoming, and this typically one-sided rivalry provides a different scenario on Dec. 12: Army is playing for a bowl bid against their rivals. The Black Knights, who lost to Buffalo 27-24 in October 2008, have not played in a bowl game since 1996, so it’s been a surprisingly positive season at Michie Stadium.

Army has been as woeful in basketball, but the team has started to improve and has gotten off to an encouraging 5-1 start, the program’s best start since the year of the last Army-Buffalo basketball game in 1978 (Army won 75-53). Army’s head coach back in those days… current-Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. No disrespect to first-year head coach Zach Spiker, but I think UB competed against a greater coaching mind in that game.

Last year’s team didn’t reach the five-win mark until the team’s 18th game in January, so  I’m sure the team is feeling good about itself.

We can’t really say the same thing about the Bulls. Two confidence-boosting road victories were negated by a 73-71 head scratching loss to Canisius last Tuesday.

Things were going Buffalo’s way until a 7-0 Canisius run in the final two minutes, plus a perplexing double foul call with just over one minute remaining that ejected  senior point guard John Boyer sitting with five fouls, stole the momentum. The run was capped by a Frank Turner runner with 1.5 seconds left. The game-winning shot came off of a missed lay-up by Bulls forward Calvin Betts.

Buffalo had Thanksgiving break to think about the loss, but the team must come out looking forward against a confident Army group that has forced opponents into an average of 21 turnovers a game so far this year.

Two Army Players to Watch:

F- Cleveland Richard (Sr.)

Richard, a second-team All-Patriot team selection last season, is leading the Black Knights with 14.8 points. The scrappy 6-foot-3-inch forward has also battled for rebounds, snatching an average of 5.3 rebounds a game. Richard is coming off his best performance thus far this season with 18 points and six rebounds against Bryant.

Richard is the leader of this Army squad and has started in 46 consecutive games. The Bulls should expect to see a lot of him; he has averaged close to 31 minutes a game this year.

G- Julian Simmons (Soph.)

Simmons is still a young player, but his game has elevated this year. The Patriot League All-Rookie selection from a year ago scored in double-digits during the first four games of the year. The Bulls need to limit Simmons’ production beyond the arc, where he has shot 12-for-26 (46.5 percent) this season.

Buffalo will win if…

This team, full of seniors that have experienced the grind before, reacts to adversity positively. In other years, the Bulls would wilt after a loss as shocking as the Canisius one. But this is an experienced team that needs to display some grittiness. They’re going to face immense challenges this year, and overcoming a disappointing loss to a rival deemed less talented is the first one.

Also, Buffalo will need to play a full 40-minute game. They have yet to dominate a complete game, and doing so against Army would boost the confidence level of the struggling squad.

Finally, Mitchell Watt will need to come out strong after his worst performance this season. He looked lost, confused and a step behind against Canisius, and that can’t happen tonight if Buffalo wants to win.

Army will win if…

The Black Knights’ own predominately senior group (seven seniors on the roster) grab a sled and ride what has been snowballing momentum. Army may not be big (startling lineup features one player taller than 6-foot-3-inches) and they might not as talented as Buffalo, but momentum works in strange ways, and right now, Army has it.

Army will also need its role guys to step up and help out Cleveland Richard. The Black Knights have been balanced in the scoring column, but they haven’t lit up the score board. Guys like Simmons, guard Josh Miller and guard Marcus Nelson need to put the ball in the basket on a consistent basis if Army wants to extend its winning streak to six games.

Prediction:

David Sanchirico, Senior Sports Editor

“One team is reeling, one is on a hot streak. One had high expectations, and the other was looking for moral victories.

“But the roles have switched. Buffalo is attempting to shake off its demoralizing loss to Canisius, and Army is looking to continue its shocking hot start. Before the season, this looked liked a cakewalk for Buffalo. Now, the Bulls are in a tough position and are facing a team that’s as confident as its been this decade.

“I said this before the Canisius game, and despite the logic getting thrown back to my face after that game, I’ll say it again; the Bulls have too much talent for the Black Knights to hang with. I’m expecting a mad and determined Buffalo squad to storm out of the Alumni Arena home locker room and head into Saturday’s contest at Purdue 3-2.”

Bulls 72, Black Knights 64

Bulls outplayed in rivalry… err, out-of-conference match

Frank Turner's layup with 1.5 seconds left gave Canisius a 73-71 victory at Alumni Arena, the Griffins' first win against UB since 2003. (Courtesy: Tom Wolf Imaging)

Don’t you dare call Canisius-Buffalo a rivalry.

I’m telling you, one of the sides does not view it as one, and its tired of hearing about it.

Well, that side was not the one celebrating Tuesday night.

Just seven miles separate Alumni Arena and the Koessler Athletic Center, but in the minds of Buffalo coaches and players, Canisius might as well be in another state.

The Griffins don’t hold the same mindset; they were energized and used their athleticism and sheer desire to pounce on the unsuspecting Bulls during Canisius’ 73-71 upset victory.

Buffalo, bigger and presumed more talented than their Jesuit college opponents, didn’t look like it was in a battle for Western New York pride.

The Bulls were frustrated that an opponent deemed lower was leaping higher and runner faster during a 22-3 Canisius rally.

Buffalo then showed no emotion during a 12-0 of its own. Afterall, that’s what the MAC Championship contender is supposed to do against little Canisius.

And the team walked off stunned after guard Frank Turner hit the acceleration, speeding past Buffalo onlookers on his way to the goal for the game-winning lay-up with 1.5 seconds left.

Buffalo had just lost an out-of-conference game on a 7-0 Canisius run in the last two minutes. Losses like that just aren’t suppose to happen.

But the biggest issues in the Buffalo locker room included its consistently inconsistent play at home, and the odd double foul call with 1:27 left that removed John Boyer from the game, but not that the Bulls had just lost to a fellow 716 team.

For Canisius, it took five years of frustration to finally beat the Bulls, but it made the triumph sweeter than a Julius Coles (26 points on Tuesday) jumper.

Year after year, the Griffins saw Buffalo eek out wins by the narrowest of margins. It was dire times overall during those years, but the close losses to the big university in the burbs just made them harder to deal with.

But it was their time to celebrate this year as past losses helped the team prevail on Tuesday. They smacked Buffalo in the jaw during the second half, and capped it off by slapping the Bulls’ center court logo after the final buzzer marked Canisius’ second win of the season.

Yes, they finally defeated the big university, the one with 23,000 more students and higher expectations.

Maybe that’s because Buffalo just doesn’t get itself ready for C-Block.

“We didn’t play well enough to win, we didn’t play with any consistency, so we didn’t deserve to win,” Witherspoon said.

True, anything else coach?

“We never viewed [Canisius vs. Buffalo] as a Big Four rivalry.”

… Nice rationalization for the loss, I’d say.

Something tells me that Canisius wasn’t viewing Buffalo as, say, St. Francis (NY). They were emphatic during the extensive second half scoring burst, were communicating down the stretch to eliminate a five-point deficit, and stormed court as if the NCAA Championship trophy would sparkle in the KAC trophy case after the comeback was complete.

Buffalo did not match the intensity, or the coaching, of Tom Perotta’s Canisius squad. Instead of getting hyped when they grabbed or extended a lead, they grew frustrated when they began to slip, and from Witherspoon’s visible frustration during the press conference, it seems like the team takes after its leader.

Witherspoon said the Canisius game was not one Buffalo circled on its calendar.

It’s makes sense, since the  rivalry is overhyped from his point of view… but at times, it seemed like his team left Nov. 24 100 percent blank on its collective calendar.