Buffalo @ DePaul (12/8 @ 5 p.m. - FS1)

[BullBoy]

30 minutes ago, MaineBull said:

Hardnett and Nickleberry deserve these minutes, Grant and Johnson are hurting this team!

I am shocked at how much people think Johnson needs his minutes diminished. Does he take some bad shots...yes, but he is arguably the second best defender on the team. 
 

He drew the assignment of Charlie Moore yesterday the top scorer for DePaul not Jordan or anyone else and Moore preceded to turn it over eight times and foul out. Johnson has to play. His shot will come,  but his defense is there every night.  

[DooleyBull06]

22 minutes ago, BullBoy said:

I am shocked at how much people think Johnson needs his minutes diminished. Does he take some bad shots...yes, but he is arguably the second best defender on the team. 
 

He drew the assignment of Charlie Moore yesterday the top scorer for DePaul not Jordan or anyone else and Moore preceded to turn it over eight times and foul out. Johnson has to play. His shot will come,  but his defense is there every night.  

I agree with you about his defense. It has been much better. Even Whitesell shouted it out in a post game interview. I’m not one saying his minutes should be diminished however the message should be drilled into him and Grant that they can’t be forcing shots. An example is the minute Grant checked in. First thing he did was jack up a 3. Not within the flow of the offense. It missed of course. However he then had a spurt where he scored 5. One 3 and one nice shot fake two dribble pull up. Then he thought he was hot and regressed and forced shots again. Johnson’s offense was awful in the first half. Even in the second half when he hit two shots they were ugly. They need to realize they are better, winning players when they play within the flow of the offense. Not selfishly chucking up shots. 

I agree Nickleberry should see a 2-4 minute bump in minutes. I think Hardnett will get minutes as long as he is not in foul trouble.

Edited December 9, 2019 by DooleyBull06

[MaineBull]

19 minutes ago, BullBoy said:

I am shocked at how much people think Johnson needs his minutes diminished. Does he take some bad shots...yes, but he is arguably the second best defender on the team. 
 

He drew the assignment of Charlie Moore yesterday the top scorer for DePaul not Jordan or anyone else and Moore preceded to turn it over eight times and foul out. Johnson has to play. His shot will come,  but his defense is there every night.  

I disagree, his defense is average at best.  He gives away too many easy baskets in help side.  He is shooting 31.7% from the field on the season (26.4% from 3).  Those are historically low numbers that do not warrant the playing time he is getting.  He should be benched until he can turn these numbers around.

[961819]

10 hours ago, Tee4three said:

I was looking at recruiting rankings and ub was one spot higher than Alabama. (Think it was rivals and we were 64 vs Alabama's 65). I got a laugh out of it

But back on topic of this game, once again the team shows tremendous potential. Just got to become more consistent.

They still have the most natural talent of any team in the mac. But having the most talent doesn't mean they will be the best team but it certainly helps.

That is funny, but also puts it in perspective when you realize UB has 2 signed incoming recruits and we’re one spot better than Alabama who has only 1 recruit committed currently 

[enrique14150]

I want to add this too today - I was frustrated that the lead whittled away last night as the pace slowed down and UB faced a zone.  And I don't have a problem with playing it safer on offense with a big lead and bleeding the clock, working the shot clock down, IF you can get to the basket, draw fouls, and make your foul shots.  Do that and you put the game away, but for some time there they weren't and it allowed DePaul back into it.

Kinda nit-picking an impressive road win.  I love the feeling that we expected they should compete in games like this; and how this win wasn't a fluke.  They didn't come out and shoot 60% or something, they were the better team straight-up.  The lead whittled away but it didn't feel like they were terribly rattled or losing control.

[MaineBull]

Big win.  Sloppy finish but these young guys learned a lot from that game.  They learned how to finish a game.  This is huge for their development.  Young teams need to learn how to grind out close games and we did that.  I have been very happy with our OOC performance thus far.  This team has shown flashes of what they are capable of.  I see big things from this team this season.  Coach needs to make a few tweaks and we are off and running as we head into the easier part of OOC schedule and begin MAC play.

I like a lot what I see from Coach Whitesell thus far.  He is a good leader and I like how he demands effort and will hold kids accountable.  I think he is making a big mistake with both Grant and Johnson.  They do not deserve the minutes they are getting right now.  But he is sticking with them in hopes they will turn it around which I am sure they will.  They are both overmatched with our OOC schedule.   They will perform better in MAC pay where the mismatches are not as prominent.  The fact he is sticking to them tells me coach is not too worried about winning and losing in these OOC games, more concerned with getting these kids comfortable with their game. 

The defense we played versus DePaul was amazing.  Minus Grant and Johnson, albeit Johnson showed some improvements from the last few games.  Grant is one of the worst defenders this program has had in the last 5 years,  He is too slow footed to stay with anyone and he reaches too often.  I will say Grant rebounded the ball better yesterday.  Defense is the staple of this team and if guys are not putting the effort in that is needed, or are not able to defend to that level they should not be playing.  I am looking at you grant and Johnson.  The fact we shot the ball at only 37% in that game speaks volume to our defense that we were able to pull out a win.  We shot the free throws better, especially when it mattered at the end of the game (12 for 16 on game).  We outrebounded the long DePaul team, 53 rebounds from this team, an outsized team, is very impressive.  The guards continue to rebound the ball well for us, looking at you Graves.  I would like to see less turnovers, 19 is too many.  Sloppy at times but will take the win against a very hot quality team.  Great win and I love this team.

Coach needs to limit playing time for Grant immediately.  He is hurting this team with poor shots and terrible defense along with sloppy turnovers.  His minutes need to go to Hardnett.  Coach also needs to limit minutes of Johnson.  I do not believe he should be starting, Segu should be.  Johnson should lose minutes to Segu and Nickleberry.  Johnos is not a smart player on either end, he is hurting this team with his selfish play.  Grant and Johnson figure it out they can get their minutes back up, but until then they should sit in my opinion.

Mballa-Great game yesterday.  I love this kid.  He was outsized as he has been most of the season and he secured 14 rebounds yesterday.  He is single handedly holding down the interior for this team, impressive for a sophomore.  This kid has a big future and I cannot wait to see how far he can go.  I have a feeling one day we will talking about him being the best big man who has ever played at UB!

Williams-Coach rightfully limited his minutes versus DePaul as we looked a bit scattered.  He has become too predictable on offense, always looking to go left almost exclusively.  He needs to go right to keep the defense honest.  I would also like to see him mix in a jump stop in traffic.

Graves-7 rebounds yesterday, 7 big rebounds that this team needed.  he got his hand on a bunch of other balls and was able to keep the ball alive, especially on the offensive glass.  He hit some big shots yesterday, a couple big threes and a big floater down the stretch.  I really like how he lets things come to him in the first half and in the second half he comes out in attack mode.  It seems he looks to take over the game early in the second half.  He is our leader and I like the way he leads by example.

Johnson-I thought he played better defensively in this game, but still not up to par with the other guards.  He simply cannot be on the floor when he is shootings so poorly (3 for 11 yesterday and 1 for 6 from three).  He takes poor shots and does not contribute to the ball movement that the other players employ.  How many times yesterday did we see the ball get swung to his side of the floor and it stopped with him.  He needs to step up.  Time for coach to send him a message by limiting his playing time.  Coach simply has not choice but to do this.

Jordan-He was closing in on a triple double in this game,  Like Graves he hit some big shots, none bigger than the deep triple late in the game.  Baffles the mind how a guy can shoot over 40$ from 3 on the season and under 30% from the free throw line.  He has a hitch in his form when shooting foul shots.  His PT late in games needs to be limited, as a smart team will simply foul him.  I was happy to see him hit a few late in that game.   You cannot say the kid is not clutch!  Defensively, he was very impressive as always.  He or Mballa will win DPOY in MAC.

Grant-This was a pathetic performance by him.  Chucking up bad shots, playing atrocious defense and turning the ball over in critical times of the game.  He was 2 for 9 from the floor and had 4 turnovers in limited minutes.  Athletically he is not prepared for this level.  He is a spot up shooter, nothing more.  To be used in spot situations when a big three is needed.  Until he can prove otherwise, that should be his role. 

Hardnett-limited minutes but I liked what I saw from him again yesterday.  His continued growth for this team will be critical for our success moving forward especially without Brock and Fagan.  I look forward to seeing him play at his natural position.  He has a big future.

Nickleberry-I liked what I saw from him yesterday.  He played good defense and had some nice passes and rebounds.  Him an Hardnett can take this team to the next level if they continue to develop.

Segu-I love this kids game.  he can get off a shot against anybody and his defense is fun to watch.  His energy is contagious and he is the future of this team.  I love a sophomore talking junk to a Big East Team as he torches them.  This kid define everything that buffalo basketball stands for, heart, determination, effort and passion.  I cannot wait to watch this kid continue to grow.  He should be starting.

I love this team, and I cannot wait to watch them to continue to grow.  I think this group took a big step yesterday. Lets not lose sight of the fact that they went on the road versus a Big East team that was one of the hottest teams in the country and were going to be top 25 ranked with a win in that game yesterday.  This is huge win for Coach Whitesell and this program.  This win should go a long way to prepare us for MAC play.  I cannot wait for the game on Saturday, Go Bulls!

 

[UB05]

42 minutes ago, MaineBull said:

I disagree, his defense is average at best.  He gives away too many easy baskets in help side.  He is shooting 31.7% from the field on the season (26.4% from 3).  Those are historically low numbers that do not warrant the playing time he is getting.  He should be benched until he can turn these numbers around.

“Historically low”? In what context?

[DooleyBull06]

Everyone keeps talking about how bad Johnson’s defense was...it was solid. Defense is a team concept. If we play defense and rebound like we did last night we will win the MAC. And if last night you come away saying Johnson played bad defense yet we did what we did then I think we will be just fine. 

As for limiting minutes, now is not the time. Now is the time you work out the kinks. What you do is teach teach teach. Demand that Johnson and Grant take better shots or pass up a bad shot for the extra pass. I agree certain guys should see more minutes but really look at the distribution, without drastically changing things up we are talking about 2 minutes here or 2 minutes there. Segu can’t start bc then you have no ready backup PG. But Segu can definitely finish. And that’s more important. 

[rma]

Does anybody know the last time we had a shot clock violation before last night? I don’t remember one last year or even the year before. 

[DooleyBull06]

11 minutes ago, rma said:

Does anybody know the last time we had a shot clock violation before last night? I don’t remember one last year or even the year before. 

Was that when the refs missed the shot hitting the rim and not resetting the shot clock?

[SGBull]

I am not sure why, but watching Grant seems like I am watching a homeless man’s version of Carmelo Anthony. Maybe it is because I am a knicks fan and watched him for a while. Melo was able to slack on defense and play selfishly because he was one of the most skilled players of his generation. Grant obviously is not.

[John]

7 hours ago, DooleyBull06 said:

Everyone keeps talking about how bad Johnson’s defense was...it was solid. Defense is a team concept. If we play defense and rebound like we did last night we will win the MAC. And if last night you come away saying Johnson played bad defense yet we did what we did then I think we will be just fine. 

As for limiting minutes, now is not the time. Now is the time you work out the kinks. What you do is teach teach teach. Demand that Johnson and Grant take better shots or pass up a bad shot for the extra pass. I agree certain guys should see more minutes but really look at the distribution, without drastically changing things up we are talking about 2 minutes here or 2 minutes there. Segu can’t start bc then you have no ready backup PG. But Segu can definitely finish. And that’s more important. 

Do agree with the majority of comments on Johnson and Grant. It is up to this coaching staff to dictate to both players on how they should be playing. It is concerning that both players continue to take bad shots and do not play within the team concept. You do wonder what the coaches are saying to these players or not saying that they continue to be selfish and shoot poorly. If they don’t play within the team concept their playing time should go down. Do not want to hear about the pecking order or the fact they are seniors and sat out last year. Hope the coaching staff give some of the other players on this team some minutes. Looking forward to the upcoming home games. Go Bulls!!!!

[Kevin]

On 12/8/2019 at 8:22 PM, skrabukes said:

What a ridiculous statement. 

Backup why? You can't call it a ridiculous statement without proving why it isn't true.

Jordan basically yelled him off the court, he was jogging back on defense, is shooting 28% (yes this is real) on the season, the team offensive efficiency is incredibly low with him on the court. I'll wait for the advanced statistics that prove this wrong

But go on..

Edited December 10, 2019 by Kevin

[Ivantheturrible]

Definitely a huge win for UB, but I feel like if that game was even one minute longer they would have lost.  That ending me worried me far more than it should have and it does take away from the win just a little bit.  Again, great win, but they were very close to completely blowing it.

[UB05]

6 hours ago, Kevin said:

Backup why? You can't call it a ridiculous statement without proving why it isn't true.

Jordan basically yelled him off the court, he was jogging back on defense, is shooting 28% (yes this is real) on the season, the team offensive efficiency is incredibly low with him on the court. I'll wait for the advanced statistics that prove this wrong

But go on..

No, he’s right. It was a ridiculous statement. Grant’s been going through a rough stretch for sure, but to suggest a 6 week stretch defines someone’s ability is just irresponsible. Aren’t you like a reporter? I’d think there’d be a little more professionalism when it comes to discussing these players. 

[John]

2 hours ago, UB05 said:

No, he’s right. It was a ridiculous statement. Grant’s been going through a rough stretch for sure, but to suggest a 6 week stretch defines someone’s ability is just irresponsible. Aren’t you like a reporter? I’d think there’d be a little more professionalism when it comes to discussing these players. 

I think in some cases both Grant and Johnson were over-hyped and some of us fans were thinking they would contribute right away. Here’s hoping that the coaching staff can get these players turned around both mentally and physically and they can play more of a team game. There is nothing wrong in taking less shots and contributing in other ways in a game and playing smart team basketball. Still looking forward to seeing positive progress by a number of players as they play more games together. Go Bulls!!!

[Kevin]

3 hours ago, UB05 said:

No, he’s right. It was a ridiculous statement. Grant’s been going through a rough stretch for sure, but to suggest a 6 week stretch defines someone’s ability is just irresponsible. Aren’t you like a reporter? I’d think there’d be a little more professionalism when it comes to discussing these players. 

What? I report it as it plays out. I didn’t attack the kid personally. I reported what he’s put out on tape since being a D1 athlete. You should go on the power 5 message boards if you think this is even close to bad or follow Mike Rodak. 

it also isn’t a 6 week stretch. It was the same play he put on tape at Houston. He’s a grad senior, not a 6 week freshman. Saying this about someone like Skogman or Gallion could be called out for “hyperbole”. 

i an not paid by or report to UB athletics/PR. A lot of people respect honest opinions. 

[skrabukes]

10 hours ago, Kevin said:

Backup why? You can't call it a ridiculous statement without proving why it isn't true.

Jordan basically yelled him off the court, he was jogging back on defense, is shooting 28% (yes this is real) on the season, the team offensive efficiency is incredibly low with him on the court. I'll wait for the advanced statistics that prove this wrong

But go on..

To call a player a "terrible player" is ridiculous. Don't quote a stat and/or a situation to confirm your belief that he is "terrible". None of the players on this team, or any other team on the schedule, is "terrible". Do players go through good/bad stretches? Definitely. Are some better than others? Absolutely. Are they all good players in some manner? Definitely. If they were "terrible", they wouldn't be playing D-1 basketball, especially getting playing time for a relatively good program. I don't know you, nor never seen you play basketball, but I'd wager that he would make you look "terrible" if you played against him. 

[Kevin]

Just now, skrabukes said:

To call a player a "terrible player" is ridiculous. Don't quote a stat and/or a situation to confirm your belief that he is "terrible". None of the players on this team, or any other team on the schedule, is "terrible". Do players go through good/bad stretches? Definitely. Are some better than others? Absolutely. Are they all good players in some manner? Definitely. If they were "terrible", they wouldn't be playing D-1 basketball, especially getting playing time for a relatively good program. I don't know you, nor never seen you play basketball, but I'd wager that he would make you look "terrible" if you played against him. 

Semantics. 

Are you arguing the use of the word terrible? So I really need to explain to you this is within the confines of a D1 player and not compared to my personal basketball skills? He’s “terrible for a D1 player” or “isn’t good enough to be playing at this level”. Does that work for you? 
 

it isn’t 6 weeks or a stretch. He hasn’t stuck with a team for many reason, but I watched quite a bit of him and posted about it right when we first signed him. 

[skrabukes]

1 minute ago, Kevin said:

Semantics. 

Are you arguing the use of the word terrible? So I really need to explain to you this is within the confines of a D1 player and not compared to my personal basketball skills? He’s “terrible for a D1 player” or “isn’t good enough to be playing at this level”. Does that work for you? 
 

it isn’t 6 weeks or a stretch. He hasn’t stuck with a team for many reason, but I watched quite a bit of him and posted about it right when we first signed him. 

You were the one who said "Grant is terrible at basketball". That's very much different than saying that you don't believe that he's good enough to play D-1 or "isn't good enough to be playing at this level". Your original statement is extremely condescending and outright incorrect. Also, I'd value Nate/Jim/Brian/Jamie's basketball knowledge in recruiting him to UB over yours. Do we all wish he was playing better than he has over the first portion of the season? Sure. I'm sure every player wishes they were playing better, and this goes for every player/team in the country. Also, you knock him greatly saying that he's a grad senior and not a 6 week freshman. It's true, but he's also not played in full regulation basketball games in over 18 months prior to this past 6 weeks of games. If he continues to play as he has over the first quarter of the season throughout, surely we will all feel that it was a disappointing season from him, but to call him (or any player) "terrible" is simply egregious. 

[SGBull]

I don’t think he is a terrible basketball player. Whenever I criticized him it is based on his effort on defense, sharing the ball, and his shot selection.

[fosterclogfear]

Don't get too worked up over K. He's proven in the past to be one who rushes to judgement. I scrolled back through the Bullrun archives from 2015. If you have a few minutes and want to be amused, check out the game thread posts from the UB/ODU and UB/St Joes games and check out his comments. Only the names have changed....I wonder if he ever got a refund of his Business Backs the Bulls Money?

[UB05]

2 hours ago, John said:

I think in some cases both Grant and Johnson were over-hyped and some of us fans were thinking they would contribute right away. Here’s hoping that the coaching staff can get these players turned around both mentally and physically and they can play more of a team game. There is nothing wrong in taking less shots and contributing in other ways in a game and playing smart team basketball. Still looking forward to seeing positive progress by a number of players as they play more games together. Go Bulls!!!

Jeenathan specifically I think is a good recent example of “taking less shots and contributing in other ways ...... playing smart team basketball” as you say. Not only is he not forcing up as many shots, but the ones he is taking are open looks and he’s been hitting them. I have a feeling he’s going to be a monster in MAC play now that he’s learning to refine his game at the DI level 

[trueblue32]

I was a terrible basketball player and I was never once named a JUCO all-american smh

[Bull_In_Exile]

19 minutes ago, fosterclogfear said:

Don't get too worked up over K. He's proven in the past to be one who rushes to judgement. I scrolled back through the Bullrun archives from 2015. If you have a few minutes and want to be amused, check out the game thread posts from the UB/ODU and UB/St Joes games and check out his comments. Only the names have changed....I wonder if he ever got a refund of his Business Backs the Bulls Money?

For example:

https://www.ubbullrun.com/2015/11/18/9755468/gamethread-for-buffalo-bulls-at-saint-josephs-hawks/comment/340761719#340768907

Early 2015 game in Oats' first year:

 

 

Quote

 

Pathetic again

This is how you rebound Oates?

Long year ahead, I guess I haven’t accepted that yet.

 

 

UB went on to a 20 win season and the dace that year

Edited December 10, 2019 by Bull_In_Exile