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+1 This game thread is comical. It was a fun game to be at. Typical bad refs but is what it is. Sparks is going to be a problem in the future but again, fun game and our team executed enough to get the win. Williams is quietly an all-time great and taking the charge down the stretch was HUGE.

Most ridiculous game thread of the season. Every negative play noted, almost zero positives. Oh well. Can we give Jeenathan Williams his due respect before he's gone? Kid is an absolute stud. He's as hard of a worker as there is, does everything right off the court. Whitesell (and section 114) did his best to get the crowd into it. It was an uphill battle but by the last five minutes the crowd was engaged. The refs played a big role in firing the crowd up, some awful stuff down the stretch. Jim (obviously) understands how big the next month is to the program and his tenure. Now if he could only draw up an inbounds play.

We did win right? Against the team that beat the #1 Toledo team last week? Wouldn't know after reading these posts. Hard fought win, needed that after 2 routs of teams that weren't playing any D. Hopefully 2 more wins next week on the road before the doubleheader next Saturday. Personally, it was an entertaining game and a win. Good time had by all, in the limited and relatively sedated crowd.

That was a good old fashioned MAC conference game in February. The erratic officiating, the opponent that got on your nerves after a while, the gradually increased intensity. Around halfway through a sloppy second half performance, I looked at the stats and saw UB was shooting 35%. Down 8 points, I was all ready for my usual "you can't win basketball games shooting 30-something percent"...and then they woke up. I wonder if that sequence where Williams got run over in the lane, then it went out of bounds on the other end and Rondo got in their face, turned on a switch. After that they were a little sharper on offense, and little tougher on D, enough to take the game over and ride it out. Sometimes conference games get a little messy, but they stepped up down the stretch and took it. Rondo - he's developed that mid-range jumper into a key part of his game. I feel like teams know he's going to get a step and drive to the basket, and try to force him to the end-line. I was surprised he turned it over twice at the end - he's the guy out of everyone that I would want to have the ball there. Williams - my brother pointed out, his game doesn't always stick out but at the end you see he has all these points. Hit a big 3 from the corner to get them back into this. Skogman - he was doing a great job of timing his jumps for rebounds. Didn't take as many shots today. His spin move along the baseline is getting stopped more but it's opening up other things. He shoots free throws like a tall guy leaning across the table at beer-pong. Mballa - did some good things on the defensive end, but just still can't get his touch around the net back. Curtis - took a charge in the lane at a time when I wondered if anyone was willing to. Jack - frustrates the heck out of me all game (as do any experienced shooting guards who can't shoot open shots) but then makes a 3 AND gets a huge put-back at the end. Fagan - gave us some more good, fighting minutes. Ball State - Sparks is going to be a handful going forward. But I thought the Bulls learned their lessons and played him better in the second half today. Bumbalough - "Bumbalough looks like a 'bro' who's going to do stupid things on spring break." "Bumbalough looks like a guy who in 5 years is going to be way too intense in a weeknight game at the Y." "Bumbalough is going to win a Halloween contest for going out as the dude from Sugar Ray...but he wasn't dressing as anyone." Cochran - it amazed me how someone could play that hard and not have many fouls (until the end). Crowd - I couldn't make the game on Tuesday, so it was so nice to have the band and students back, some college basketball atmosphere. The program needs to make a priority of engaging the commuter students during December and January to get some life in there. They cannot afford to go a third of the season without it in the building.

This won't last... but could you imagine types of comments our posters would put on bobcatattack.com?

Players have to embrace their roles on this team. It really starts with Mballa.

Also, as per most games this year, crowd def filled in much more after tip off. Nothing like it used to be, but much better than the “5 minutes to tip” photos show.

Another big game for Jeenathan as his 3-pt % continues to climb. Double digit pts in every game this season, among the other top 4 scorers in the MAC only Sears from Ohio has also done that. His current season scoring average of 18.9 would be the highest of any UB player during the MAC era.

Given where this team is currently, this was a good win. We can no longer expect this team to be the team we’d hope it would be. We are who we are. So given that…it was a good victory. Not the cleanest of games by any means. Too many turnovers and sketchy execution at the end but we battled back from an 8 point second half deficit. That could boost confidence going forward. Needed the win, got the win. A lot to clean up on hopefully this win streak doesn’t go to their heads as we have seen in the past.

Was reading this earlier, but with it looking like Buffalo will only play 19 conference games this year, there actually are no tiebreakers against Akron or Kent, or Toledo or Ohio for that matter. Those schools are all going to play 20 games, so Buffalo's winning percentage will be different regardless. They might get screwed by a half a game or they might screw say a Kent or Akron by a half a game. This is what the MAC has decided by rescheduling every game except for two (CMU at UB, Ball State at CMU) As a side note: I feel bad that our fans get screwed out of a game because the MAC had no problem re-arranging three roads games for Buffalo (Akron, EMU, NIU), but they couldn't help reschedule one home game.

The lights must have been turned off again, all us positive 'roaches' have returned.

Defense stepped up at the end

You guys are funny! I was busy today and checked this game thread…and read through the whole thing. It has all the greatest hits! Optimism after beating the bottom of the MAC barrel. Mballa is back. A table! Someone saying “we can be dangerous in Cleveland”. (once the game starts…against a team we are favored over by 11 points) Mballa can’t hit a layup. Coaching sucks. No energy Optimistic posters have scattered like roaches when the lights are on. ——- I don’t know how this game will turn out (UB is up as I type this), but it is always funny to read these threads!!

Cochran is a foul machine that never gets called.

I don't think that you can draw that conclusion from one half. Remember Ball St beat Toledo by 10 a bit more than one week ago. Need to play better on defense.

If they keep the intensity up they should win this one by double digits. I don't think ball st can keep up their shooting percentages

The Ticket Situation thread from three years ago suggests there will be 25% more people than attended last Tuesday.

Happy Birthday Jeenathan! Looking for a big game from him and the boys today. Expecting the largest crowd of the season today.

I like the Mballa/Skogman sharing the ball down low.

Oklahoma offered now. Might be tough to get this one.. Staff did a good job of getting in early though so who knows.

Let's go Brennan (Close enough)