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So, that was a tough week for UB... It wasn't unexpected but never good to get blown out in back-to-back conference games in mid-February. The Bulls are struggling and they don't exactly have freebies remaining on their schedule. Buffalo already lost to three of their four remaining opponents. Siting at 12-15 overall, it looks like they could have their first losing season since Reggie Witherspoon's final year with the program in 2012-13 when they went 14-20. John and I addressed the current state of the Big 4 and if UB is capable of making a run in Cleveland. Fast-forward to the 17:30 mark for UB talk.

He's just the shiny toy everyone points to thinking that he is Nate Oats 2.0. As I have said, no other D1 teams have been ringing his phone either, which tells me something.

In Oats first month as UB head coach, UB lost by 19 to Old Dominion, lost by 22 to St. Joe's, and squeaked a win over Canisius by 2 in overtime. I'm pretty glad we didn't fire him.

We have 1 RETURNING PLAYER from a MAC Championship team. FLJ absolutely gutted out program, so in reality, the last 10 years never really happened. The cupboards were basically empty. Coach Burke has won at every level she has been at, including starting a program from scratch. She has a LOT of rope with me. It's not like she decimated a MAC Championship ready team, FLJ did that. Her recruiting class for 2023-24 is complete with 7 players coming in. I wish they looked better, but I'm hopefully she gets them into shape for the MAC and we can go .500 or better. Firing after 2 games based upon where she is starting is laughable. Put the torches and pitchforks back in the closet for a bit.

No question UB MBB has regressed since Whitesell took over. In my opinion, this was inevitable when Oats left for Alabama. Could we have paid more and ended up with a better coach, possibly, but not a given. At this point, what are the prospects of winning MAC with Whitesell, my instinct says 1 in 10, compared to a ideal (and realistic) goal of 1 in 3 or 1 in 4. Whitesell's contract runs though end of 24-25 season, buyout after this year is 500k dropping 100k each year. You can't ignore fincial considerations. This year is a rebuilding year. At this point in time, you have prospect that team develops and is competing for MAC next year. At the end of this season, you have to assess progress or lack thereof, to determine if worth 500k to start over. I expect the prospects for 23-24 will be good enough that he remains through 23-24, but if we have more JMUs this season, then maybe time to cut the ties. Hoping the team plays well enough that Whitesell gets to stay another year.

If the James Madison game becomes a theme of the season I think everyone will be on the same page However while that game sucked, the team fought and put forth effort throughout the entire game. That tells me they trust and believe in the coaching staff It was a team that's played 1 game together vs a team returning 4 starters couple that with a putrid shooting night and you get a massive blow out

Bet enough so that you jinx enough to result in a UB win? 😉

You have to remember, in some cases it was suggested to players that they enter the portal. (not referring to Hudgens here) Coach Mo referred to that as addition by subtraction. Now, if only we could have a transfer portal for posters on UBFan.

She has a better record after two games than Coach Jack had. Did you call for Coach Jack to be fired after two games? How would that have turned out? Curious are you ready to trade third place Josh Allen after losing two straight, including to the Jets?

CBS Sports Network.

Because of the way he handled himself at that time.

I know - a different type of fire - but thought this might be funny. P.S. Not advocating we fire her - just pushing back on quick judgment of some.

I could jinx it by taking UCONN and the points.

Unless things have changed this year, he’s never so much as run a practice. Also, he didn’t do any coaching in TBT. He was “GM”. Not sure why the obsession.

You can never go wrong with a tough schedule. If this team losses all the tough games good it make them stronger. The worse thing you can do is play cupcake schedule. You don’t get to be big time anything playing cupcakes. Again if UB loses for 10 years playing up it is worth it because eventually you recruit for that level schedule. The Bonnies always has the advantage on the other three Big 4 schedules because they recruit for the tougher A-10. But BSF your Griffs beat the Bonnies. I know but that is the exception not the rule. Plus the Griffs are use to playing the Bonnies for 170th meeting. That game is very different because of the history there. Both schools and Niagara that is very different UB. UB if they didn’t play the Little Three basketball tomorrow few in those basketball fan bases would notice or care. UB Bulls are just there hanging out. If it was my call UB would play most of there non conference on the road since few seem to go to UB non conference games to be worth playing at home. The James Madison attendance was atrocious how low 1,949 is terrible for a Saturday afternoon UB students just don’t care in enough numbers to play a lot of non conference games at home in my opinion. UB Horns Up! Go Bulls! Let’s Go Buffalo

A few years back we picked up a kid that I thought was one of the best ball handlers I had ever seen in the Blue and White however he couldn't finish at the rim. He played his ass off, super tough defense, and then he'd dribble through 3 guys and miss the damn layup. He just couldn't buy baskets. That player was Davonte Jordan. This current UB squad looks like its made up of a roster of Davonte Jordans. They play hard, force turnovers, and all seem to know how to slash to the rim. They just don't know how to finish. If we don't have any deadly outside shooters then we better figure out how to make shots in the paint. Davonte showed that it can be done since he got better every year at finishing shots. Hopefully Whitesell finds a way to develop this squad as well.

Overall a very fair assessment of UB. I was thinking 10-11 wins in MAC and in 5-6 seed range, but the JMU game certainly has me wavering. Hope they show more tomorrow night. It was interesting to see the difference of opinion regarding the schedule. Originally I was in the camp of loving the tough schedule, but I agree there is a danger that it beats the team down. Losing Chatman doesn't help matters either. Hoping these guys show more of Colgate level than JMU level from this point forward.

Thanks for sharing.

We have had ADs go to Auburn, UConn (then Michigan), UCF (now Tennessee) coaches at ASU, Alabama, Syracuse, Kansas, Nebraska. That’s in 10-15 years +/-? We have had players transfer to the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, SEC. If any department bats 1.000 God bless them. This may not be the #1 group we have ever had, but keep in mind what people from the outside see. The guys that tried to push UB to the top sports franchise in the the state got slammed because it didn’t have enough Buffalo in the mix. Don’t you think that makes things a little harder when you are trying to get a plan together to move things forward. You can’t have it both ways.

The picture quality is not awesome, but glad it's being broadcast by the local HS Drama club. 🤣

I am with you on that, especially quitting mid-season. I don't know how your teammates couldn't view you as anything other that a quitter.

🙄 Great first post.

Because UB was out of there mind not to give Nate Oats contract that we were offering Nate Oats to stay to Bryan Hodgson as the next UB Bulls head coach. We reset the salary with a mediocre at head coach who is too old to coach modern basketball. Jim Whitesell changed our up and down offense and made UB half court boring like he is as a head coach. Teams take on the personality of the head coach. We are going no where unless winning 10 games and losing 20 games is going somewhere? That James Madison game put me to sleep zzzzzzzzzzz. Watch Bonnies Griffs basketball game that night then watch UB James Madison in the afternoon UB with the huge arena empty seemed like Division 2 or 3 basketball the feel it was hard to watch. If I wasn’t a hardcore Buffalo sports fan no way would I have stuck with that UB game and I certainly wouldn’t buy a ticket to watch that zzzzzzzzz fire Jim Whitesell in my opinion. UB Horns Up! Go Bulls! Let’s Go Buffalo

UB Bulls needs to fire Jim Whitesell and hire Bryan Hodgson for head coach from Alabama’s basketball staff and correct that hiring mistake in my opinion. UB Horns Up! Go Bulls! Let’s Go Buffalo