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Turner Battle will be honored by UB, see his number raised into the arena rafters Five players have had their numbers honored by the University at Buffalo men's basketball team. Soon there be a sixth. UB on Saturday afternoon announced that Turner Battle will have his No. 11 honored during a Feb. 17 game at Alumni Arena. The number will be raised to the rafters during halftime of the Bulls' game against Akron. Other players who have been recognized include Harold Kuhn (No. 19), Jim Horne (No. 13), Curtis Blackmore (No. 52), Sam Pellom (No. 50), and Rasaun Young (also No. 11). Battle played point guard for the Bulls from 2001 to 2005, after Buffalo joined the Mid-American Conference in 1998. With Turner's help, the Bulls' influence in the MAC continued to grow. Buffalo won 23 games in his final season — a school record at that time — and for the first time qualified for a postseason Division I tournament, competing in the NIT. Turner also became the first Bull to be named MAC Player of the Year. A three-time All-MAC pick, Battle recorded 1,414 points, 502 rebounds, 458 assists, and 170 steals during his career. He remains the only player in program history to lead the team in assists in four consecutive seasons. Turner went on to play in the NBA Development League, then returned to Buffalo as an assistant coach from 2007 to 2013. He was also an assistant at Chattanooga (2013-14), Alabama-Birmingham (2014-20), East Tennessee State (2020-21), and Middle Tennessee State (2021-22). He's now back in Western New York. Turner in 2022 became the athletics director at The Park School of Buffalo. Turner was inducted into the UB Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.

This was an even game between two bad teams until Western created a run with around 10 to go, and the Bulls chased it after that. I'll agree with some other posters that they didn't do well in transition, and gave up some open three's that way. For UB, they played better defense at times, just not consistently. They shot better from outside. They shot way better the past two games from the free throw line. Adams and Chatman had a couple great times where they just backed their way to the net and laid it in, like the defender couldn't do anything about it. Those things have made them competitive. They're working hard, they just get beat by (a) some mismatches in size and (b) as we said, in transition and with basketball awareness of what's happening/going to happen around them. Right now they really miss a guy who can beat people off the dribble and cruise to the net. I also notice that when one guy drives to the net, the rest of them just stand around and watch. If they get in trouble, there's no one also moving that they can hit coming in from the other side. There needs to be more movement on those drives. Chatman - like I said last game, for a guy who scores that many points (which they need), I have half a dozen times where I'm mad at him for a poor shot or turnover or missed free throw at the worst times for them. I feel like he helps them and kills them. Smith - I'm always yelling for him to get big, get tough, and he did today, had some great offensive rebounds. Sabol - if he keeps improving like this he'll end up transferring like everyone else in today's NCAA. Boldin - he's big and athletic and improving too Fulcher - is so far off. The last guy who should be fumbling around simply dribbling the ball is a point guard. Adams - looks like as polished a player as he's going to ever be, hit some shots nicely. Kanye - is he hurt? Because if you can't get minutes in this lineup, I don't know what you can do anywhere. Zakir - is he hurt? Because if you can't get minutes in this lineup, I don't know what you can do anywhere. Western - didn't do anything especially well, other than go on that run mid-second half and then hit some shots at the end to keep their lead. As soon as they showed Turner Battle on the screen I was out of my seat to stand and applaud. That guy should get that every time he's there. It astounds me there wasn't a "Turner, Battle! clap, clap, clap-clap-clap" cheer right then and there. He is so much of the genesis of what UB basketball built into. I can't wait to see him get the honor he's more than deserved there for a long time. One of my favorite Turner memories: at Niagara's high school gym, game on the line, last possession, he does one of his patented drive, stop and pop, hit the jumper. Game over. Place went silent except for the Bulls fans. The team looks more competitive than it did a little while ago - is that progress? Or is the nether regions of the MAC this season truly THAT dreadful?

Per pre game show on Tuesday, they said Kanye was taking time to deal with personal issues and the team was supportive. Was he on the sidelines yesterday? Yesterday was disappointing, as they did well in keeping turnovers down ( a season long problem). However, they faltered defensively, which they had been respectable lately. WMU shot 42% from three, well above WMU season average of 32% (most games in the 20s%), which would mean two or three fewer made threes, which was the difference between w and l.

The guys at the end seemed very gassed. Also, unfortunately, so many easy shots/layups with no help defense, defense isn’t set up, etc. We’re awful in transition defense. Our offense doesn’t feel like there is much planned. Just letting the talent do its thing. It shows.

To lose at home to a mediocre WMU team despite only 9 turnovers, better 3-pt shooting (32%) than most games this year, and solid FT shooting (80%) tells me UB needs everything to go right just to have a chance to win games this year, even against teams we should beat like WMU. Without Adams playing up to last year’s standard, and with absolutely nothing offensively from Graham so far, it’s gonna be tough to win. I agree with others, Sabol needs to get more shots as he’s the only guy who consistently makes the 3. Chatman has been as good as advertised. But the bottom line is, this team just doesn’t seem to have enough talent or size to keep up with even middle to bottom of the pack MAC teams. It shouldn’t be shocking to anyone on here if the Bulls go 3-15 in conference, as much as we hate to consider that sharp a decline from last year’s 9-9.

Let’s not act like these coaches leaving Buffalo Bulls football is some great loss. If they were any good players wouldn’t be leaving in this high of numbers. Maurice Linquist has zero choice either get rid of bad coaches that aren’t the answer and move on or next you will be fired. If everyone on the UB Bulls coaching staff left and the entire team transferred. Good it’s not like they were winning last season. Some of these coaches and players leaving are FCS, Division 2 and Division 3 waiting to happen. As a UB Bulls fan I don’t want coaches and players that don’t want to be here in Buffalo. My goodness I was a UB Bulls season ticket holder since UB Stadium first opened. Honestly I never thought the UB Bulls would have locker rooms better than the NFL Buffalo Bills currently until the new Bills stadium opens in 2026. I never thought the UB field house would get built. The facilities outside of UB Stadium itself is beyond what I could imagine UB Bulls football would be in the 1990’s. If a UB Bulls coach or players wants out there is the door. I was a pioneer UB Bulls fan from the beginning of the return of Division I-AA than major college I-A football so I have seen a lot. The future UB Bulls players and coaches have top notch facilities today. Turner Gill didn’t have that and he won our only MAC championship in football. In the early days our UB Bulls teams didn’t get on national television much very rarely. Now UB is on national television a lot. Winning a bowl game was a fantasy getting to a bowl game was a fantasy in 1999. So I don’t care let them leave and find someone else that wants to be a Buffalo Bull. I feel blessed I was there in the beginning when this UB Bulls football program didn’t win or have much to seeing UB Bulls win bowl games especially the Camellia Bowl beating the Marshall Thundering Herd was great for me as a long time UB Bulls fan that saw the great Marshall Thundering Herd teams beat UB Bulls a lot. Some of there Marshall fans were obnoxious in the beginning when UB Bulls struggled in our early days in the MAC. Too beat Marshall was great for me how do you like UB Bulls football now from some of there Thundering Herd fans that wanted UB Bulls kicked out of the conference on message boards because UB Bulls struggled in the beginning in my opinion. UB Horns Up! Go Bulls! Let’s Go Buffalo