UB92

Reese was buried on the depth chart and Graves was clearly ahead of him. You could see it when they played. Reese made the right call for himself. Williams is about 1/3 of the way through his Freshman year and is not getting meaningful minutes because he is on the 17th ranked team in the country. Give him time, please. I think he is among the most highly touted recruit that UB has ever had. I expect UB to blow out a lot of teams this year and Williams should get minutes. Let's see where he is in late February.

I voted "yes". They are relatively close, in a good conference and easy to hate. What's not to like about this rivalry? Much, much better than anything we have in football, that is for sure. I don't believe any UB football opponent has chanted "we want UB"... Go Bears!

Q. Jackson has such a quick release. It stands out when watching his film. And, of course, he has great athleticism. He would, seemingly, fit right into Oats' style. Being nationally ranked helps..😀

Man...we have a lot of discussions on a variety of threads (and over the years) about student attendance, local attendance, attendance in general, etc., etc. Having discussions about attendance every now and then...probably useful. But I think it is a bit of overkill.

It's like, collectively, we are now at the 5 star (okay...4 1/2 star) hotel and are seeing and experiencing amenities that we either didn't know existed or have never seen up close before. This is all new. I really, really don't want to say something like "enjoy it while it lasts". I want this NOT to be a one-off. This is just our first taste. The program has come a long way in 5 1/2 years. Go Bulls!

Me: "Well...UB played Syracuse very tough last year...it was close late and they lost by 7 points. This year, UB is ranked nationally ahead of Syracuse. You should check them out. Game starts at 8:00 on ESPN2." Person: "Wow...I didn't know...maybe I will check out the game". Me: "Great...you should come with me to the next UB home game...I'll contact you." Person: "Okay...thanks".

I would strongly assume that Lemoyne at home is a way to keep the guys game ready prior to visiting Olean. Then it is a week off (finals?) before the challenging back half of December. SIU in a home and home is an acknowledgement by both schools that they can't get any good teams to come to their gym. But that is a known and won't change until those programs are negatively impacted by the NET rankings. I know this is a little off topic, but until a school (P5 or not) gets an at large bid who is not even in Lunardi's next four out (but has a high NET for playing true road tests) at the expense of a 16 - 13 "blue blood", nothing will change. I want to hear those snobs like Bilas and his ilk (once this happens) screech on TV only for the selection committee to explain (ad infinitum) about true road games. But...in the meantime...we have an SIU/UB home and home.

I think the fact that UB goes so deep on their bench for meaningful minutes...and plays with so much pace...can be the deciding factor. A good test, no doubt.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/25391926/how-belfast-landed-biggest-college-hoops-tourney-other-side-atlantic

You have the results viewable even if not logged in. In subsequent rounds, you may want to hide that until the end of the poll. Just a suggestion.

This is an interesting site. https://www.teamrankings.com/ncaa-tournament/bracket-predictions/ It has UB as a 5 based on what they predict for UB's record.

One game at a time, please! They will be decided favorites vs. Milwaukee. However...the Dons have waltzed through their schedule so far as well. Remember -- they beat SMC last year and were picked 4th in the WCC pre-season poll. SMC lost to Harvard over the weekend...and the Dons beat Harvard earlier this season. They are certainly looking at UB as a chance to enhance their resume. I assume, of course, they beat SFA and we beat Milwaukee. Let's get through Milwaukee first..give guys enough rest and then get ready for San Francisco (or Stephen F. Austin...but that is unlikely). Go Bulls.

They have been bottom feeders in the MAAC. They were picked, however, to finish 6th this year by the media. They are led by senior guard Brian Parker, so expect to hear that name a bunch tomorrow. In their last game at Stephen F Austin, they were winning 57 to 43 with under 4 to go. Pretty safe, right? Not so much. They were outscored 21 to 3 to close out the game and left with an L. Brutal.

Akron was playing for bowl eligibility last week and laid a giant turd in the middle of their expensive, minimally used, and poorly attended stadium. They would have to beat Ohio AND go to Columbia to beat USC. Ohio is rolling and I can't see the Zips doing anything other than giving up a lot of points.

It is hard to run a poll on active players that is ongoing. A good week (or bad week) from an active player will impact how they do in the pool in a disproportionate way (because ... humans). You may want to say something like this each week ("As of games completed yesterday (and put in a date), select....". In this way, if you leave the poll open a week, people shouldn't consider what goes on that week. I know it isn't perfect, but it may help. But this is your poll, so you can do what you want. Thanks for taking the effort on this. It is probably a lot of work, but is good to walk down memory lane to acknowledge those who created the foundation. Go Bulls.

And 25 with the Coaches now. Once you get in the poll and keep winning, it is easier to move up. They have two games where they will be favored this week at home. Have to take care of business. Go Bulls.

I strongly suspect that we see a lot of running...even on third down by the Bulls. BGSU doesn't have a great run defense, so I am sure the emphasis will be on running, running and more running. Then, when reasonable, take a shot downfield. BGSU is not nearly as talented as Ohio. UB needs to keep the game in front of them and control the scoreboard and clock. Ohio drove the field again and again on UB -- that can't happen against BGSU. They have to get off the field (and I think they will). Go Bulls.

Having watched about 30 years of UB basketball, it is useful to think back through the years and see the talent level improve during that time. Each improvement (with appropriate milestones) create the foundation for the next milestone. What's next for UB is to continue to win OOC and continue to be ranked. Earn an at-large bid (gravy is winning the MAC tournament). Idbihi was a guy who, you could see, was very talented and a player UB wasn't getting a few years prior. You think through the years and you can call out those guys. Certainly Battle is a prime example, but there are others before and after Battle. Right now, the big improvement for UB is the depth on the roster. Guys 7, 8 and 9 (and 10) are not eating minutes to give guys a rest and aren't just hustle/effort players. They are talented in their own right and create an advantage for our team as the game progresses. In the past, that was not the case for UB. I can remember a game (I am sure many fans can remember there own game) that UB played OOC about 10 years or so ago. It was against Purdue and we had a pretty good team. I can't recall all of the guys, but we had Pierce, Betts and Smiley...maybe even a young sWatt. It was a good team, but the depth wasn't good. Also, the game was on TV and I was excited to watch it. We were blown off the court and were down a lot at halftime. We weren't even playing the same game as Purdue. Now, I think Purdue was highly ranked, but I never really had a thought that we had athletes that could compete with them (starters or reserves). I do now. Our starters are more talented now. Our reserves are more talented now. Yet we had to go through that to get here. And, of course, the guys now are building the foundation for the future. Go Bulls.

Live chats happen for every football and MBB game at BullRun. Heck...there was a thread for the first WBB game. Normally there are hundreds of comments. There was 100+ for today's game.

I am starting to see some Quick Lane Bowl action for the MAC as B1G may need a replacement to match with an ACC team. Maybe Wake or GaTech. It is in Detroit... One of the things working in the Bulls favor is they have a few marketable players (Tyree, AJ, Hodge) that can be used to generate interest (at the venue and TV-wise). This would be especially true if UB is 12 - 1 (after winning the MACC). Putting a 12 - 1 team on a marquee is attractive. Also...I see Jerry Palm has Syracuse at the Pinstripe Bowl. But Syracuse is already playing Notre Dame this year at Yankee Stadium. I doubt they will make a return engagement one month later. Palm still has UB in Boise playing Utah State. Good match up, but blah venue.

There were games last year where Harris shot air balls from 3. I watched some of them in person. However...he does so many other things on the court to help out. And...if he shoots an air ball on a 3, that doesn't seem to impact him. He'll take it again from the same spot two minutes later. I believe this is the mindset that Oats has instilled in his players. Of course, I always hope that Perkins decides to post up inside rather than chucking up a three, but that's me.

I am not really sure how the compensation of the employees at my place of work is relevant here. I think you missed the point. There is a value to security, to having his family like the living situation, to winning games, to having a good chance to make the tournament by winning the conference, to the investment (in a variety of ways) for basketball, etc. It is hard to quantify each and collectively -- certainly everyone has a different value to the list I made (and more). However...when they back up the truck and dump money at you from a conference where more than one team makes the tournament, it tends to overshadow all of the items on the list. Sure...there are rare exceptions (e.g. Mark Few), but we really should not expect the rare exception in this case, regardless of what one may want to interpret. I do believe, looking at all of the evidence available, that they can keep Oats for a few more years (or longer) if there is a real plan in place to move to a different conference (where $ is more, teams get at-large bids, etc). You and I may not know or be privy to the plan, but if it is in place, then I think UB can fend off places doubling Oats' salary (for example). But if a P5 school comes and, like I mention, backs up the truck to give him 3x (or more) of his current salary, that is very likely to trump any plans that may be in place. How do you say no to the bird in hand?

600,000 is also more than 6x less than the coach he beat yeasterday.

The Butler and Gonzaga comparison is a bit of apples and oranges, in context. Both schools do not have expensive FBS programs to run that take funds and some of the spotlight away from basketball. My take is as follows, trying to read between the lines. 1. The $, while important, isn't super important. I think if he keeps getting raises and is the highest paid coach in conference, they can keep him for a while. In other words, even if a place wants to triple his salary to lure him away, it would not be a done deal. 2. Gonzaga is in, basically, a 1 bid league. But they dominate because they have more talent on their roster year in and year out. Few can say to a recruit "you are, basically, guaranteed to go to the tourney each year". That works. Can UB become that for the MAC? Maybe, and that is an attraction for a coach...you win a lot and go to the tourney annually. 3. Butler moved to a more-than-one league and it has helped. That may be what Oats has in mind. AAC would bring higher profile, more revenue to athletics, his pay would jump, easier to recruit, etc. I think that this may be the commitment that Oats alludes to, without saying it directly. In other words, keep winning and then we move to the AAC (or better). Personally, I have zero interest in MAC realignment. This is an Ohio-centric league and UB is an outsider. Eventually we will go.

Over the years here at UBFAN, I have written many different versions of this same post...with names or conferences changed. The first step is to win, consistently. The second step is to be at the right place at the right time. Being successful at Step 1 increases the likelihood of Step 2. But you can't get to Step 2 without Step 1. Having followed UB sports (especially football and basketball) for almost 30 years, the two biggest things to happen to put UB on the path towards Step 1 was hiring Gill and Hurley. The hug after the BSU MACC between Gill and Manuel...there should be a picture of that (large size) somewhere in Alumni. It signified a step change. Finally making the NCAA basketball tournament was another step change. Now we have to win and win consistently. Beating WVa in a true road game helps establish that consistency in many different ways. Though I am not in Buffalo, I will wear my UB gear today proudly. Go Bulls!