Big 4 Hoops Blogger

Sorry for spamming. Just wanted to get everything out. Kevin and myself also put together a season preview podcast. Check it out. Fast forward to 3:00 for start of show.

If you're looking for some UB basketball content prior to the game, check out our Bullet Points season preview show with myself and Kevin Massare.

Hello everyone, It's awesome that it's finally basketball season once again. I have some very high hopes for this Bulls squad and was lucky enough to attend practice last week prior to their game against Medaille and talk with Coach Whitesell and some of their players. They have VERY HIGH expectations for themselves this year with Jeenathan Williams telling me their goal is to get to the Sweet 16 but that they're taking it one game at a time. Josh Mballa said the goal is winning the MAC Tournament. I put together a special season preview show. It includes a few television like packages, interviews with Whitesell, Williams, Segu and Mballa as well as predictions from the Bullet Points crew and highlights from their win over Medaille. PLEASE CHECK IT OUT! I'm not joking when I say it's worth your time and that it's probably the most in depth UB Bulls content you'll see in the Buffalo market outside of what the UB athletic department produces. It's a quality video and I'm hoping to get it out to as many Bulls fans as possible. UB Bulls Season Preview Show

Don’t forget about Ty Perry from Fordham. He looks like he can be an decent player. Had one person close to the program say he could take over a Dontay Caruthers type role.

I’m going to be ballsy and pick Buffalo to go 24-7 (15-5). I watched UB practice yesterday and this team looks special. They have the most depth they’ve had since Oats was leading the way. Maceo Jack should be an impact player and I like some of the other newcomers and young talent. They’re well rounded and have some decent shooters in the mix. Love the schedule. A few tough road games and a neutral site tournament. It’s set up for Top 50 NET season.

Buffalo comes in at 6th in preseason Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. A very respectable spot for the Bulls. Toledo (17th) and Ohio (24th) were the only other MAC teams ranked.

At this point, that’s probably the way I’d go as well. I was intrigued by realigning the divisions as referenced earlier but this suggestion makes more sense if WKU and MTSU are fine with the travel, which it appears they will be according to their fanbase.

Appreciate that info. Never knew that but it makes a ton of sense. So it essentially seems like they’re running this event out of obligation and not to reward Buffalo basketball fans. That’s disappointing because I do think this is something that could draw a good crowd if they put it together right but it appears our local schools don’t have any interest or the budgets to do so.

The MAC would almost certainly realign their divisions. Instead of East/West, I think they would switch to North/South. This is how I would do it: North: Buffalo, Akron, Kent State, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois South: Ohio, Miami, Western Kentucky, MTSU, Bowling Green, Toledo, Ball State You could obviously swap Akron/Kent with Toledo/Bowling Green. Thought about having Ball State in North but I think it’s only fair to have BGSU and Toledo in same division if you’re going to switch things up.

Reports continue to trickle out. Seems this will be finalized soon.

Not to be a debbie downer but what a pathetic slate of games. How is that supposed to grow these programs and sell tickets to casual Buffalo sports fans? I understand that St. Bonaventure was probably reluctant but they are a MUST for these type of events. Have them schedule a bigger name opponent or play Niagara/Canisius. They are a Top 25 team this year with a diehard fanbase. You want 10,000 fans, have them and Buffalo play relevant games. Worst case scenario, you can't and Buffalo plays Canisius like they will this year. That way you can actually sell tickets and build interest. Literally no one cares about Canisius or Niagara right now and Daemen is even lower on the radar though I'm happy for their program to be a part of this. Downtown games should be a big event. Not just something you do for the sake of doing it. There won't be more than 3,500 people there.

Things seem to be progressing quickly. I think there's a high chance this gets done.

Please merge if needed. Pete Thamel reports the MAC is indeed looking at Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee State as possible expansion candidates. WKU would instantly upgrade basketball for the conference. They have one of the best resumes of any non-power conference program based on their history. Football wise, they’d be competitive right away. MTSU would bring a solid market and expand the MAC southward. Not a ton of history but a decent decade run under Kermit Davis in men’s hoops.

Buffalo with another matchup against a struggling MAC East team when they faceoff with Bowling Green. Falcons shocked the nation at the beginning of the season with their upset win over Minnesota. That was a GREAT victory but BGSU has fallen off since. Their defense was a force in non-conference play but is currently allowing 37 ppg in MAC contests. Bowling Green offense is pass heavy, throwing for 237 yards per game but they only average 81 rushing yards on 2.9 yards per carry. This is a team that lost to Akron. Buffalo should win comfortably. My prediction: UB 38-24

Right now, it still is because Miami and Kent State are both 2-1. If the RedHawks defeat the Flashes later in the season and Kent loses an additional game, Miami could take the lead in the division. In that scenario, Bulls could win the East by running the table. It’s not likely but we can readdress in a few weeks if UB defeats Akron and Bowling agree.

Another must-win for Buffalo this week to keep their MAC East hopes alive. Bulls taking on an Akron team that struggles on both sides of the ball but especially on defense. Zips are 125th out of 130 teams in scoring defense, allowing 38 points per game. Their stats are a little distorted since they played Auburn and Ohio State but make no mistake, Akron is a bad team. They’ve been okay in MAC play, defeating Bowling Green but they also lost by 17 to Ohio. I have Buffalo winning 31-21.

Interesting read from Brett McMurphy: https://www.actionnetwork.com/ncaaf/college-football-conference-realignment-scenarios-sun-belt-conference-usa?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=BrettMcMurphy

I think the Sun Belt could end up being the big winner from this next wave of conference expansion. The American went from being as close to P5 without the title to becoming the new Conference USA. CUSA is the biggest loser and the Mountain West and MAC are pretty much status quo. This is how I would rank the G5 conferences post expansion based on how it looks like it’ll play out: 1. Mountain West 2. Sun Belt 3. American Athletic Conference 4. MAC 5. Conference USA (If it still exists)

I think the most likely scenario is Marshall and Southern Miss jumping to the Sun Belt. Conference USA is on life support. They’re trying to court Liberty and James Madison. Sun Belt also wants JMU. If CUSA misses out on Liberty and JMU, they’d need to look at FCS programs to stay alive or merge with another conference. That potentially leaves Middle Tennessee State, Western Kentucky, Old Dominion, UTEP, FIU and Louisiana Tech looking for a conference. WKU and MTSU make the most sense for the MAC geographically and have decent basketball programs. I had tweeted about wanting the MAC to pursue Temple and Marshall. I still believe they should check in with both schools but don’t think either is a strong possibility at this moment from what I’m gathering online.

I think that’s highly probable. Ohio has one of the worst defenses in the country allowing over 240 yards per game on the ground. McDuffie, Cook and Marks should all go off on Saturday.

A look at the Ohio Bobcats:

Kevin Massare and I preview the upcoming Ohio game here:

I’m confident Buffalo will win but I think it’ll be closer than expected. This game is always hell for me. I grew up a UB fan but attended Ohio University. The Bobcats looked awful during non-conference play but have started to put a few things together the past few weeks. If I had to guess, this will be a 27-24 type game.