Big 4 Hoops Blogger

I think it's pretty safe to say he'll get his waiver approved. Hardnett's former coach at Cincinnati bolted for UCLA. We're dealing with technicalities right now. It probably hasn't been formally approved but I'm guessing it'll only be a matter of time. However, I don't have any inside information regarding this. I do trust Kevin with his sources though.

He just updated his instagram profile picture with him wearing a UB jersey so that definitely seems like a strong possibility.

I’d probably recheck your information on Ohio commit Ben Roderick. 247 has him as their 167th best prospect in the country (composite rankings) and the 5th best player in Ohio. He was getting looked at by Xavier, Butler and Ohio State but didn’t receive any offers from them. He’s listed as a 3 star recruit who’s coming off a season in which he averaged 27.5 points per game in Columbus on his way to being named the Gatorade Ohio Player of the Year. 247 Recruiting Rankings Then they have him listed at 222nd in the nation on his recruiting page. https://247sports.com/Player/Ben-Roderick-46038554/ That’s two top 250 players committing to the Bobcats in a pair of days. There’s quality players available. Buffalo needs to go find them.

I doubt it'll be a 3-4 year rebuild for for the Bobcats. Boals is already bringing talented recruits into Athens for campus visits. They'll most likely have a down year once again next year but shouldn't be in the cellar for too long. There's a ton of talent in Ohio and Boals is hitting the Columbus area hard. They should return to normal within 2-3 years.

This is how I choose to look at it. Buffalo's search was far from pretty and most likely didn't go according to their original plan but ended up yielding the best possible result for their program in the short term. I was in favor of the continuity route. That's why I originally vouched for Bryan Hodgson. I thought he could preserve their recruiting class and keep their roster intact. It looks like Whitesell has done a great job with their current players, we'll see if he can get any of their signees to reaffirm their commitments to Buffalo. I think everything will work out for the Bulls program. That said, let's not believe everything they preached during Monday's press conference. Alnutt was definitely looking for a bigger fish in the sea. He didn't suddenly have an epiphany and decide to go with Whitesell. There's more to this than what's been discussed but it would be stupid for UB to reveal any of that information.

I'm with you on that. The hope is that Whitesell can convince them to stay because they want to be part of the program, which certainly seems possible.

This is spot on analysis. Texas Tech forward Tariq Owens was originally an Ohio University signee under Jim Christian. Owens wanted out when Christian bolted for Boston College. The Bobcats didn't immediately release him and were given some grief as a result, ultimately letting him go shortly later.

That's completely fine. You're entitled to your opinion. I will add that I've never spoken to Bryan Hodgson once in my life. I did believe hiring him was the right choice but I also thought they had a great list of finalists if the names reported were accurate. I think Dane Fife, Luke Murray and Rob Lanier all could've turned out well. In fact, I think Jim Whitesell will do just fine. My column is focused more on how the search was botched, not who they actually hired.

First off, I want to let you all know that I believe Jim Whitesell is a great basketball mind and has a tremendous opportunity in front of him. He has previous D1 coaching experience and will be prepared for the challenges he's about to encounter at Buffalo. My article is focused on Buffalo's "botched" search. From what I know, things did not go according to plan. We can all debate about what that means for the future of their program but we need to acknowledge, this was far from a smooth process that went as poorly as possibly. That reflects on Alnutt, not Whitesell. He might not be the man I expected for the job but he should be given every opportunity by the fanbase to prove himself. It all starts now with trying to fill their five open scholarships. LINK: Buffalo conducts uninspiring search, hiring Jim Whitesell

First off, I want to let you all know that I believe Jim Whitesell is a great basketball mind and has a tremendous opportunity in front of him. He has previous D1 coaching experience and will be prepared for the challenges he's about to encounter at Buffalo. My article is focused on Buffalo's "botched" search. From what I know, things did not go according to plan. We can all debate about what that means for the future of their program but we need to acknowledge, this was far from a smooth process that went as poorly as possibly. That reflects on Alnutt, not Whitesell. He might not be the man I expected for the job but he should be given every opportunity by the fanbase to prove himself. It all starts now with trying to fill their five open scholarships. LINK: Buffalo conducts uninspiring search, hiring Jim Whitesell

There's a massive difference and I've covered both teams. The Mastodons have some of the worst resources in the country. Despite that, their current coach Jon Coffman has gone 95-66 during his five years there, getting a former 4 star transfer from Purdue (Bryson Scott) and has developed John Konchar into one of the top mid-major players in the country and has taken them to the NIT once and CIT three times. Buffalo is much better in every aspect of building a program. Dane Fife is very highly regarded in Indiana with many believing he'll one day be a head coach at a P5 program. He did very well establishing Fort Wayne as a D1 program. Tony Jasick turned them into a winner and John Coffman has turned them a consistent winner. Fife would be a very good hire for the Bulls. That said, the best thing on his resume is serving as an assistant coach at Michigan State.

Hey guys, I didn't think I would be back so soon but the big Nate Oats news broke and I had to write down my thoughts. My column includes my reaction to Oats heading to Alabama and why I believe Bryan Hodgson needs to be named Buffalo's next head coach. LINK: Oats bolts for Alabama, Buffalo should target Bryan Hodgson

As many have already suggested, I believe Buffalo should hire Bryan Hodgson as their next head coach. LINK: Oats bolts for Alabama, Buffalo should target Bryan Hodgson

LINK: Big 4 Update: Madness comes to a close for the UB Bulls Guys, It was an incredible ride for the UB Bulls this season, one in which fans will be talking about for a long time. I had a great time covering Buffalo and the rest of the Big 4 throughout the winter. I recap their year and what's ahead for UB in 2019-20 in my final Big 4 Update of the season. Thanks for being receptive of my column and checking out my content throughout the year. I had a lot of fun doing this and look forward to continuing the blog next fall.

LINK: Big 4 Basketball Update: Buffalo earns six seed, awaits Arizona State/St. John’s winner The Bulls deserved a five seed but in the end, it won't make much of a difference. I would almost rather them be a six taking on Arizona State/St. John's than be a five taking on Murray State. Ja Morant is the real deal and I'm glad UB avoided him.

LINK: Big 4 Update: Buffalo will be fine despite being under-seeded I'll say this once to get it off my chest, Buffalo was under-seeded. There's no debate about it! But, none of that matters now. The Bulls have a favorable first round matchup regardless of who wins the Arizona State/St. John's matchup. I am worried about Texas Tech in the second round. They're a very talented, defensive oriented team. I detail the upcoming NCAA Tournament and more in my weekly Big 4 Update.

Despite what Lunardi says, I believe Buffalo HAS to be a 5-seed. There's NO WAY they can be worse than a six. If so, that would be highway robbery. Here's the link to my story with comments from Nate Oats with his thoughts. LINK: Nate Oats pleads Buffalo’s case heading into Selection Sunday

LINK: Nate Oats pleads Buffalo’s case heading into Selection Sunday Nate Oats comments on where the Bulls should be seeded in the NCAA Tournament. LINK: Sights and sounds from the Bulls MAC Championship victory

LINK: Buffalo dominates Ohio, returns to NCAA Tournament It was a great weekend for the UB women's basketball program. I have my game story with interviews and instant reaction attached above.

As most of you already know, I'm down in Cleveland covering the MAC Tournament for From the 300 Level. I've been doing some video content on social media in addition to posting online recaps. Here's my two stories from Friday: 1. Women take down Central Michigan 2. Men survive scare to advance to 4th MAC Championship in five years I hope to run into some of you on Saturday. I'll be at the Q covering both championship games. Make sure to say hello if you see me typing away or walking by.

They'll be taking on a solid team in the first round regardless of if they're a five or a six-seed but you're absolutely right. Ultimately, Buffalo just needs to take care of their own business and not worry about where they're seeded.

LINK: Not much movement expected for UB in polls I’m not expecting much movement by Buffalo this week. The only team that’s guaranteed to drop beneath them is Marquette after losing a pair of games. At this moment, I’m predicting Buffalo to be ranked 18th in the AP Poll on Monday.

LINK: Big 4 Update: Buffalo has chance to move up to 5-seed with strong week in Cleveland NCAA Seed/Poll Watch: I believe a five-seed is still in play for Buffalo if they win out in Cleveland. The Bulls have an impressive NET ranking (#16), have a winning record vs. Top 75 NET opponents (4-1) and have been on fire heading into tournament play. Most bracketologists currently have them listed as a six-seed. That makes sense for now but you have to figure there’s room to play with depending on what happens next week.

LINK: Bulls seniors leave a lasting legacy at Alumni Arena Guys, We're all well aware of how much this Bulls senior class has meant to the UB program. They've left a lasting legacy that will be remembered for ages to come. Yesterday, I wrote a column on how they deserved to go out in style and that's exactly what took place last night at Alumni Arena. I have numerous videos from the game in my special edition of the Big 4 Update. Among the videos are postgame speeches from the players, the pregame intros and the final substitutions for Jeremy Harris, Nick Perkins and CJ Massinburg. Enjoy!

LINK: Let's send the UB seniors out in style! My article today is a pretty simple concept! Let's enjoy what tonight represents by soaking everything in. This senior class has been special. Nick Perkins was the first one to join the Bulls with CJ Massinburg committing shortly after Nate Oats became head coach. They're the ones that helped pave the way for Buffalo to get to the next level but it wouldn't have been possible without Dontay Caruthers, Jeremy Harris and Montell McRae joining along the way. Congratulations to all of them tonight on their final home games at Alumni Arena!