Big 4 Hoops Blogger

There's absolutely no reason why Buffalo couldn't get hot and make a run come March. I wouldn't predict them making the Final Four because it's incredibly difficult to do but it's certainly possible. The NCAA Tournament is as much about your draw as it is your talent. If UB can get past the opening weekend, anything is possible depending on what upsets and matchups present themselves. Just ask Loyola or any other Cinderella about that.

I'm pumped the Kent State on 2/22 was moved to Friday! It's great for UB to have a home game on ESPN2. That'll help with promoting the program to potential recruits and show the nation what UB basketball is all about. Selfishly, I'm also excited because I can now cover the game since I'm off from my full-time job on Fridays.

Traditionally, the MAC is a one-bid league but that doesn't mean UB can't get an at-large bid this year. They've already racked up an impressive resume. They're still easily on the right side of the bubble discussion. Talk to me if they lose 2-3 more games, that's when Bulls fans should start worrying. They have 12 more regular season games and possibly three MAC Tournament games. If they go 12-3 in that stretch, they'll be 29-5 with multiple quality wins. They could possibly squeak into the tournament in that scenario. If they go 30-4 or better, they're a lock in my opinion. But honestly, I think they'll take care of business in Cleveland so I'm not even worried about their at-large chances right now.

LINK: Big 4 Update: 716 taking notice of the UB Bulls Hey guys, In this week's Big 4 Update, I recap the past two UB games against WMU and EMU. I preview their spot in the polls and take some time to recognize the Buffalo community for finally giving the Bulls the support they deserve during the past few weeks. Here's a snippet of my weekly column: 716 taking notice of UB Bulls: I have to give a round of applause to the Buffalo community for finally giving the Bulls the support they deserve. They’ve had back-to-back home games with 6,000+ in the house with Friday’s crowd against Eastern Michigan ranking as the 8th largest attendance in Alumni Arena history (6,193). I’ve never seen so many people interested in keeping tabs on UB basketball. That includes the general public and the local media. It’s a great sight and something I’m hoping will continue into next season. And yes, I’m well aware that a lot of things will go into determining if it’s sustainable or not moving forward. cough…Nate Oats future…cough LINK: Big 4 Update: 716 taking notice of the UB Bulls

Poll Watch: Buffalo will move up in the polls once again this week. The question is, how far? They should jump Florida State, Auburn and Texas Tech. Virginia Tech and Kansas will fall but probably not far enough for the Bulls to pass them. With that said, my expectation is for UB to rise to 13th in Monday’s AP Poll. Big 4 Update: 716 taking notice of UB Bulls

I've attached some highlights from Buffalo's 77-65 victory over Eastern Michigan on Friday evening. I also have a written recap below: LINK: Buffalo stays perfect in MAC play defeating Eastern Michigan

Guys, I had the pleasure of talking to Cierra Dillard for an extended interview earlier this week. I have that conversation attached above in the YouTube video. A lot has been written about her accomplishments throughout the past year. She's easily the top player to ever come through the UB women's program. I learned a lot about her during our conversation. I focused on her journey to Buffalo, what it means to her repping WNY, her WNBA dreams and the struggles she's endured along the way. Please take a read. This is one of the more comprehensive features I've done for From the 300 Level. I hope you enjoy! Rochester native Cierra Dillard repping WNY, elevating UB program in WNBA pursuit

I think your rankings are pretty spot on. The only thing I would change is Northern Illinois at #5. They're 3-1 in MAC play but haven't really beaten anyone in the top half of the league. I don't think they're as good as their record would indicate. In time, I think Ball State and Eastern Michigan will rise but they're too inconsistent at the moment.

Guys, As many of you already know, I've had opportunity to cover UB basketball closely this season. Last week, I did a story on Jeremy Harris and tonight, I posted a story on how Jayvon Graves is the key piece for the Bulls moving forward. He's already averaging nearly 10 points per game as a sophomore and should only get better with time. He'll be heavily relied on as one of their key players the next two years. With that said, I dropped by practice to speak with Nate Oats and Jayvon Graves about their expectations moving forward, Here's the link if you'd rather read than watch the above video: Jayvon Graves critical to Buffalo's future success

Syracuse defeating #1 Duke is MASSIVE for UB! Heading into tonight, the Cuse were having another one of their mediocre "will they get in" type seasons. This changes that! Everyone in the country is aware of the Orange now after upsetting Duke. Many are also aware UB defeated them. Come March, this will be very helpful for the Bulls resume.

Gotcha, I'll see what the rest of the board thinks and move forward accordingly. I appreciate the suggestion. It's a decent idea.

I'd be fine with that moving forward. The next time I post, I can make an extended thread that will have all of my updates in the future.

Fair point, I should've included my post in the other thread instead.

LINK: Big 4 Update: UB primed for huge jump in the rankings! Here's a snippet of my Big 4 Update column, previewing where I believe UB will be ranked in the polls this week. I also have my podcast and Jeremy Harris story attached. Poll Watch: Buffalo will make a large jump in the polls this week. The question is, how far will they rise? Seven teams ranked ahead of the Bulls lost this past week. Here’s a look at who UB could potentially jump. 11 Auburn – Possible 12 North Carolina – Possible 13 Florida State – Unlikely 14 Mississippi State – Lock 15 North Carolina State – Lock 16 Ohio State – Lock 17 Houston – Lock If I were a betting man, I would pick Buffalo to be slotted no lower than 15th in this week’s AP Poll. I don’t think they’ll jump Florida State with the Seminoles just missing out on upsetting No. 1 Duke. The question is, will the Bulls jump Auburn and North Carolina. I’m not sure right now. It’s certainly possible but that’s asking a lot for them to move up six spots to No. 13. For now, my prediction is for UB to be ranked No. 14 in Monday’s poll.

Yep, it wasn't a good day for the higher ranked teams in my MAC tiers lol I'm with you on your first point. It appears that EMU is one of the best teams in the conference despite their ugly start to the season. Ohio is confusing to me. They're very inconsistent and you never know what to expect. Bowling Green is impressing a lot early on in MAC play. They could be the surprise team of the year.

LINK: Buffalo guard Jeremy Harris leading by example on the court I had the chance to drop by UB practice on Friday afternoon and speak with Nate Oats and Jeremy Harris. I expanded on Oats comments on Tuesday that Harris was one of the hardest working players he's ever coached. I put together a "television" package with sound from the two, plus practice video. I hope you check it out. There's also an article attached for those of you that would rather read than watch the above story. Is there a way to insert YouTube videos? Hoping to share the video in this post.

If I had to break the MAC into tiers, this is how I would put it. Tier 1: Buffalo Tier 2: Ball State Toledo Kent State Tier 3: Eastern Michigan Akron Central Michigan Bowling Green Miami Tier 4: Ohio Western Michigan Northern Illinois

Yea, I'm allowed to ask questions during the postgame pressers. I typically allow the more established media members to ask what's on their minds first since they have important deadlines they're trying to meet. If they don't get to something I'm hoping to figure out, I normally bring it up later on. I'm always open to suggestions. That's part of the reason why I'm active on this message board is to see if there's anything that peaks UB fans interest.

The title describes it all. I have Jeremy Harris highlights, video from UB's postgame presser and a recap article from Buffalo's victory over Toledo. LINK: Buffalo dismantles Toledo behind Jeremy Harris’ career night This is no longer a surprise but I was amazed to see all of the media present last night. In my previous stint covering the team for QCS and Bull Run, you would see one person from The Spectrum, a Buffalo News reporter and maybe a person or two from another local blog. Last night, there was at least two local television stations present (probably all three), two AP writers, a Buffalo News reporter, Trainwreck Sports/Bulletpoints founder, The Spectrum, Jerry Sullivan and myself. I'm not sure if I'm missing anyone. Long story short, the Buffalo sports media is finally starting to embrace UB. It was already starting to happen but you feel more of its presence when the Bulls get that type of coverage while competing head on with the Sabres.

Have my recap article, Buffalo postgame presser video and UB highlights from their win over Toledo attached to the link below: LINK: Buffalo dismantles Toledo behind Jeremy Harris’ career night

Big 4 Update: UB primed for HUGE conference battle with Toledo Guys, I can't put into words how bummed I was when Toledo lost to Ball State on Friday. It really shouldn't matter to me but I was hoping for the sake of Tuesday's game at Alumni Arena that both teams would be 13-1 overall with UB ranked and the Rockets receiving votes, entering on an 11-game winning streak. That would've made for one of the largest MAC regular season matchups in recent history. Unfortunately, Toledo lost and the rest is history. It'll still be a huge game for both teams and I'm expecting a great crowd in a game that can help UB's NCAA Tournament resume. I'll be at the game, covering it for From the 300 Level so make sure to follow @Mike_Bundt on Twitter for updates throughout the night. I normally tweet videos, postgame press conference feeds and game updates. I hope you take a chance to read this week's update and reach out to me on social media! Big 4 Update: Bulls off to a strong start to MAC play, defeating EMU

Ohio lost an ugly one this afternoon against NIU. The Bobcats jumped out to a quick start but faded in the second half. Were awful from the line (11-25). IMO, they won't be much of a threat. Kent State is off to a slow start tonight vs. Bowling Green. CMU picked up a nice win at Miami. Plus, Akron looks better than expected.

The San Francisco win could end up being huge for Buffalo at the end of the season. I know St. Mary's is down but USF is outplaying them tonight. If they're able to hold on, the Dons would improve to 13-2. I never would've predicted them as one of UB's marquee wins before the season but that's how it's playing out.

The Toledo/Buffalo game on 1/8 is going to be massive, not only in the MAC standings but for the conference's chances of having two tournament teams. Both teams are currently 12-1 with Toledo sporting a 10-game winning streak. If they somehow upset UB, they'll be closing in on possibly getting ranked. Obviously, none of us want to see that happen but it goes to show how strong the top half of the MAC is this year. Kent State and Ball State are also very strong this season. As far as the polls are concerned, #20 is right around where I expected UB to be ranked. I projected them at #21 heading into the week.

Big 4 Update: New Year's Resolutions Happy New Year to everyone on UB Fan. 2018 was the best year for Buffalo hoops in program history and things are only looking upward heading into 2019. In this week's update, I discuss my New Year's Resolutions for each of the Big 4 teams. Hint: there really isn't anything the Bulls need to change. I also preview MAC play and where I expect the Bulls to end up this week in the polls. I hope you check it out and enjoy! Have a fun New Year's Eve!