Big 4 Hoops Blogger

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

7 hours ago, Jeseph said:

I actually think Central gets exposed after playing one of the softest schedules in the country.

Im curious to see which Ohio team shows up to start MAC play and see if Kent makes a statement as the 2nd/3rd best team in the conference

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!

Regardless of whether the Big 4 is relevant or not is besides the point.

I am a blogger that covers each of the four schools on an individual basis. I write about their play on the court, storylines surrounding each team and post engaging questions on their team boards to create conversations. 

You can say the Big 4 has "no fans" but there was a time when the "Little Three" was very fierce locally. Fans of Niagara, St. Bonaventure and Canisius still gear up for their matchups versus one another. Why shouldn't Buffalo be part of that conversation? That's the whole reason why the Big 4 was created in the first place.

Take the time to read some of my articles and you'll see that I'm not trying to stir the pot. The most controversial things I've brought up so far:

1. Are UB and St. Bonaventure rivals?

2. Is St. Bonaventure going through a re-building season?

3. What's your reaction to Reggie Witherspoon refusing to comment on Nate Oats "Super Bowl" remarks?

Additionally, those were only controversial in the essence that people were split in their responses, meaning the questions were fair and valid. You may consider that stirring the pot, I think of that as having an intriguing conversation.

1 hour ago, ubbulls08 said:

Don't be so easily dissuaded! Those who can't create often fall back on critique. And there will always be people on fan boards who are suspicious of media coming onto the site. But most of us here crave more UB coverage, and we'll take it whenever we can. 

In short: keep up the coverage, and you're welcome here any time. (I admire that you aren't masking your ID. I'll be at the Jan. 12 game, and will buy you a beer (or pop) if you'd like.) 

Thanks for reaching out. I appreciate that! I'll take you up on your offer if I'm able to get off work that Saturday.

On 12/30/2018 at 4:36 PM, squire17 said:

After the victory yesterday the Bulls lost 2 spots in the NET rankings. Toledo moved up from 69th to 43rd mainly on the basis of their blowout win against Penn yesterday. Have to take this one game at a time because I don’t trust these rankings to help their case in March.

Watch out for Toledo! They are on fire and much better than people thought heading into this season.

The MAC is the deepest it's been in years. Toledo, Kent State and Ball State are all very good. Ohio, CMU and Akron have had decent moments in non-conference play and that doesn't include a few other teams that have talent.

59 minutes ago, skrabukes said:

Rothstein dropped us out of his rankings altogether. These pollsters are silly. I guess 15 point road wins are bad. It will be interesting to see where we land tomorrow. In theory, we should move up 2 spots, in front of ASU and Wisconsin, but with guys like this voting, I won't hold my breath.

I saw that too and thought that was an absolute abomination. The criteria that half of these pollsters use to come up with their rankings is a complete joke.

That being said, Rothstein is one of the more informed experts out there. I was surprised to see him drop a 12-1 Buffalo squad with wins over West Virginia, San Francisco and Syracuse due to a 15-point win over a local rival. The logic there is lacking.

With that said, I apologize for taking over this conversation and making it about myself. I enjoyed the previous input and agree with many of the above comments.

It might never happen but I'd love to see a day when Buffalonians start appreciating the local basketball scene on a more consistent basis. It's been fun watching people jump on the UB bandwagon and it would be nice to see more people watching all of the local schools.

Believe me, I only got back into sports writing because I love college basketball and grew up watching all of the local teams in the Buffalo area.

When I left my broadcasting career, I contacted multiple local websites offering to help out. From the 300 Level and a few other sites responded but I chose From the 300 Level because they gave me the most freedom to post how I wanted.

I'm blogging because I love talking about the local schools. Not many people follow the Big 4 programs anymore (Obviously, that's changing with UB/Bona has always had strong support). Writing about them and posting on message boards and Twitter is my way of interacting with people about something I'm passionate about. I'm not going to lie, I appreciate the clicks but in the long run, they don't impact me.

I'm not getting paid to do this. I'm putting hours of my life outside of work to contribute to the local hoops scene. I used to get paid to talk about sports for a living and figured I could create a decent outlet for fans moving forward.

5 hours ago, dutchcountry7 said:

The blogger wants to spam the board and drum up controversy but the reality is that Reggie is right. 

No one cares about the Big 4. That is a made up term by the Buffalo News. 

Canisius plays big name schools every year. No one really cares about these games local games. The reason they have a tiny gym is because they don’t have fans. This wasn’t their super bowl and that comment was only meant to make the Bulls sound great.  As if they are like Alabama football or something  

i didn’t care for the comment and believe Reggie was being honest  

 

I'm not trying to drum up any controversy. I'm just trying to have a conversation about an observation I made while covering the game last night. That is the point of message boards, correct?

I've heard many people recently refer to the Big 4 as something the Buffalo News created but the truth is, all four schools are invested in its success as well. I interned at Canisius in the past and know plenty of people inside UB. Both of those schools want these games to "mean something."

You're right about fan support being non-existent at times. It's been a struggle for Canisius and Niagara. Same could be said for Buffalo before they recently turned it around under Hurley and Oats.

However, you'll still notice an increase in attendance and local media exposure when the Big 4 schools battle one another. Bona sold out vs. UB, Canisius did as well weeks in advance. It benefits each school to hype up these games.

I honestly wasn't bothered by the comments Nate Oats made. I completely understand where he was coming from and don't think he meant anything by it. At the same time, I also understand why Reggie wouldn't want to pump up his former employer following a loss to them in a rivalry game that takes place every year.

5 hours ago, xDerekRx said:

I see it as a non-story (I know for you as a writer you want some drama). I love both guys. Reggie is solid, hes been around. Its not really their super bowl... I think it would have been weirder had he played into the comment and agreed with it. Hes competitive. But any little thing that sparks Big 4 interest is fun.

I agree with you 100%.

I'm not really into creating fake drama. I'm more curious to see your takes. While at the presser, I didn't think anything of Nate Oats "Super Bowl" comment until I saw Reggie Witherspoon avoid commenting about it.

I respect both coaches. Oats is a straight shooter while Witherspoon is very classy. Reggie definitely didn't like the "Super Bowl" comment which is understandable given his situation (being fired from UB while building his own program across town)

In the long run, this is nothing. But it does make for some solid conversation lol

(If anyone could merge or delete the UB/Canisius highlight video thread, I'd appreciate it. I was posting late at night and shared the same links in that thread and here.)

As I stated in a previous thread, I covered the UB/Canisius game on Saturday evening. Following the contest, Nate Oats referred to the game as Canisius' "Super Bowl."

I didn't think much of the comment. It was brought up to Reggie Witherspoon by Buffalo News reporter Jason Wolf following Oats presser. Reggie didn't appear to like the comment. He wouldn't comment about it, continuously downplaying the matchup as a "non-conference game played every year." That's in stark contrast to Oats who referred to it as a rivalry and a game for local pride.

I have Reggie's comments posted here: Reggie Witherspoon reacts to "Super Bowl" comments

My question for all of you is, did Reggie respond properly? Is there some bad blood or bitterness over how things went down? Could some of that even be directed at the current staff due to UB's recent success?

We all know Witherspoon is as classy as coaches get in college basketball. I just found the exchange interesting given his history with UB.

UB/Canisius Highlight Video

On Saturday evening, I was able to cover my first UB game since moving back to Buffalo in November. I put together a small little highlight video while sitting on press row.

I hope you take the chance to check it out as well as read my recap article. I'm hoping to come out with more content like this throughout the year as long as I'm able to attend games depending on my work schedule.

Hope you enjoy! (PS: I didn't get the dunks but I have some decent clips in there)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone here on UB Fan! It's been a season full of gifts for Bulls fans across the country. 

Big 4 Update: Buffalo shines in national spotlight

In this week's Big 4 Update, I write about how Buffalo took advantage of their opportunity in the national spotlight, why their win over Syracuse was important to the program moving forward and where I expect them to land in the polls following their loss to Marquette.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

It was a great effort by the UB women! They played hard but unfortunately couldn't put it together offensively. They forced up a lot of three's and struggled to generate solid looks.

That said, they did a great job defensively, keeping in the game. Stanford struggled to get anything going the entire afternoon. It was great seeing a big-time opponent come to Alumni Arena and see a solid crowd show up.

On 12/16/2018 at 11:51 PM, UB92 said:

Just win...forget the rest about who beats who and where.  Control what you can control -- the rest is wasteful.

Go Bulls!

That's my thought process as well. We won't know the quality of the WVU win until the end of the season around tournament time.

Regardless of how it turns out, it was a tremendous comeback that kick started the Bulls current run. Without it, UB wouldn't be ranked and definitely wouldn't be receiving all of the hype they're currently getting.

In the end, I think it'll turn out to be a very good win, but not the Top 25 quality road win we all originally thought.

1 hour ago, ubmae86 said:

This was a great article and such a shock to see at the top of the NCAAM tab on ESPN. I love seeing our Bulls doing well and gaining national attention. Let's ride this as long as we are able! I hope we do become the next Gonzaga!

It's amazing seeing all of the exposure they've been getting lately. I had the same reaction as you when I saw Nate Oats headlining the NCAAM tab on ESPN.

It's a great time to be a UB fan! Hopefully, they can keep it up and pick up another win tonight at Syracuse.

I'm looking for some suggestions as well. I'll be heading to the game with a few friends.

I know Dinosaur BBQ is amazing but we already have one in Buffalo. Was trying to find some other go-to spots.

LINK: Big 4 Basketball Update: Buffalo vs. Syracuse Preview

In my special edition of the Big 4 Basketball Update, I preview No. 14 Buffalo's matchup with Syracuse. I breakdown the keys to the game, their recent series history and talk with Johnathan Snyder regarding what it'll take for UB to pull off the win.

In the article, you'll also see highlights from last year's game (ACC Network Highlights) and sound from CJ Massinburg, Nick Perkins and Nate Oats from earlier in the week.

Prediction: Buffalo 81-77

LINK: Big 4 Basketball Update: Buffalo vs. Syracuse Preview

In my special edition of the Big 4 Basketball Update, I preview No. 14 Buffalo's matchup with Syracuse. I breakdown the keys to the game, their recent series history and talk with Johnathan Snyder regarding what it'll take for UB to pull off the win.

Prediction: Buffalo 81-77

LINK: Big 4 Update: Buffalo ready for primetime matchups

Guys, I'm sorry spamming this message board with all of these links but I wanted to let you know that I had a special guest for this week's Big 4 Podcast.

I was joined by Villa Maria College assistant basketball coach, Johnathan Snyder. Many of you have seen his work on Queen City Sports, Bull Run and Snyder's Big 4 Talk in the past. He's the person who broke the Shannon Evans transfer news after he decided to head to Arizona State.

In this podcast, we discuss the magical ride UB has been on this season towards the end. On TUESDAY MORNING, I'll be releasing another podcast focused exclusively on previewing Buffalo/Syracuse. Make sure to check that out. I'll have an article, podcast with John with predictions from both of us.

This is more of a teaser article with updates on all four of the Big 4 schools but Tuesday will be much more UB specific.

Twitter: @Mike_Bundt