Buffalo/WMU - 2/19

[UBinMD]

55 minutes ago, skrabukes said:

3rd? Fair, Woolley and Summer are definitely the big 3. Christie, Camp, Ade with the combination of Gaba/Wilson makes this team a very tough out. Christie isn't built to bang with the Toledo (really) bigs. Gaba and Wilson are better matchups if/when that game comes to pass. Christie is long and more skilled, but her lean-ness didn't stand a chance the first time against their 2 bigs. Hopefully the 3 of them can run them ragged.

She has played better of late. Her and Mballa coming around at the right time down low!

Summer's body is giving out, too much work. We need a 3rd scoring option. Summer still has the hustle and rebounding, but on the offensive end she is struggling. I have no issue with that, we just need more to weather 3 straight in Cleveland, but we are much thinner than the men's side currently. If Wooley and/or Fair have an off game, we will be in big trouble.

[DocCas86]

10 minutes ago, Erie County said:

The one thing that is not debatable:

Stay out of the 4-5 game or you have a much harder path

Unfortunately, we either need to go 5-0 down the stretch or get help to get past Kent St at this point, because we are not making up the CMU game.  I guess the good news is we control our own destiny - I think if we win 5, we are at least the 3 seed.

[UBinMD]

2 hours ago, DocCas86 said:

Unfortunately, we either need to go 5-0 down the stretch or get help to get past Kent St at this point, because we are not making up the CMU game.  I guess the good news is we control our own destiny - I think if we win 5, we are at least the 3 seed.

I like our chances.

[UB92]

On 2/19/2022 at 10:11 PM, Erie County said:

Ok ill summarize...........

You are right, anyone else is wrong because you will continue to root for them regardless. 

For the final time, the main point of bringing up metrics isn't for a 2nd bid, but that's escaped you. It's to see how your team has done, will do, and how they matchup down the stretch. 

Easy to understand points from the Haters:

- We all WANT UB to win and make the tournament

- No one thinks the MAC is 2-bid and the metrics aren't for a 2nd bid

- They are 2-6 against top 130 teams. They will face a max 5 of them down the stretch (if they even win 1 in Cleveland)  Good on you for thinking they will go 5-0 in those games and clinch a bid. I hope this WMU win was the one that put you over the top

- They are 0-3 against their current path to the tournament, An average margin of loss of 14 points. 

- The coach is 2-2 in the Mac tournament and hasn't won three games total yet

- They dropped 5 spots by winning today 110 to 115. Grand Canyon was a 15 last year at 103. 

I didn't read this game thread until now.

Erie County...there is an option in your account (under Settings) that says "Ignored Users".   Life is too short to argue in circles with certain people on a message board.  You may want to consider that option. 

[ChubbyHubby]

I liked Saturday's uniforms.  Wouldn't mind one of the Jerseys.

[Tee4three]

On 2/20/2022 at 12:40 PM, Erie County said:

We are going in circles.

I am using numbers to make me worried though. It's not without basis. Wins against the bottom 250 aren't going to pump me up. Nice? Sure. This is where that 17th ranked conference comes in. What the real issues are the inability to beat the top 5. Metrics and percentages aside.

My recruiting is not flawed though. That's the one I'm the most confident in. Glad Skogman worked out, i like him. but you aren't going to go 0-10.

Mading, Blocker, Williamson can't log minutes. Gallion (not in D1), Zachary, Nickelberry, Brewton, Robinson, Perry, Hardnett have given varying levels of nothing/little to the program

This is the first season I'm worried about the future recruits but its mostly that we have a lot of players to replace and only know 1 guy coming in

I believe and hope ub is setting the program up to follow a saying in college basketball for successful mid major (or even power) conference teams

Get old, stay old

Not having blocker/mading/williamson log minutes isn't necessarily a bad thing when your team is one of the oldest in the country. Its honestly a huge plus getting quality recruits to come here and not play right away is impressive(all 3 were 3 stars)

Also if I was whitesell, a goal of mine would be to get a few more looks of blocker in the rotation in the final regular season games

[DooleyBull06]

46 minutes ago, Tee4three said:

This is the first season I'm worried about the future recruits but its mostly that we have a lot of players to replace and only know 1 guy coming in

I believe and hope ub is setting the program up to follow a saying in college basketball for successful mid major (or even power) conference teams

Get old, stay old

Not having blocker/mading/williamson log minutes isn't necessarily a bad thing when your team is one of the oldest in the country. Its honestly a huge plus getting quality recruits to come here and not play right away is impressive(all 3 were 3 stars)

I think we are alright for next season. Obviously we will be younger and more inexperienced but that will come with little bit exciting expectations. Remember as of now…Skogman and Hardnett will return. Add Mading and Williamson. At guard we have Blocker and Jones with Caesar coming in. So the pantry isn’t bare. Still lots of work on the recruiting trail. 

I assume Williamson was redshirted this year? Was Mading also redshirted? 

[MuchMany]

13 minutes ago, DooleyBull06 said:

I think we are alright for next season. Obviously we will be younger and more inexperienced but that will come with little bit exciting expectations. Remember as of now…Skogman and Hardnett will return. Add Mading and Williamson. At guard we have Blocker and Jones with Caesar coming in. So the pantry isn’t bare. Still lots of work on the recruiting trail. 

I assume Williamson was redshirted this year? Was Mading also redshirted? 

Mading has played in a number of games, so he can't redshirt. Pure speculation on my part, but I'm a bit concerned about his extended unexplained unavailability since New Years. Ty Perry could come back as deep depth. Biggest needs seem like veteran transfers at ball-handling guard, wing (2), and back-up big. Developmental HS/JUCO prospects for the other slots.

PG - Jones, Ceaser

SG - Blocker, Perry

SF - Mading

PF - Hardnett, Williamson

C - Skogman

[squire17]

It’s possible, although unlikely, that the Big 3 could return next year. And that’s not including BB, who might qualify as a player/coach - if the NCAA adjusts to the dynamics of DI collegiate basketball in an inclusionary fashion. The sky is the limit.

[UBinMD]

3 hours ago, Erie County said:

Mading can't redshirt. Interesting point on him, either injury or something else could have happened. Everyone is saying Williamson did RS. 

If everyone returns, this is a pretty poor lineup. This is my big worry. If you need a lot of JUCO risks/transfers you will certainly almost be punting next year or at least have a very slow start. You have 13PPG returning. I don't think we see Perry and maybe Hardnett here next year. 

I think we have good youth on the team and Caesar coming in. If we can get a couple nice JUCO pieces, like Hamilton, Harris, Caruthers, etc They could keep the moment going as the team grows. Oats and Hurley teams were built on recruits and transfers, that’s how mid-major works. At least with transfers they will likely be here their last 2 years, with the portal, project players like Massenburg, Perkins, etc could end up bailing out.

Just my opinion, but I don’t see an empty cupboard.

[DocCas86]

20 minutes ago, UBinMD said:

I think we have good youth on the team and Caesar coming in. If we can get a couple nice JUCO pieces, like Hamilton, Harris, Caruthers, etc They could keep the moment going as the team grows. Oats and Hurley teams were built on recruits and transfers, that’s how mid-major works. At least with transfers they will likely be here their last 2 years, with the portal, project players like Massenburg, Perkins, etc could end up bailing out.

Just my opinion, but I don’t see an empty cupboard.

What about a quality D1 transfer.  All of the top five MAC teams added a key D1 transfer.  If you throw in a D1 guy the level of one of these players - that would certainly help restock the team

[UBinMD]

1 minute ago, DocCas86 said:

What about a quality D1 transfer.  All of the top five MAC teams added a key D1 transfer.  If you throw in a D1 guy the level of one of these players - that would certainly help restock the team

I’m good with that as well. 

[bulls2684]

5 hours ago, Erie County said:

Mading can't redshirt. Interesting point on him, either injury or something else could have happened.

Still on the bench in street clothes every game, so doesn't seem like disciplinary. Injury or academics?  

[UBinMD]

Just now, Erie County said:

They were built on Freshman at it's foundation though. They heavy juco year they failed to play together (2018). 

Perkins/CJ/Jordan/Graves (Oats), Evans/Bearden (Hurley), Williams/Segu (recent) were the cornerstones there who you could fill in with transfers. They certainly hit Harris and one shortened season of Clark. But that was the best recruiting team in Mid Major basketball.

I'm going to disagree that JUCO is the way for midmajors. At this minute, the cupboard is bare.

You have the right to your opinion. We have 4 freshman that we really can’t gauge what they are going to be. Other than Jones (who I feel is going to be a very good player for us) we haven’t seen much. Skogman made huge strides this year and has 2 maybe 3 years left. We have a good incoming freshman on the horizon and we will see what other pieces get added to the mix. We have 7 scholarships coming off the books (assuming not of the Big 3 come back and I don’t think Bivens is on scholarship). It’s going to be an interesting spring and summer. I fully expect the transfer portal to be as active as it was in football. There may be some additional freshman to commit as well once their seasons are done. As I stated before, you can find some JUCO and Prep school kids that are very good, but needed some athletic or academic seasoning. I think Buffalo can be a destination school for solid players. We will see how it plays out.

For what it’s worth from 247

Akron, Ball St, CMU, EMU, Miami - 0 commits

BG, Kent, NIU, Toledo, WMU - 1

Ohio - 1 signed, 3 commits

Ohio is certainly out in front of everyone else, but I have a feeling they will be looking for a new coach come March.

[skrabukes]

8 minutes ago, Erie County said:

They were built on Freshman at it's foundation though. They heavy juco year they failed to play together (2017). 

Perkins/CJ/Jordan/Graves (Oats), Evans/Bearden (Hurley), Williams/Segu (recent) were the cornerstones there who you could fill in with transfers. They certainly hit Harris and one shortened season of Clark. But that was the best recruiting team in Mid Major basketball.

I'm going to disagree that JUCO is the way for midmajors. At this minute, the cupboard is bare.

While I agree with the point about recruiting freshmen, and the list that you posted, "the best recruiting team in mid major basketball" could be disputed. That group (while freaking awesome, don't get me wrong) was bring in the following:

Andre Allen, James Rojas, Noah WIlliams, Durey Cadwell, Raymond Hawkins

Is this group so much better than what we currently have here now, or have brought in recently? Crushing on the current staff's recruits consistently and speaking of "bare cupboards" seems a bit heavy handed considering the group that would've come in really hasn't panned out all that well. Granted, could they have arrived at UB and gelled/developed into a group of stars? Maybe, we'll never know. But their development at their chosen location(s) hasn't been all that spectacular. In place of that group of 5, we added Skogman and Mballa, both of whom have been strong hits. I'm not sure that there are 2 names that in combination out of the 5 listed are better than those two. We all were pumped for that group of 5 (I know I was anyway) and felt that the team wouldn't drop off significantly, but they really haven't been all that great. If they were here, maybe our cupboard would be just as "bare" or even worse, who knows. 

Skogman, Jones, Blocker, Mading, Williamson, incoming Caeser, Hardnett, Perry + wild card additions is not "bare cupboard". It may not be to the level that you or others wish, but it's far from bad. Nearly all of these guys were "big" recruits when they came in and pretty much everyone was happy when they signed here. They'll be given bigger roles and opportunities, in addition to an off-season of coming together as a unit and developing. Will they be top 25 or even preseason MAC #1? Quite unlikely, but could they be a contender by season's end next year? It's possible, especially considering all of the vacant slots that still remain to be filled.

Regardless, the next 5 games + (hopefully) 3 more are the important ones. Hopefully the squad can take care of business much like the past 6 games!

[Billydabull]

On 2/20/2022 at 12:40 PM, Erie County said:

We are going in circles.

I am using numbers to make me worried though. It's not without basis. Wins against the bottom 250 aren't going to pump me up. Nice? Sure. This is where that 17th ranked conference comes in. What the real issues are the inability to beat the top 5. Metrics and percentages aside.

My recruiting is not flawed though. That's the one I'm the most confident in. Glad Skogman worked out, i like him. but you aren't going to go 0-10.

Mading, Blocker, Williamson can't log minutes. Gallion (not in D1), Zachary, Nickelberry, Brewton, Robinson, Perry, Hardnett have given varying levels of nothing/little to the program

Blocker not logging minutes is not because he doesn’t have the talent to play right now that’s on the staff! And next year you’ll see he’s going to be one of the biggest surprise’s in the Mac  

[skrabukes]

6 minutes ago, Erie County said:

 

Rojas is a contributor for a ranked team. He has came on strong since injury.

Noah Williams is one of the best players in the PAC 12. He finished top 15 in scoring last season.

I would 100% take both over Brewton and Perry or whomever. 

I'm having a hard time seeing what you are arguing other then just to argue anyone with a varying viewpoint again. Are you claiming the last regimes weren't good recruiters by listing some players who never stepped foot at UB? They nailed their recruiting classes. Alabama is getting 5 star guys. I was discussing the point that "jucos is how to live". I posted how each team has a core of really good freshman that came in. You admitted as much but then started arguing weird points. How about the players that did not develop under this group? Gallion (not in D1), Zachary, Nickelberry, Brewton, Robinson, Perry, Hardnett have given varying levels of nothing/little to the program as stated. Praying Mading and Williamson can contribute is fine, I hope they do. It's a prayer to assume someone who isn't logging minutes or getting meaningful playing time is going to come in and be a key player.

Alabama getting 5 star guys is a non issue when compared to UB. They have unlimited resources,  UB's are very finite. You're quick to point out "misses" yet never give credit for hits or development. Yep, the old regime was a great group of recruiters,  but they missed too. Brewton is the new Grant on this board. Zachary is the new Quate. Hardnett is the new Brock. Everyone has hits and misses. When you're at Alabama and have like a dozen or more coaches, analysts, development people on the bench at all times, it's a bit easier to be ranked. Again, Nate and Bryan were great and I (very much) wish both were still here, but don't compare their ranked/recruiting success to the current UB squad. Heck, UB was ranked higher under Oats than is the 3rd year Alabama team, and that was without a sniff of 5 star guys. This staff isn't nearly as bad as you portray them or want them to be. They're not Calipari either, but considering the resources UB gives and facilities that it has, this team and staff is pretty good and there's plenty of schools that are envious of UB's situation. 

 

[Big 4 Hoops Blogger]

12 hours ago, UBinMD said:

You have the right to your opinion. We have 4 freshman that we really can’t gauge what they are going to be. Other than Jones (who I feel is going to be a very good player for us) we haven’t seen much. Skogman made huge strides this year and has 2 maybe 3 years left. We have a good incoming freshman on the horizon and we will see what other pieces get added to the mix. We have 7 scholarships coming off the books (assuming not of the Big 3 come back and I don’t think Bivens is on scholarship). It’s going to be an interesting spring and summer. I fully expect the transfer portal to be as active as it was in football. There may be some additional freshman to commit as well once their seasons are done. As I stated before, you can find some JUCO and Prep school kids that are very good, but needed some athletic or academic seasoning. I think Buffalo can be a destination school for solid players. We will see how it plays out.

For what it’s worth from 247

Akron, Ball St, CMU, EMU, Miami - 0 commits

BG, Kent, NIU, Toledo, WMU - 1

Ohio - 1 signed, 3 commits

Ohio is certainly out in front of everyone else, but I have a feeling they will be looking for a new coach come March.

Ohio has signed everyone in their class. Some of the recruiting sites are behind.

As I posted in a recruiting thread, they’re bringing in:

1. AJ Brown, 4 star ESPN, 3 star 247 (180 overall)

2. Aidan Hadaway, 3 star Rivals (Once listed as Top 150), 3 star 247 (280 overall)

3. Elmore James, 3 star Rivals

4. AJ Sheldon, unranked

Edited February 22, 2022 by Big 4 Hoops Blogger

[Chet]

36 minutes ago, skrabukes said:

Alabama getting 5 star guys is a non issue when compared to UB. They have unlimited resources,  UB's are very finite. You're quick to point out "misses" yet never give credit for hits or development. Yep, the old regime was a great group of recruiters,  but they missed too. Brewton is the new Grant on this board. Zachary is the new Quate. Hardnett is the new Brock. Everyone has hits and misses. When you're at Alabama and have like a dozen or more coaches, analysts, development people on the bench at all times, it's a bit easier to be ranked. Again, Nate and Bryan were great and I (very much) wish both were still here, but don't compare their ranked/recruiting success to the current UB squad. Heck, UB was ranked higher under Oats than is the 3rd year Alabama team, and that was without a sniff of 5 star guys. This staff isn't nearly as bad as you portray them or want them to be. They're not Calipari either, but considering the resources UB gives and facilities that it has, this team and staff is pretty good and there's plenty of schools that are envious of UB's situation. 

 

No arguments here. Your take is almost spot on. I miss Danny White though. Without his short tenure, it's unlikely the golden era ever happens. I'm not sure what Mark Alnutt has been up to but I don't hear much about his vision for Athletics. His tenure has been relatively unimpressive.

[Big 4 Hoops Blogger]

8 minutes ago, Chet said:

No arguments here. Your take is almost spot on. I miss Danny White though. Without his short tenure, it's unlikely the golden era ever happens. I'm not sure what Mark Alnutt has been up to but I don't hear much about his vision for Athletics. His tenure has been relatively unimpressive.

I think it’s clear at this point that Danny White was a visionary. It’s hard to find guys like that to lead an athletics department. He played a huge role in the rise of UB athletics.

When you lack unlimited resources, you have to be creative. White was criticized for some of his ideas but wasn’t afraid to take risks.

I don’t have a strong opinion of Mark Alnutt either way but it appears that he’s safer with how he runs the department. That can be a good or bad thing depending on your perspective.

Edited February 22, 2022 by Big 4 Hoops Blogger

[UBinMD]

4 minutes ago, Chet said:

No arguments here. Your take is almost spot on. I miss Danny White though. Without his short tenure, it's unlikely the golden era ever happens. I'm not sure what Mark Alnutt has been up to but I don't hear much about his vision for Athletics. His tenure has been relatively unimpressive.

When compared to White, Manuel, Greene, we have had a good run. Hopefully Alnutt's selection of Linguist will be the beginning of his legacy. Also, he may get another chance with WBB. I'm not ready to throw him on the scrap heap yet. I do hope, however, that somewhere along the line our pocketbook for our MBB falls in line with our recent rankings. I would think top 5 on the pay scale is appropriate. That certainly provides more flexibility for the head coach and assistants when the time comes.

[Gxtrex]

When will we find out which seniors plan on returning? Do we just assume those honored on senior night are leaving?  When is that this year?

 

 

[DooleyBull06]

9 minutes ago, Gxtrex said:

When will we find out which seniors plan on returning? Do we just assume those honored on senior night are leaving?  When is that this year?

 

 

For anyone thinking Williams will come back…I’d be super shocked. He’s 23. Time to move on and start adulthood and a pro career. I’d personally be shocked if Segu, Mballa or Williams return. As much as I would like them too, I would like to see them move on and grow as men. And make waves as pros thus giving UB recognition.

Edited February 22, 2022 by DooleyBull06

[Tee4three]

27 minutes ago, DooleyBull06 said:

For anyone thinking Williams will come back…I’d be super shocked. He’s 23. Time to move on and start adulthood and a pro career. I’d personally be shocked if Segu, Mballa or Williams return. As much as I would like them too, I would like to see them move on and grow as men. And make waves as pros thus giving UB recognition.

They can all go and get paid to play professionally and thats really what they came to ub to do

I wonder if any grad transfer though if their goal is nba and scouts tell them that playing a full year against a power conference could get him drafted rather than undrafted.(could see this benefit segu more than williams or mballa). Believe mareon Jackson did this last season/this season with going to arizona st

[UBinMD]

10 minutes ago, Tee4three said:

They can all go and get paid to play professionally and thats really what they came to ub to do

I wonder if any grad transfer though if their goal is nba and scouts tell them that playing a full year against a power conference could get him drafted rather than undrafted.(could see this benefit segu more than williams or mballa). Believe mareon Jackson did this last season/this season with going to arizona st

Of the 3, I could see Segu back possibly. Mballa and Williams will definitely get a sniff at the G League or overseas. Segu likely will too, but he's a bit undersized so it's possible he could return. I don't think it's likely however. I also didn't think James Patterson would be back or Q at WR, but I was wrong there.