Bulls Travel To Kalamazoo Friday Night For Nationally Televised Affair

Buffalo (13-5, 5-0 MAC) vs. Western Michigan (11-7, 3-2 MAC)
January 19, 2018
Alumni Arena - 7:00 pm

Bulls on the Air

Radio - ESPN 1520-AM WWKB/TuneIn App

Television - ESPNU/WatchESPN App

Quick Hits

• Buffalo will look to build its winning streak to seven when the Bulls head to Western Michigan on Friday night for a nationally-televised matchup on ESPNU. This is a meeting of the two teams picked to win their respective divisions in the MAC preseason poll.

• The Bulls are currently 5-0 in MAC play, the first time since joining the league they have been unblemished this late in the season. UB was 5-0 in 1997-98, which was its final year in the Mid-Continent Conference, but a Buffalo team has never been 6-0 in conference play.

• Western Michigan leads the all-time series 13-11 and has had the upper hand in games played in Kalamazoo. The Broncos have won the last three meetings at University Arena and Buffalo has not won at WMU since the 2010-11 season when the Bulls won twice there, including in the second round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. University Arena is the only arena in the MAC that Nate Oats does not have a victory in.

• The Bulls have scored at least 80 points in every game during their current six-game winning streak, the first time that UB has scored 80 in six straight games since the 1970-71 season. Should the Bulls score 80 again on Friday evening, it will be the first time in school history, dating back to 1915-16, that Buffalo has done it in seven straight games.

• Junior Nick Perkins tied his career high with 26 points off the bench for the Bulls on Tuesday night against Northern Illinois. Perkins has now come off the bench in eight straight games and he is averaging 18.3 points per game in those eight contests.

• The Bulls have won their last five games by double figures for the first time since the 2003-04 season. The Bulls are looking to win six straight by double figures for the first time since 1964-65 when they did it 10 games in a row.

• Of the eight MAC East Player's of the Week announced this season, UB has a league high five of those honors. CJ Massinburg won it twice in non-conference and then three Bulls have won it the last three weeks: Wes Clark, Nick Perkins, and Jeremy Harris.

The Opponent

• Western Michigan is 11-7 and 3-2 in conference play following a narrow 73-71 loss at Kent State on Tuesday night on a last second shot. Like the Bulls, Western Michigan owns wins in conference against Akron, Miami, and Ball State. WMU's other loss is to Toledo, who UB beat in the MAC opener.

• The Broncos are led by Thomas Wilder, who many picked as the conference's preseason player of the year. Wilder is averaging 17.6 points per game and leads WMU with 80 assists. Josh Davis is averaging 10.7 points and a team-high 7.6 rebounds per game. Bryce Moore chips in 10.1 points as five Western Michigan players average at least 9.0 points per game.

• Western Michigan is allowing just 70.4 points per game in conference play through five games, second fewest in the league. They will have their biggest test of the season though playing a Buffalo team that is averaging 90.2 points per game in conference play.

• Steve Hawkins stands as the current "Dean of the MAC;" now entering his 15th season as the Broncos' head coach, he is the longest-tenured head coach in the conference, and his long resume is also bolstered by the long-standing excellence of the Bronco program. He is one of only eight coaches in MAC history to break the overall 200-win barrier, and no other coach in WMU history has ever won 100 MAC games. Hawkins has led the Broncos to overall MAC regular season championships in 2004 and 2014 as well as MAC Tournament championships in those same years, and has guided the Broncos to seven of the program's eight MAC West division championships as well. Prior to WMU, Hawkins served for nine seasons as head coach of the basketball program at Quincy University in Illinois.

I Love The 80's

The Bulls are averaging 83.6 points per game this season, which leads the Mid-American Conference and is 27th nationally. In conference games only, Buffalo is averaging 90.2 points per game. Only once in the school's history have they averaged over 80.0 points for an entire season and that was 1971-72. No MAC team has average over 80 points for a season since Marshall was in the league during the 1999-2000 season.

Currently the Bulls have scored at least 80 points in six straight games, the first time UB has done that since the 1970-71 season. Buffalo has never scored 80 or more points in seven straight games. Overall, the Bulls have scored 80 or more points in 13 of their first 18 games this season. Last season, UB hit 80 or more points 14 times all season.

Mr. 1000

Junior CJ Massinburg became the newest member of the 1,000-point club in the MAC opener against Toledo as he scored 27 points against the Rockets. Massinburg is the 20th player to score 1,000 points for the Bulls and he is the seventh fastest to do so, achieving it in his 73rd career game, which is quicker than previous MAC Players of the Year Turner Battle, Mitchell Watt, and all-time leading scorer, Javon McRea.

After scoring just eight points in the opener, Massinburg has scored double figures in each of the last 15 games, scoring at least 20 points nine times. He scored 30 at Delaware, the second time in his career he has done that. Twice this year, Massinburg has been named the MAC East Player of the Week and he is currently second in the MAC in scoring at 18.7 points per game. Massinburg is also UB's leading rebounder on the season, as he is averaging 8.3 boards per contest, which is fourth in the league. He has a team-high seven double-doubles on the year, including recording a career-high 14 boards at Delaware. The seven double-doubles are tied for second most in the Mid-American Conference. He was most recently named to the watch list for the Lou Henson Award, which is awarded to the nation's top mid major player.

Following his 16-point game against Northern Illinois, Massinburg moved into 15th place on UB's all-time scoring list with 1,077 points, passing UB Hall of Famer, Harold Kuhn.

Wild, Wild Wes

The Bulls got a huge boost to their lineup prior to the Syracuse game on Dec. 19 as senior Wes Clark was cleared to play by the NCAA, marking his first collegiate game since February 13, 2016 when he played for Missouri. Clark, who joined UB last January, has been practicing with Buffalo since then, but he was finally able to play in his first game at Syracuse.

Clark scored 15 points and had six assists in his UB debut, picking up the start and playing 34 minutes. Clark added 17 points and eight assists against Texas A&M. Clark scored 27 points in his Alumni Arena debut on Dec. 29, scoring 13 of those points in the overtime period. It was a new career high for Clark as he scored 26 against South Carolina, while playing for Missouri.

He played his high school basketball for Buffalo head coach Nate Oats at Romulus High School right outside of Detroit, MI.

Clark had 25 points and five assists in the win over Toledo. Despite playing in just eight games this season, Clark is tied for second on the team with 48 assists, averaging 6.0 a game.

In The Nick Of Time

Junior Nick Perkins got off to a fast start to the 2017-18 season as the Ypsilanti, MI native had a career-high 26 points in the season-opening win over Canisius. The 26 points were the most by a UB player in a season opener since Nikolai Alexeev had 26 against Niagara on November 19, 1999.

Perkins came off the bench for the first time this season against Syracuse and he ended up leading the Bulls in scoring with 18 points, while also pulling down seven rebounds, including six offensive ones. Perkins has had some of his best games against Power 5 competition. In addition to 18 against Syracuse on Dec. 19, Perkins had 20 points as a freshman against Miami (FL) in the NCAA Tournament, and last season he added 23 points at Pitt. He added 17 points against SEC foe Texas A&M. Perkins had his first double-double of the year with 24 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Toledo. He recorded back-to-back double-doubles following his 15 points and 11 rebounds at Ball State. Perkins has now come off the bench in seven straight games and he is averaging 17.1 points per game in those contests. Perkins was named the MAC East Player of the Week following back-to-back wins to open conference play where he averaged 19.5 point and 10.5 rebounds.

Perkins tied his career high with 26 points in the win over Northern Illinois and he currently leads UB in scoring in MAC play at 19.4 per game.

Deuces Wild

One the most of anticipated newcomers is wearing #2 on the Buffalo team and that is junior college transfer Jeremy Harris, who came to UB from Gulf Coast College, where he was ranked as the second best junior college player in the nation by JUCORecruiting.com.

Harris led the Bulls with 21 points and added 10 rebounds in the overtime contest against Rhode Island in the charity exhibition. He had a stretch for the Bulls where he scored eight straight points, erasing an eight-point deficit on his own. He led the team with 17 shots taken, but also added three assists and three steals. Harris recorded double doubles in both exhibition games as he added 13 points and 11 rebounds against Daemen. Harris had a pair of 17-point games during the Cayman Classic as he recorded double figures in scoring in all three games. He had17 points and six rebounds against nationally-ranked Cincinnati and added 17 points and four assists in the win over UAB. He had 11 points and five assists against South Dakota State. His best game so far came against Niagara as he finished with a career-high 23 points, going 5-of-8 from three-point range. He also added seven rebounds and six assists. Harris recorded his first career double-double against Central Penn and added 14 points and nine rebounds in the win over Robert Morris. Harris had a big afternoon against Ball State as he finished with 16 points in the win over the Cardinals. He followed that up by scoring a game-high 17 points in the win at Akron.

Harris continued his tear through MAC play as he tied his career high with 23 points in the win over Miami, recording his second double-double as he had 10 rebounds. Following the wins over Akron and Miami Harris was named the MAC East Player of the Week, the third straight week UB has done it with three different players.

Dialing From Long Distance

The Bulls had one of their best games from behind the arc in school history in the loss at nationally-ranked Texas A&M on Dec. 21. The Bulls hit 17 three-pointers in the game, second in school history, and the most since hitting 18 against Troy State on Feb. 22, 1996 when UB went 18-for-40 in the contest.

Buffalo shot 17-of-39 from behind the arc against the Aggies as four players hit at least three triples, led by a career-high six three pointers from CJ Massinburg. Senior Wes Clark and juniors Jeremy Harris and Montell McRae each hit three. McRae was a perfect 3-of-3. The 17 three's made by the Bulls were the most by a MAC school against a Division I opponent this year.

Sophomore Sensation

It can be argued that sophomore Davonta Jordan is one of the most improved players in the nation from last season and that was capped off with his first career 20-point game at Delaware. Jordan averaged just 2.5 points per game last year, but this season he is averaging 8.3 points per game. Through the first 18 games, Jordan has 149 points, almost double the 76 he scored all of last year. He has 11 three-pointers, nine more than last year. Jordan had 15 points in the win over Toledo, and he added eight points and four assists in the win over Akron.

Leading The Charge

Head coach Nate Oats begins his third year on the Buffalo sidelines, having comprised a record of 37-30 during his first two years. He is the only coach in UB school history to record 20 wins in his first season as a head coach and his 37 wins in his first two years are the second most by a UB coach behind only Bobby Hurley, who had 42 wins over his first two years.

Oats surpassed his predecessor on Dec. 9 vs. Central Penn as he picked up his 43rd win in his 76th game as head coach. With 50 career wins, Oats moved past V. William Hughes (1978-82) for seventh place on the all-time wins list. He is the fourth fastest UB head coach to 50 wins and the quickest in UB's Modern Era.

Giving 100%

The Bulls hit the magical 100-point number for the first time this season during their 106-87 victory at Niagara. The 106 points tied the school record for points scored in a road game, matching the total from March 2, 1974 at Rochester. It was only the fourth time ever that Buffalo had scored triple figures in a road game and it was the most points in a road game since a 100-92 win at Chicago State on November 21, 2001.

For the first time since the 1997-98 season, the Bulls hit 100 points in multiple games in the same season following their 104-94 win against Toledo in the MAC opener. The 104 points were the second most scored by UB in a MAC game and their most ever in regulation of a MAC contest. While the Bulls have already scored 100 or more twice against D-I schools, the rest of the league combined only has one 100-point performance against a D-I opponent.

Luck Of The Irish

Freshman Jayvon Graves comes to Buffalo from one of the most well known high schools in the country in the St.Vincent-St. Mary's out of Akron, OH, the same high school as NBA MVP and World Champion, LeBron James. Nicknamed the Fighting Irish, Graves and his high school teammates won the Ohio State Championship last season and Graves was named the Ohio State Player of the Year.

He had three points against Rhode Island, draining a three-pointer. Graves had a strong second half against Daemen and nearly put up a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds. Graves finished with nine points and four rebounds in the win over UAB. He added seven second half points against Delaware, while also pulling down six rebounds. Graves scored 11 points, while adding six rebounds in the win over Central Penn. He had his second straight double-digit performance with 10 points against Robert Morris.

Graves recorded a career high 16 points in the win at Ball State as he went 5-for-8 from the field, including 4-of-5 from behind the arc. He added 11 points in his homecoming at Akron and is now averaging 10.8 points per game in conference play.

Get Smart

Junior Ikenna Smart made his season debut on Saturday against Robert Morris after missing the first nine games of the season due to a back injury. Playing in his 67th career game, Smart recorded a new career high in scoring with 12 points as he went a perfect 6-of-6 from the field in 21 minutes of action. Smart was relentless on the offensive glass as he had six rebounds in total, four of those coming on the offensive end.

Cleveland Is The Reason

A native of Cleveland, OH Montell McRae is the new man in the middle for the Bulls. A transfer from South Plains Junior College, the same school as former UB player David Kadiri.

In the exhibition against Rhode Island, McRae had 10 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, while adding an assist, three blocks, and a steal. McRae had 10 points in the win over Jacksonville State for his first regular season double figures performance. He scored a new career high with 13 points against Central Penn. McRae went a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc against Texas A&M on Dec. 21. Playing close to his hometown of Cleveland, McRae had a big night at Akron as he finished with 11 points and five rebounds, including four on the offensive end.

University at Buffalo Athletics