For the UB men's basketball team, the good news is that the season is almost over, because this year's campaign has been a nightmarish one for the team.
The Bulls have suffered through last second losses against Kent State and Miami, their worst offensive showing in 25 years, and the loss of two of their best players in Turner Battle and Clement Smith. Oh, and they've won only one game since mid-December.
Despite all that, the team still goes into practice each day and works hard to correct the things that have been hurting them all year long.
"At times it gets frustrating because we know we're a lot better than our record shows," said freshman guard Roderick Middleton. "Everyday in practice we compete hard and in games we compete hard but it seems like we can't come through and get that win. At times we get a little frustrated but we all still have confidence and we believe in what we can do so we just go out and try to play hard every day."
Last week, the Bulls (4-20, 1-14 MAC) were preparing for a two-game road trip to Michigan. They will face the Eastern Michigan Eagles (12-11, 6-8 MAC) Monday night at the Convocation Center in Ypsilanti. Wednesday night they will take on the Western Michigan Broncos (15-8, 7-7 MAC) at the University Arena in Kalamazoo. Both games can be heard on WWKB-AM 1520.
Monday's game is a big one for the Bulls if they want to end the season on a positive note. EMU is on a three-game winning streak and have the MAC West Co-Player of the Week in Michael Ross. As bleak as it may seem for the Bulls, they do have an edge on EMU.
The Bulls have won the last three contests in the series and the Eagles are the only MAC team that has lost to UB this year. That game, on Feb. 11, was by far the Bulls' best effort of the year. Buffalo blew out EMU 90-66 at Alumni Arena.
In addition, the Eagles have the worst defense in the MAC. They allow an average of 77.8 points per game.
In that last game the Eagles tried matching up with the Bulls man-to-man and UB took advantage. Buffalo hit a school record 67.2 percent of their field goal attempts and hit four of seven 3-pointers.
This time around Buffalo expects to see less man defense and more zone, which is what most teams have played against them this season. The Bulls have struggled against the zone all season and their record has reflected it.
"Man to man a lot of teams don't want to cover us because we're pretty good against it," said senior guard Davis Lawrence. "So in the zone we just have to get more comfortable and work through it."
The Bulls face a very balanced attack when they are on defense. The Eagles sport four players who average ten points or more per game. As a team they average 78.5 points per game on offense, third best in the league.
Ryan Prillman leads the team with 17.7 points per game. Markus Austin, Steve Pettyjohn and Michael Ross average 14.8, 12.4 and 10.3 ppg respectively. Ross has also chipped in 120 assists on the year, the second most in the conference.
In contrast to EMU, Western Michigan is an excellent defensive team, allowing just 61.4 ppg. Despite their defense, the Broncos have lost three of their last four and are not playing nearly as well as they were when they were beating teams like Virginia Tech, Auburn and Michigan.
The Broncos are led by senior guard Robby Collum, who ranks second on the team with 13.4 ppg and is sixth in the league with 4.16 assists per game. Defensively, Collum is ranked first in the MAC in steals with 70.
The Bulls expect Western Michigan to use their big men, Mike Williams and Anthony Kann, who are averaging 13.2 and 14.4 ppg respectively.
"I think they're going to try to go inside and attack our post players," said Bulls head coach Reggie Witherspoon. "We can handle them, we're just going to have to be ready to compete."
If nothing else, the games can give the young Bulls something to build on heading into next season. Freshmen and sophomores have played the majority of the team's minutes this year, giving the team's younger players some invaluable experience.
"Obviously the younger guys want to win," said Witherspoon. "But in terms of the minutes that they're getting I think that it's helped them develop. They've been put in some close games, they've been close at home, and they've been close on the road. They've had opportunities and I think it's affected them in a way that will allow them to develop."
The Bulls understand that the younger guys have a lot of learning to do and that the wins will come eventually.
"It's up to the older guys on the team to get these guys focused," said Lawrence. "They have to understand that this is college basketball. Sometimes there are going to be some down times and you just have to keep on working and make the best of it."
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
