For the Bulls' loyal fans and their thousands of new ones, last year's season was the stuff of dreams.
In early March of 2004, Alumni Arena was filled to capacity and chants of "You can't win here!" echoed loudly throughout the building. The "Mighty Maniacs" swarmed the court after the Bulls beat Kent State and after a first-round playoff win against Northern Illinois.
But head coach Reggie Witherspoon and the Bulls hope it's just the beginning.
With the core of last season's roster still intact, Buffalo has the weapons on the perimeter as well as in the paint to bring its opponents to their knees.
Senior point guard Turner Battle and sophomore forward Yassin Idbihi have both been named to the preseason all-conference team and Battle was named to the mid-major preseason first team earlier this week.
Buffalo will also be able to run a smooth offensive attack when teams try to contain forwards Yassin Idbihi and Mark Bortz. With their strong perimeter game, guards Calvin Cage and Jason Bird have the ability to scorch opposing defenses from beyond the arc, while also capitalizing on mistakes made by their opponents to come up with steals.
The team has worked hard in honing its shooting skills and becoming even stronger all around in the off-season.
"I've been hitting the weights a lot over the summer," said Cage. "I should be able to come into the season with some extra weight, around 10-15 pounds heavier. I'm ready to come in and shake things up."
Senior Jason Bird said he is confident that the team can play at a high level all season.
"We really feel like we can win every game on our schedule," said Bird. "This is the main reason players like myself decided to come to Buffalo. We knew our roles coming in and the challenges set before us. If we just do what we know we can do we should be successful. Everyone is coming back from last season. We came in with this on our shoulders, and we are ready to show the country what we are capable of."
Along with last season's cast of underdog sensations, Buffalo has added two freshmen to the roster: Wallace Hall, a 6-foot-3-inch guard from Detroit, Mich., and Christian Schmidt, a forward from Germany.
"They are coming along nicely," said Cage. "They are going to have the opportunity to help us out this season."
Witherspoon, the coach who has become a fan favorite, spoke on the unique role played by the team's freshmen this season.
"Wally and Schmidt have a great opportunity to do something that previously classes have not been able to enjoy and that is learn," said Witherspoon. "They will have the opportunity to watch before they are thrown into the mix, they are not going to have that burden placed on their backs this season. They are going to have the seniors needed to guide them, where other players have not had that in the past. They look great and I think they are going to be big for us when the time does come for them to play the minutes needed of them."
One of the largest obstacles that may stand between Buffalo and a MAC East title is the Toledo Rockets. The Rockets served as the roadblock in Buffalo's Cinderella season last year, defeating the Bulls in their MAC Tournament semifinal game 97-85 at Gund Arena in Cleveland.
The Rockets are a team very similar to Buffalo in terms of strong perimeter ability. Led by Senior Keith Triplett, who knows how to light it up from anywhere on the court, Toledo will bring the entire package when the Rockets face the Bulls on Jan. 9 at Alumni Arena.
"Toledo is actually the game I'm looking forward to," said Cage. "They can hit it on the perimeter and have a lot of balance. We feel we can beat them if we stay focused."
First, the Bulls have their sights set on the UConn Huskies, who will be led by sophomore Charlie Villenueva. The Bulls will also play a game in downtown Buffalo at HSBC Arena later this month against Larry Bird's former school, Indiana State.
Other notable games on UB's schedule include a regionally televised match-up against hometown rival Niagara on Dec. 11, a home game against Ball State Feb. 12 which will be on shown nationally on ESPN2, and a visit to Detroit to face the MAC Champion Western Michigan Broncos.
What it comes down to this season for the Bulls is very similar to what it came down to for the Bulls last season: fundamental execution.
"We need to get better every day," said Witherspoon, the reigning MAC Coach of the Year. "Last season we followed that formula and it worked pretty well for us. We just need to take each game at a time and we should have success."
One of the more significant components to the Bulls' success was the fan base. Last season, Amherst erupted in March and UB will need that same energy to continue for the entire season this year.
"The fans are absolutely crucial to us," said Bird. "The support is tremendous. I remember seeing the place empty and then within a few games seeing it full, and that's a huge feeling. They make the atmosphere scary for other teams coming in and I want to say thank you to the fans, we love your support. If you keep cheering us on we are going to make a lot of noise."
Calvin Cage echoed Bird's sentiments and added that the fans have a way of keeping the players energized.
"The fans are really important, I thrive off of them," said Cage. "They keep me fresh. When I begin feeling tired or out of energy, they juice me up and give me what I need to keep going."
Witherspoon added that the Bulls' final record this year is somewhat in the hands of the people in the stands.
"The fans have been huge for us," said Witherspoon. "The Mighty Maniacs are gigantic; they are what keeps us going. What the team does is based on the fans. I've passed on the word to other media outlets too, the Mighty Maniacs are the number one reason."
