The stage is set for a crucial early season showdown at the ‘Taps' Gallagher Center on Wednesday night.
The men's basketball team will attempt to quickly rebound from its blowout loss on Saturday to fourth-ranked Purdue.
Standing in the way is cross-town foe Niagara (6-3, 2-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference), a team that has yet to be defeated on its home floor this season.
The Bulls (3-3) will be tested on both ends of the floor, and head coach Reggie Witherspoon knows how difficult the Purple Eagles will be for his squad.
'I think [Niagara] is a tough team, especially in [its] building,' Witherspoon said. 'It's a small place and it's going to take a heightened level of concentration [to get the win].'
The concentration level is an important area of focus for a team that unraveled against the Boilermakers when it needed to be at its very best. At the very least, the lopsided contest could serve as a learning experience for the Bulls.
'I hope it's a learning experience,' Witherspoon said. 'I hope we are able to learn from every experience. We made some mistakes and [Purdue] took advantage of them and we can only hope to learn from them.'
Inconsistent play has hindered the Bulls all season and Witherspoon thinks that the days following the loss have helped in fixing that particular issue.
'I think our guys have practiced hard [this week],' Witherspoon said. 'I don't think it was so much Purdue, it was [more so] what we did against Purdue and what we didn't do. That is what we have to focus on, going forward.'
Fortunately for the Bulls, arguably Niagara's best player will be missing the contest. First Team All-MAAC standout Bilal Benn will be sitting on the bench during Wednesday's contest recovering from a knee surgery. The senior was averaging 15.6 points per game and 11 rebounds a game.
But Witherspoon knows his team should focus on the entire Niagara attack, which has four other players that have averaged double-digit point totals this season.
'They have a couple of [good players], including [seniors] Tyrone Lewis and Rob Garrison,' Witherspoon said.' So for us, we can't make it a one-on-one situation, we have to be able to play their [entire] team.'
Lewis started off the year on the bench because of injury, but has picked up right where he left off a year ago when he earned First Team All-MAAC honors and MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. Garrison is a perfect fit to complement the other two stars. He does what the team needs him to do and can pick up the scoring when other players have an off night.
Sophomore forward Mitchell Watt is an important piece in the Buffalo game plan. He started off strong this season but has struggled lately, and Witherspoon expects him to be rejuvenated after dealing with illness.
'We're trying to get Mitchell to bounce back,' Witherspoon said. 'He had a health issue, and so we're trying to help him bounce back from that and hopefully he'll do just that.'
Witherspoon is trying not to put too much emphasis on this game, but realizes it's another opportunity for his team to improve. While a win wouldn't hurt, he needs his team to remain focused.
'I think it's another opportunity for us to go out there and get better,' Witherspoon said. 'I've learned that if you attach too much to [a game] and you do win, you relax afterwards anyway. No matter how we play, we have to use it to get better and try to be better after the game is over.'
The senior duo of Rodney Pierce and Calvin Betts must elevate its play if the Bulls hope to offset the offensive prowess of the Purple Eagles. Pierce has been playing well as of late, and Betts is coming off a 17-point performance against the Boilermakers.
While Witherspoon doesn't think about it specifically, he is anxious to see significant improvement from his team as a whole.
'I haven't evaluated from the standpoint of being pleased or satisfied or not pleased,' Witherspoon said. 'We have some things we need to improve on and get better at and that's the kind of thing we think about on a daily basis.'
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday night.
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