"""Three-J"" Cooper Thwarted Bulls Run in MAC"

Most students probably missed how the men's basketball season came to a screeching halt in 2012.

To catch you up, we're going to tell you two stories: how the Bulls lost to a team in the Sweet 16 (yes, of the NCAA Tournament), and how the postseason came to a close. So buckle up.

It was a duel at Quicken Loans Arena between two of the top three vote getters for the 2012 Mid-American Conference Player-of-the-Year in the MAC semifinals. Both players lived up to the expectations.

Senior forward Mitchell Watt won the individual battle with an absolutely dominating performance.

But Ohio guard D.J. Cooper and the rest of the Bobcats had the last laugh.

Cooper, and Ohio (29-7, 11-5 MAC) caught fire from downtown, as the Bulls (20-11, 12-4 MAC) were unable to keep up and comeback from a 15-point second half deficit. A last-second potentially game-tying midcourt heave by sophomore guard Jarod Oldham barely missed, hitting the back of the rim as the clock expired. Buffalo fell 77-74 to the Bobcats, ending the hopes of its first NCAA tournament appearance.

Cooper, who came into the contest shooting under 29 percent from three on the season, defied the odds and turned in an electric performance. He sank five 3-pointers in the first half alone. Even as Buffalo put multiple guys on Cooper, he found ways to get the ball through the net.

"Every time I shoot I feel like it's gonna go in," Cooper said after the game on March 9. "Tonight, a few more dropped than I've been hitting all season. When you hit a few in a row it feels like all of them are going to go in."

Cooper wasn't the only Bobcat hurting the Bulls from downtown.

Ohio guards Walter Offut and Nick Kellogg also hit two 3-pointers apiece, as Ohio made a remarkable 10 threes in the first half. The Bulls tried multiple defensive looks to stop the Bobcats, but it was to no avail.

"It was just a great night shooting for Ohio," Watt said. "Whether we were in man or zone, it just seems like they just kept shooting from further and further back."

Even with the shooting barrage of Ohio, the Bulls were able to shake off a cold start to get themselves back into the contest. Buffalo was within four points of the lead late in the first half, when Watt was hit with a technical foul for pulling himself up on the rim following a dunk - a call that left the Buffalo fans, and especially Watt, upset.

"I'm probably going to get in trouble for saying this," Watt said. "But a lot of refs that call that, they've never known what it's like to be above the rim, above other players, not knowing who's underneath you. When you're going that fast, and jumping that high, your safety is at risk. If you let go too soon, you've seen another MAC player, [former Miami (Ohio) player] Wally Szczerbiak, get hurt for the whole season."

While the Bobcats won the opportunity to play top-ranked Akron (22-10, 13-3 MAC) for the MAC title and an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament, the Bulls' quest to go dancing for the first time in program history ended abruptly and after so much hope had created a buzz around the program.

But the MAC Player of the Year winner refused to go down without a fight.

Watt submitted arguably his best performance in his Buffalo career. In his final MAC tournament game, he set a new career-high in scoring, as he tallied 32 points. He also was a beast on the boards, as he reached double figures in the rebounding department with 11.

Watt did it on an array of hook shots, power dunks, up-and-under layups around confused defenders. Shots from about 16-18 feet from the basket, and even banked a 3-pointer, as his performance solidified the effort he has put up all year for the Bulls.

"He's a terrific player," said Ohio head coach John Groce. "He's the epitome of a student-athlete, that's one of the reasons why I have a lot of respect for him. My gosh has he worked, and he competes. He was an absolute beast for the last 5-6 games of the season. He has a bright future after college; I think he could play for a long time."

Despite the bitter loss, head coach Reggie Witherspoon was happy with the effort that the Bulls displayed.

"It was a hard-fought game," Witherspoon said. "I thought our guys showed tremendous heart and desire. I'm really proud of them."

The Bulls, unable to earn a NCAA at-large bid, or a bid to the NIT, but were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Invitational Tournament, where they took on American (20-12) in the first round. With dominating performances by senior guard Zach Filzen and sophomore forward Javon McCrea, scoring 18 points apiece, the Bulls emerged with a 78-61 win. Buffalo played well on the defensive end, holding the Eagles to 33 percent shooting throughout the game.

"I thought we were pretty locked in defensively," Witherspoon said. "I just think our guys communicated very well. [American] is a team that wants to stretch you out, so we did a good job of staying locked in."

That momentum from the American game did not last very long, as Buffalo's season ended with a tough 84-76 loss to Oakland (19-15). Despite a career-high performance in points by junior guard Tony Watson with 19, Golden Grizzlies' guard Reggie Hamilton poured in 29 points to lead all scorers. Turnovers were the Achilles' heel for the Bulls, as they gave the ball up 17 times in the game.

Despite shooting the ball well, hitting 12 3-pointers and shooting 49 percent from the field, Buffalo was unable to get to the line, as they had a season-low four free throw attempts throughout the game.

"It was a hard-fought game. Both teams shot it pretty well from three," Witherspoon said. "One of the teams got to the free throw line and one obviously didn't and that was the difference of the game."

The loss at Oakland concludes the Bulls' season. It also concludes the careers of the winningest class in Buffalo's history.

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com