Hardwood Report Card

The men's basketball team (13-7, 7-3 Mid-American Conference) defeated Ball State (4-17, 1-9 MAC), 69-48, at home and Central Michigan (8-14, 1-9 MAC), 79-70, on the road this week and has won four of its last five.

Here is the sports staff's grading breakdown of how UB performed in each phase of the game.

Three-point shooting: B

The Bulls were average beyond the arc this week - which is a step up from last week's unsatisfactory performance. They struggled against the Cardinals, going 5 of 17 (29.4 percent), but shot almost 40 percent (7 of 18) against the Chippewas.

Two of the team's best shooters led Buffalo's outburst against Central Michigan. Senior guard Joshua Freelove shot 2 for 5 from three and freshman guard Shannon Evans hit three of six 3-pointers.

Foul shooting: A-

Against Ball State, Buffalo attempted 35 foul shots and missed nine for a shooting percentage of 74.3 percent. Had the game been closer, the foul shots could have meant more, but the Bulls pulled away early in the second half to make the missed shots a nonfactor.

In Saturday's game against Central Michigan, the Bulls attempted only 17 foul shots, but they hit 14 for a much more impressive 82.4 percent. During the two-game span, senior guard Jarod Oldham hit 15 of 17 from the line and senior forward Javon McCrea hit 8 of 11.

Ball control: B

The Bulls' assist-to-turnover ratio this week was nearly 1:1 (26 assists to 22 turnovers), which is surprising considering McCrea played 38 minutes on Saturday and scored 25 points with only five offensive rebounds - thus, UB did not have many extra possessions.

Evans and Oldham - the team's two primary point guards - did much of the scoring this week, with Oldham scoring 17 points against the Cardinals and 11 against the Chippewas. Evans scored eight on Wednesday and 19 on Saturday.

Overall offense: B+

Neither opponent this week should have been a challenge for the Bulls, but the weak offensive output against the Cardinals was a bit of a disappointment. Despite that, Buffalo's ability to outscore MAC scoring leader Chris Fowler and Central Michigan on Saturday was impressive, especially with double-digit performances from four players.

Look for McCrea to have a few more games like Saturday's as the Bulls' schedule gets tougher down the stretch.

Rebounding:A-

McCrea's 20-rebound performance highlights a terrific week on the boards for the Bulls. Buffalo allowed only seven offensive rebounds on Saturday and the Bulls outrebounded both Central Michigan and Ball State.

The Bulls captured 40 boards on Saturday for the first time since Jan. 29.

Defense: A

The Bulls allowed only 48 points on Wednesday - the second time this season they've allowed fewer than 50 points. The Buffalo 'D' held Ball State to 35.2 percent shooting from the field and forced 17 turnovers on Wednesday.

Bench production: B

Buffalo's bench production revolves around Evans, and he didn't disappoint this week.

The freshman played 37 minutes Saturday in his 19-point outburst. Evans led the Bulls with three 3-pointers on Saturday. Jarryn Skeete returned to the Buffalo lineup on Saturday, but he played just 10 minutes off the bench.

Coaching: A

It's hard to complain when the team allows only 48 points in one game and sweeps two conference games in February. The Bulls have looked impressive lately, winning four of their last five, and it seems the team is grasping Hurley's system.

The schedule gets more difficult to close the season as the Bulls look to extend their winning streak, so we will find out more about this team in upcoming weeks.

email: sports@ubspectrum.com