Buffalo’s latest attempt to become “big-time” now includes competition against a defending national champion.
The men and women’s basketball teams announced its schedule for the 2015-16 season Friday, highlighted by the men’s two-game stretch against Iowa State and defending NCAA Champion Duke. The women’s schedule is headlined by an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) matchup with Clemson.
Men’s
The men’s team will face perhaps its toughest road trip in years when it travels to Cameron Indoor Stadium to take Duke Blue Devils and then to Hilton Coliseum to take on the Iowa State Hawkeyes. Last season, the Blue Devils defeated the Wisconsin Badgers to win the NCAA Tournament while the Hawkeyes lost in the first round of the Tournament as a No. 3 seed.
With the game against the Blue Devils, the Bulls will have played against three of the 2015 Final Four teams during the past two seasons.
The Bulls travel to yet another Tournament school, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), on Dec. 22. The Rams earned a No. 7 seed in last year’s Tournament before they were bounced by No. 10 seed Ohio State.
Despite the tough competition later, Buffalo opens its season in Alumni Arena with two games against sub-Division I teams. The Bulls host Daemen, which is making the jump from D-III to D-II this season, in the season opener on Nov. 6 and Division-III Pitt. at Bradford on Nov. 13.
Buffalo opens Mid-American Conference Play against Akron in Alumni Arena on Jan. 5. Some highlights on the Bulls’ MAC schedule include a rematch with the team they defeated in the Conference Tournament Final, Central Michigan, in Alumni Arena on Jan. 16. The Bulls have a three-game home stand in February against Eastern Michigan, Toledo and Ohio.
The Bulls are currently reeling after star forward and MAC Player of the Year Justin Moss’ expulsion from UB earlier this week for an on-campus theft in June. Senior forward Raheem Johnson and sophomore guard Mory Diane were also involved but will remain on the team.
The Bulls already lost both former head coach Bobby Hurley and star point guard Shannon Evans to Arizona State. New head coach Nate Oats will have to rely on sophomore guard Lamonte Bearden and a plethora of newcomers in his first season.
Women’s
Other than MAC play, Daemen is the only school to show up on both the men and women’s schedules. The women’s team will play the Wildcats in its final exhibition match before beginning its season hosting Long Island University on Nov. 14.
The Bulls’ biggest matchup will come at the end of November when they take on American Athletic Conference-opponent Central Florida and ACC-opponent Clemson as part of the UCF Thanksgiving Tournament. Like the men, the women’s team is also slated to play all of the Big-4 teams in Western New York, comprised of Canisius (Nov. 17), St. Bonaventure (Dec. 9) and Niagara (Dec. 21).
The Bulls play at Eastern Michigan on Jan. 2 to open up MAC Play and will also get a February three-game home stand, only theirs will come against Eastern Michigan, Miami Ohio and Bowling Green.
The women’s team is also reeling since last season, with the graduation of senior forwards Kristen Sharkey and Christa Baccas, as well as guard Mackenzie Loesing’s career-ending ankle injury and the transfer of forward Alexus Malone. The leading returners for head coach Felisha Legette-Jack will be sophomore guard Stephanie Reid and junior guard Joanna Smith.
Full women’s schedule:
Tuesday 11/3 - Clarion #
Saturday 11/7 - Daemen #
Saturday 11/14 - LIU-Brooklyn
Tuesday 11/17 - Canisius
Saturday 11/21 - @ Massachusetts
Wednesday 11/25 – Cornell
Saturday 11/28 - @ Central Florida
Sunday 11/29 - vs Clemson @ The University of Central Florida
Thursday 12/3 - @ Hofstra
Sunday 12/6 - Duquesne
Wednesday 12/9 - @ St. Bonaventure
Friday 12/21 - @ Niagara
Saturday 12/29 - @ Sacred Heart
MAC play:
Saturday 1/2 - @ Eastern Michigan
Wednesday 1/6 - Central Michigan
Saturday 1/9 - @ Kent State
Wednesday 1/13 - @ Ball State
Saturday 1/16 - Akron
Wednesday 1/20 - Western Michigan
Saturday 1/23 - @ Miami
Saturday 1/30 - @ Northern Illinois
Wednesday 2/3 - Ohio
Saturday 2/6 - Ball State
Wednesday 2/10 - @ Toledo
Saturday 2/13 - @ Bowling Green
Wednesday 2/17 - Eastern Michigan
Saturday 2/20 - Miami
Wednesday 2/24 - Bowling Green
Saturday 2/27 - @ Ohio
Wednesday 3/2 - @ Akron
Saturday 3/5 - Kent State
# Exhibition game
Full men’s schedule:
Friday 11/6 - Daemen
Friday 11/13 – Pittsburgh at Bradford
Monday 11/16 - @ Old Dominion
Wednesday 11/18 - @ St. Joseph's
Saturday 11/21 - North Carolina A&T @ Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT
Sunday 11/22 - Niagara / Vermont @ Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT
Saturday 11/28 - Canisius
Wednesday 12/2 - St. Bonaventure
Saturday 12/5 - @ Duke
Tuesday 12/8 - @ Iowa State
Saturday 12/12 - Binghamton
Saturday 12/19 - Montana State
Saturday 12/22 - @ VCU
Saturday 12/29 - Delaware
MAC play:
Tuesday 1/5 - Akron
Friday 1/8 - @ Kent State
Tuesday 1/12 - @ Eastern Michigan
Saturday 1/16 - Central Michigan
Tuesday 1/19 - @ Miami
Saturday 1/23 - @ Western Michigan
Tuesday 1/26 - Ball State
Saturday 1/30 - @ Toledo
Tuesday 2/2 - @ Northern Illinois
Saturday 2/6 - Eastern Michigan
Tuesday 2/9 - Toledo
Saturday 2/13 - Ohio
Tuesday 2/16 - @ Akron
Saturday 2/20 - Bowling Green
Tuesday 2/23 - Kent State
Saturday 2/27 - @ Ohio
Tuesday 3/1 - Miami
Friday 3/4 - @ Bowling Green
Jordan Grossman is the co-senior sports editor and can be reached at jordan.grossman@ubspectrum.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jordanmgrossman.
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
Photo: Paul Hokanson / UB Athletics
