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UB-Akron Game Analysis

UB 82, Akron 70

How UB Won: Zach Filzen found room to shoot. The bench came up big in the first half. Jarod Oldham continues to evolve into a quality Division I point guard. And Mitchell Watt and Javon McCrea played strong against Akron's imposing front line. It all factored in as the Bulls reduced the number of MAC unbeatens to zero.

Player of the Game: Filzen's 21 were huge but Oldham was The Man at point guard. He went for 11 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals in 27 minutes. Only a sophomore, he could throw a triple-double on books before his days here are over.

Opposing Player of the Game: Quincy Diggs came off the bench for 17 points and five rebounds and nailed a pair of threes.

Stat of the Game: UB produced 23 assists on 29 field goals. It was a complete turnaround from Saturday's second half at Miami, when the lumbering offense was plagued by turnovers and managed just 13 shots.

They Said It . .

UB's Mitchell Watt on Akron's front line: "Akron's post playes are pretty tough. I'm pretty impressed with both of them, especially Cvetinovic. He has a motor so he keeps you honest all game. There's really no sitting back with that guy. And Zeke's a (7) footer. So it was a good challenge. I think everybody rose to it."

UB coach Reggie Witherspoon on Cameron Downing's seven-point, three-minute first half: "He did play pretty good didn't he? The Deisel. Big guys sometimes, there's ups and downs, sometimes there's three steps forward two steps back. But we had a lot of conversations with him. And we had a deep conversation last night. He made me tear a hole in my pants. ...It's about getting him to be assertive and aggressive."

Akron coach Keith Dambrot on the showdown: "We knew we were going to get Buffalo's best shot.Their back was against the wall. They had to win. We knew they were going to come at us hard. We knew they're phsyically strong enough to play with us.""

Dambrot on Ohio's 87-65 victory over Kent State Wednesday: "That shocks me. I know Ohio's a good team. They did to us down there last year. But I've never seen that happen to Kent since I've been in the league."

In the House: They announced that 1,700 students were in the crowd of 3,095, the highest student representation since 2005.

What It Means: UB's 2-2 in the MAC and tied for second with Kent, Ohio and Bowling Green. Akron continues to lead the pack.

What's Next: The Bulls travel to Bowling Green Saturday while Akron renews its rivalry with Kent.

-- Bob DiCesare

UB vs. Akron Live

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UB-Kent Game Analysis

UB 66, Kent 65

How UB Won: A zone enabled UB to avoid foul trouble in the first half and switch to man-to-man in the second. After making 14 of 27 first-half shots the Golden Flashes went just 12 of 33 post intermission.  Bulls also won the boards, 42-30, to negate their 14 turnovers (against just seven for Kent State). Javon McCrea got the better of reigning MAC Player of the Year Justin Greene, outscoring him, 25-16. And Jarod Oldham continues to make strides at the point. He had six assists and four turnovers against a physical defense.

Player of the Game: Who'd have thought during his freshman season that McCrea would ever be competent at the free throw line? He made 7 of 9 in his 25-point effort, grabbed six boards, handed out two assists and blocked a shot. McCrea's 40 for 64 from the line this season after shooting a hair better than 50 percent as a freshman. His last two games against Kent State: 53 points, 19 boards.

Best Supporting Player: Titus Robinson is thriving in a reserve role. He scored 14 points and had six boards in 22 minutes on a night when UB got just 16 points from its reserves. And he played with passion.

Game-Changer: Kent suffered at both ends when Greene fouled out with 4:52 remaining.

Stat of the Game: The Bulls shot 55 percent from the field in the second half -- and 42.9 percent from the foul line.

Stat of the Game II: Kent seniors will graduate having never won a game in Buffalo.

Concern: Free throws. The Bulls are 57 of 100 the last three games. But at least they're getitng to the line. This was the sixth times they've had at least 30 attempts. They've gone to the line 327 times, 98 more than the opposition.

In the House: I'm really starting to think the Bulls count the house and subtract 1,000. The crowd was annouced at 2,386. It looked like at least 3,500.

What It Means: The MAC East is a mine field this year so it's important to take care of business at home. And this was only the fifth win in 14 conference openers for the Bulls. They're 8-4 overall and tied for the division lead with Bowling Green and Akron.

Next Up: The Bulls will spend a week without classes in southwest Ohio, playing the Bobcats in Athens on Wednesday night and meeting Miami in Oxford on Saturday night.

-- Bob DiCesare

 

 

UB-Kent Live

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Big 4 hoops chat with Bob DiCesare

Turner Gill and Liberty a match

Asked what a Texan who played at Nebraska would take the head coach job at UB, Turner Gill told me at the time that he prayed on it. A man of deep faith, Gill bounced back from two rocky years at Kansas by taking the head job at Liberty, a faith-based university with a recent history of football success.

It's a perfect fit on Gill, who from my understanding could take another job and still receive the bulk of his $6 million buyout from Kansas. Liberty went 47-20 and 26-5 in the Big South under Danny Rocco, the new coach at Richmond. So Gill's not starting from the depths, as he did at UB. It's a chance for him to reestablish his credentials and, if he does, find new opportunities.

Gill wasn't given enough time to do the job at Kansas -- not even close -- although it was alarming the degree to which the Jayhawks were routinely shallacked. All that said, Gill always struck me as someone best suited to the underlying levels of college football. He can recruit. He builds relationships with his players. He's committed to family. And, truth is, little of that matters in Automatic Qualifierville.

--Bob DiCesare

Former UB coach Gill takes job at Liberty

Former University at Buffalo and Kansas football coach Turner Gill has accepted the head coaching job at Liberty University, according to a number of media outlets. The program plays at the Football Championship Subdivision level (formerly Division I-AA).

Here is the story from the The News & Advance in Lynchburg, Va., where the school is located.