By Paul Gotham
The Big 4 doesn’t have a championship. If it did, the winner of Wednesday night’s meeting at the Reilly Center would serve the purpose.
Bobby Hurley’s University at Buffalo Bulls and Mark Schmidt’s St. Bonaventure Bonnies, coming off convincing wins Saturday at the Big 4 Classic doubleheader, will do battle on Bob Lanier Court.
This series lacks the history of other Western New York rivalries. UB and St. Bona have met just eight times previously with Bona holding a 6-2 advantage (the Bonnies have played Canisius on 163 occasions and Niagara 153). Everything needs a starting point, and Wednesday night might be just that.
On the surface this is a non-conference game in early December, but it is hard to ignore the potential season-defining implications of this Big 4 tilt. Two teams, with something to prove and at possible fragile junctures in each of their growth processes.
UB (4-1) was picked in the pre-season to finish fourth (out of six) in the Mid American Conference’s east division. Bona, also 4-1, was tabbed 10th out of 14 teams in the Atlantic 10.
The Bulls, out of the conference which regularly gets snubbed for at-large bids (see 27-win Toledo waiting at the altar) versus Bona from the A-10 which sent six teams to the 2014 NCAA Tournament – one year after getting five “Dance” invitations the previous year.
Bona won the 2012 A-10 title and earned the school’s first NCAA bid in more than a decade. UB, which is looking for their first NCAA trip, puts their trust in Hurley who guided back-to-back Duke University teams to national titles.
Hurley’s club has looked impressive in their wins, but their first-half performance in a loss at no.1 ranked Kentucky left business unfinished. The young Bulls led the Wildcats by five after 20 minutes before succumbing.
Until Saturday, the Bonnies struggled to find consistent offensive rhythm a challenge which Schmidt pointed to as the result of zone defenses designed to contain 7-0 center Youssou Ndoye. UB went 2-3 a year ago. A game which UB won 78-73 with Matthew Wright, Bona’s best 3-pt. threat, on the bench during the second half with an ankle injury. UB looks ready to give a steady diet of man-to-man this season.
Ndoye, though averaging a double-double this season, notched his first performance of such with 23 points and 11 rebounds against Niagara. Comes as no surprise this occurred against a team which primarily played man-to-man.
UB counters with Justin Moss. What UB’s 6-7 forward gives up in height, he gains in center of gravity. Ndoye tips the scales at 245. Moss pushes 240. Moss the reigning Big 4 Player of the Week, averages 17.6 points a game with 9.2 rebounds. And he has this on his resume:
Ndoye has these:
The biggest challenge for Moss and Ndoye might be staying out of foul trouble with both already having picked up their fifth in a single contest.
Then there are the backcourts. UB’s boasts an athletic tandem of starting guards in freshman Lamonte Bearden and sophomore Shannon Evans who can make decisions in transition and execute in the half court. Possessing speed and handle, Bearden and Evans are tough to contain. Bearden netted a career-high 23 in UB’s win over Canisius on Saturday. After the game Hurley, the NCAA’s all-time assist leader with 1,076, said of Bearden: “He’s one of the best guards I have been around.”
Junior Jarryn Skeete scored a season-high 16 in UB’s 71-52 loss at UK. The 6-3 guard hit 6-of-8 from the floor including 3-of-4 behind the arc.
The Bonnies have sporadically used full-court pressure this season. Will they be able to get into it before Bearden and Evans advance the ball?
Bona’s Marcus Posley, who garnered the inaugural Big 4 Player of the Week, has some familiarity with UB. A junior transfer from Ball State, Posley leads five Bonnies in double figures. The 6-1 guard combines the strength to get in the lane and finish in traffic while hitting 12-of-36 from long range. Posley played in two games against the Bulls while with Ball State during his freshman season.
Jay Adams grabbed A-10 Rookie of the Week honors. The 6-0 guard is hitting 48 percent (13-27) from long range for the Brown and White. Iakeem Alston showed signs he has recovered from an earlier ankle injury. The 6-0 guard dished out four assists and scored five points in 13 minutes of playing time over the weekend.
The game may be decided by the front courts where SBU has Andell Cumberbatch (14 ppg/ 7 rpg/ 4 apg) and Dion Wright (12.6 ppg/ 8.8 rpg). Chris Dees and Xavier Smith have provided valuable minutes off the bench for Schmidt. UB counters with Will Regan (4.8 ppg/ 4.2 rpg), Rodell Wiggington (6.4 ppg/ 3.4 rpg) and Xavier Ford (3.4 ppg/ 6.2 rpg). Raheem Johnson also logs more than a dozen minutes a game for the Bulls.
Bona defeated Niagara, 74-59 on Saturday.
The Bona student section has been known to tip the balance for the Bonnies. Can they create a more intimidating atmosphere than Kentucky’s Rupp Arena? Will we see a floor slap or the Bulls equivalent of defensive unity tonight?
Tip time is seven bells. The sound you just heard was a few more tickets being purchased.
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