:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/4613971/2lq2eaywnbq6tvsd.0.jpg)
The Buffalo Bulls seem to be coming out of their post Mitchell Watt stupor a little bit each game. Slowly but surly this is becoming Javon McCrea's team and to prove it the Junior put 31 points up on Wisconsin - Milwaukee panthers to help UB score just their second division one win of the season.
Coach Reggie Witherspoon and his squad have paid a hefty price for their slow start. The Bulls ave lost two or three winnable games, include two of their three against the "Big Four". UB has also seen its RPI drop well below 200 because of the slow start.
Still in the MAC the road to the NCAA championship goes through conference play and those early losses have no impact on UB's success in Cleveland.
Niagara is also carrying around what could be a deceptively bad record. The Purps' have played some good teams and lost some close games. Like Buffalo they are coming off of their third win of the season and hope to build on it by beating a local foe.
The Purple Eagles are led by Antoine Mason's 18 points per game. The Junior Guard is shooting just shy of 50% on the season and has put up 24 or more points three times, including in a heart breaking loss to Central Michigan. Like the rest of his team Mason is stingy, giving up less than two turnovers per game.
Only one Niagara player averages more than two and that's Juan`ya Green who's three turnovers per game is more than made up for by his 15 plus points per contest.
The two teams are pretty evenly matched with UB being a slightly better rebounding and shooting team while Niagara plays a cleaner game, not turning the ball over. The Purps' also are more adept at generating steals
| Rank | UB | Category | NU | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 216 | RPI Rank | 201 | ||
| 106 | SOS Rank | 134 | ||
| -0.3 | 3-7 | Overall | 3-5 | -0.38 |
| -0.33 | 1-2 | Home | 2-1 | -0.67 |
| -0.4 | 2-3 | Away | 1-3 | -0.25 |
| 0 | 0-2 | Neutral | 0-1 | 0 |
| -0.5 | 1-1 | Blowout (+ 19) | 0-0 | 0 |
| 0 | 0-3 | Close (- 6) | 2-2 | -0.5 |
| (270) | 62.4 | Pts Per Game | 74.9 | (65) |
| (266) | 65.2 | Poss Per Game | 70.8 | (84) |
| (230) | 0.96 | Pts Per Poss | 1.06 | (96) |
| (178) | 50.5 | Floor Pct | 53.7 | (91) |
| 23.3 | FG Made Per Game | 26.2 | ||
| 52.1 | FG Att Per Game | 60.6 | ||
| (124) | 44.7 | FG Pct | 43.3 | (180) |
| 10.3 | FT Made Per Game | 14.4 | ||
| 15.3 | FT Att Per Game | 22.5 | ||
| (209) | 67.3 | FT Pct | 63.9 | (276) |
| 5.5 | 3FG Made Per Game | 8 | ||
| 15.9 | 3FG Att Per Game | 23.2 | ||
| (135) | 34.6 | 3pt FG Pct | 34.4 | (141) |
| (134) | 50 | Effective FG Pct | 49.9 | (138) |
| (165) | 52.6 | True Shooting Pct | 52.5 | (168) |
| (294) | 29.4 | Free Throw Rate | 37.1 | (145) |
| (80) | 57.1 | 2pt FG Point Pct | 48.7 | (250) |
| (191) | 26.4 | 3pt FG Point Pct | 32.1 | (71) |
| (298) | 16.5 | FT Point Pct | 19.2 | (198) |
| (125) | 36.8 | RPG | 35.5 | (164) |
| (151) | 11.7 | Off Rebs Per Game | 12.9 | (82) |
| (72) | 36.9 | Off Reb Pct | 32.9 | (169) |
| (111) | 25.1 | Def Rebs Per Game | 22.6 | (231) |
| (94) | 70.7 | Def Reb Pct | 65.3 | (265) |
| (61) | 15 | Assists Per Game | 13.8 | (128) |
| (19) | 64.4 | Assist Pct | 52.4 | (202) |
| (208) | 0.87 | A/T Ratio | 1.12 | (67) |
| (277) | 5.7 | Steals Per Game | 7.4 | (144) |
| (268) | 8.7 | Steal Pct | 10.4 | (181) |
| (85) | 4.4 | Blocks Per Game | 2.6 | (257) |
| (75) | 8 | Block Pct | 4.6 | (268) |
| (32) | 17.2 | TOPG | 12.2 | (283) |
| (17) | 26.4 | Turnover Pct | 17.3 | (309) |
| (54) | 20.1 | Fouls Per Game | 20.6 | (40) |