No need to waste time here. How many people would have thought the Bulls would be 9-2 in the MAC, in sole possession of second place in the conference when the season started? I'm going to go out on a limb and say very few. Buffalo is 16-6 overall, and have a realistic shot at getting to 20 wins before the conference tournament starts. Regardless if you're pro Reggie or anti-Reggie, you would have to admit to that being a successful season (especially with only a 28 game schedule). More importantly, Buffalo sits at 9-2 in conference play, and control their own destiny in terms seeding in the MAC Championship. They even have decent shot at the #1 overall seed in the MACC, but to me just getting the 2 seed is important enough.
Buffalo 9-2, Kent State 8-3, Ohio/BGSU 7-4. Would you believe me if I told that a win tomorrow night can pretty much wrap up the #2 seed in the MAC? Well its true. A victory at Kent State Tuesday night would put the Bulls 2 games up on the golden flashes and the rest of the field. Being 2 games up with only 4 games to play seems like something only the New York Mets can blow. Even if Kent State were to somehow finished tied with UB, Buffalo would hold the first tiebreaker, which is record head to head (Buffalo would be 2-0 vs Kent). That means either Ohio or BGSU would have to find a way to at least tie the Bulls, but I can't see that happening with the East teams beating each other up.
A victory tomorrow night doesn't statistically guarantee the 2 seed in the conference tourney, but it pretty much slams the door on the most likely team to catch the Bulls. A loss at Kent State would tie things up with 4 games left, which pretty much makes it a wide open race. Unfortunately a Bulls victory is unlikely considering how mediocre the Bulls looked Saturday, how dominant Kent State looked, and the fact that the Bulls have never won at the MAC Center. They will play the game none-the-less, and despite how unlikely a Bulls victory seems, I guarantee Reggie and the boys know how important this game is. Wouldn't it be nice to see Buffalo leave Kent victorious, and to know the Bulls can be in their best position ever to win the MAC Tournament?