Miami of Ohio did the Bulls a huge favor last night. The Redhawks defended their home floor against Kent and, in the process, gave UB a half game leg up for the number two seed. The win means that all UB needs to do to secure a double by is to take care of their home floor throughout the remainder of conference play.
That home defense starts tonight when DJ Cooper the Ohio Bobcats come to Alumni Arena attempting to sweep the Bulls this season.
Cooper and the Cats are running on a two game winning streak including a bracket buster win (over UNC Asheviile) which set them apart from the other top MAC team's who all tripped up during the bracket busters. He and Walter Offutt are each putting up more than ten points a game.
| Team | W-L | Conf | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Akron | 19-8 | 11-1 |
| 2 | Buffalo | 16-8 | 9-3 |
| 3 | Kent State | 19-8 | 9-4 |
| 4 | Ohio | 21-6 | 8-4 |
| 5 | Bowling Green | 14-12 | 7-5 |
| 6 | Emich | 11-16 | 6-6 |
| 7 | WMU | 11-16 | 5-7 |
| 8 | Miami (OH) | 9-17 | 5-8 |
| 9 | Ball State | 13-12 | 4-8 |
| 9 | Toledo | 13-14 | 4-8 |
| 11 | CMU | 8-18 | 3-9 |
| 12 | NIU | 3-22 | 2-10 |
Six foot eight forward Reggie Keely is the main threat OU brings in the paint. He is averaging five rebounds a game.
Buffalo is the better shooting team, particularly from the outside. The Bobcats have at times really made a go of it from beyond the arch but it always seems like thats not a strong aspect of their game.
They make up for those troubles on defense where they nearly double UB in steals per game. They are also far better when it comes to not turning the ball over.
Tournament Seeding Implications:
If Ohio Wins:
Buffalo is not the only team that can use this game as a way to get an inside track on the number two spot. If the Bobcats win they leapfrong both Buffalo and Kent.
All three teams will be 9-4 but the cats will have swept Buffalo and will hold a 1-0 advantage over Kent. After UB two of their next three are on the road, including Kent, so that position is important.
If UB Wins:
Buffalo will put Ohio two games back and put Kent one game back. Their lone road game remaining is against Akron who, in all honesty, might be too far ahead for anyone to overtake at this point.
Other games to watch:
- Bowing Green takes on Akron, at Akron. A loss there, and a UB win, would secure a top four seed for Buffalo (if the Bulls win).
- NIU at EMU. If Northern Illinois pull the upset than EMU Than the Bulls can not finish behind the Eagles. Basically UB could then do no worse than the 5 seed in conference.