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Finally, the MAC voters' obsession with points in their awards voting worked in UB's favor.
Justin Moss, one of just three players nationwide to lead his conference in both scoring and rebounding, was officially named MAC Player of the Year after a regular season that saw him score 18.4 points and pull down 9.4 rebounds a game.
Moss' numbers look even better in conference play, when he became Buffalo's go-to option rather than part of a one-two punch with Shannon Evans. On the season, he's outscored and rebounded the MAC's #2 in each category by two full points and a full rebound per game.
Moss is the second consecutive Bull to take the award and third in fourth years after Javon McCrea won last year and Mitchell Watt was recognized in 2012.
His success doesn't actually come out of nowhere; as a sophomore he consistently filed the stat sheet in limited minutes. In our preseason pieces, I was adamant that something good was coming; "Let me say it here: He will be crowned a breakout player even if he does not improve a whit over 2013-14."
He went and improved anyway. And if for some reason the stats aren't convincing enough, Justin's performance on Senior Night against Bowling Green should prove he brings intangibles to the court, as well.
In just 21 minutes Friday, Moss put down 19 points, UB's only effective offensive threat for the first 16 minutes and completely changing the game when he was able to play in the second half. I am convinced that Buffalo doesn't win that game if Moss plays even 60 seconds less.
In a field with a number of strong candidates, Moss was a clearer winner than I expected, garnered 21 votes, Chris Fowler of Central Michigan received three votes, Richaun Holmes two, and Julius "Juice" Brown of Toledo one.
Considering Justin is only a junior, and Shannon Evans a year younger, the future is bright for UB considering the team's top-of-the-MAC talent.
Right now though, there are bigger goals. Congrats to Justin, and let's focus on tomorrow evening.