The wait is over! The Buffalo Bulls will face Miami as a 14 seed in the south region. The game will be played in Providence, Rhode Island, right in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast nexus of UB Alumni.
The games there are going to be played at the The Dunkin' Donuts Center, maybe the most aptly named arena for basketball. Its current tenants include the Providence Bruins, of the AHL and the Providence College men's basketball team.
Our opponents, the Hurricanes, got to the tournament after finishing second in the ACC during the regular season before falling to Virginia in the conference tournament. Like Akron, who UB defeated in the MAC Championship, they've racked up over 25 wins in a solid season with their only really ugly loss coming to North Carolina. They did bow out of the NCAA Tournament with a narrow loss to Virginia in their second postseason game, but were ranked #11 coming into that one.
Individually, the two big names that stand out to us are Angel Rodriguez, a dynamic fifth-year guard, and a massive seven footer down low in Tonye Jekiri. Both have experience and athleticism that will challenge anything the Bulls can bring. Across the board, the Hurricanes stand 6-5 or taller at nearly every guard position other than Rodriguez, and have a number of forwards at 6-10 or bigger.
We'll have much more in the coming 48 hours on the team as we research them more, and we'll also get in touch with State of the U, SB Nation's Miami blog, for more from the horse's mouth.
Be sure to follow Bull Run in the run to the game!
