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Buffalo Bulls Men's Basketball Preview: Saint Joseph's Hawks

Game two of Buffalo's extended road trip takes the Bulls to Philly for a battle with the Hawks.

By Robby Johnson
UB Athletics

The Hall of Fame tipoff continues as Buffalo tries to forget the horrors of their matchup against Old Dominion. The Bulls are taking on a respected team in St. Joseph's. St. Joe's is usually a strong team in the Atlantic 10 and a usual face in the postseason but last year they had a dismal showing. The Hawks are expecting a slight improvement this year but aren't a favorite to pull out a conference championship.

Quick Facts

Opponent: St. Joseph's University

Head Coach: Phil Martelli (377-265, 21st year at St. Joes)

Date: Wednesday, 11/18/15

Home/Away: Away

Opponent's Mascot: A cool looking Hawk

Current Record: 2-0, wins against Niagara and Drexel

2014-15 Season Record: 13-18 (7-11 A-10)

Postseason: Did not receive bid

All Time Series: St. Joe's leads 1-0

If there's anybody that knows how to get to the post season, it's Phil Martelli. He's yet to win the NCAA tournament or the NIT but he's done impressive things in both as a mid-major coach. His best mark in the post season is an elite eight appearance in 03-04.

Opponent's Roster and Stats

Player Position Height MIN PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 3P%
DeAndre Bembry F 6'6" 35 17.5 4.5 4.5 0.522 0.688 0
Aaron Brown G 6'5" 25 14.5 4.5 0 0.476 1 0.167
Isaiah Miles F 6'7" 34.5 13.5 7 1 0.625 1 0.429
Pierfrancesco Oliva F 6'8" 27.5 12 6 4.5 0.375 0.8 0.4
James Demery F 6'6" 16.5 6.5 4 0 0.6 0.167 0
Shavar Newkirk G 6'0" 23.5 6 3.5 3 0.222 0.8 0
Lamarr Kimble G 6'0" 18 2.5 1.5 2 0.167 0.5 0.25
Jai Williams F 6'9" 5 2 1 0 1 0 0
Markell Lodge F 6'7" 7 2 3 0 0.667 0 0
Chris Clover G 6'3" 5.5 1.5 0 0 0.143 0 0.333
Javon Baumann F 6'8" 4.5 0.5 0 0 0 0.5 0
Brendan Casper F 6'6" 0.5 0 0 0 0 0 0
78 38 15 0.455 0.717 0.278

So for starters, UB isn't going to have the height advantage they had at ODU. The stat that sticks out most is that St. Joe's is only shooting 28% from three. I've said before that this tipoff tournament is a great test for UB because we're playing a variety of teams. St. Joes plays high tempo basketball just like us. This could be a good test to see if the Bulls can keep up and shoot efficiently. Watch out for DeAndre Bembry in this one

Notable Opponents/Wins

  • Won against Niagara (UB may play them)
  • Florida
  • #11 Villanova
  • Virginia Tech
  • VCU (UB plays them in December)
  • St. Bonaventure (UB plays them)
This is one of those teams that are going to impact our strength of schedule significantly

Can We Win?

Best chance out of the other tough opponents right here. St. Joe's is projected to have another rebuilding season but has shown that they're starting players can definitely pack a punch. UB can grab a good win in this one but they need to play significantly better then they did at ODU.

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