2016-17 Buffalo Men’s Basketball Previews: Willie “Fear the Beard” Conner

Coming to Buffalo just last season, Willie Conner gave the entire conference a reason to “Fear the Beard”.

The Basics

Number: 2

Year: Senior

Position: Wing

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Height: 6-5, 200 lbs.

New to Buffalo?

Nope

UB Career

Conner came to UB after having an extremely impressive stat line at Odessa Community College. While there, he scored 18 points and 5 rebounds on over 50% shooting. Last season, he was expected to have a big role and he delivered. Conner was the third leading scorer with 11.8 points per game and he was named to the All-MAC Defensive team. Like many players on UB’s roster, Conner went through a mid-season slump before tearing up the MAC in the closing games of the season.

His lights-out shooting helped propel the Bulls to wins in the MAC Quarterfinals and Semi-finals as he had 25 and 22 points respectively. Thanks to those efforts, Willie was named MAC Tournament MVP after the Bulls won their second consecutive MAC Championship.

Further Reading and Viewing:

Bull Run: Delaware Blue Hens at Buffalo Bulls Men's Basketball recap: Willie Conner erupts in 99-79 win

Willie Conner led the Bulls with 23 points, but the Bulls found a diverse attack, successfully scoring in both the fast break and half court offenses. Four Bulls hit double digits and three more had nine points, UB hit 11 threes, and Bulls combined for 21 assists on the night. Buffalo struggled late as fouls hurt their depth, but made plays when they needed to.

Conner Takes The Long Road To Success

This is another must read from Sloane Martin

2016-17 Outlook

Conner is going to be a huge piece to the Bulls offense again this year. He worked on his shooting better over the offseason and his finishing ability after driving through the lane is on the uptrend as well. After seeing the Bulls’ performance versus Daemen, it’s easy to say that Conner is willing to shoulder a lot to pull out the win. Expect to fear the beard all season long.