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The last game against Ohio was arguably the worst showing that the Buffalo Bulls had this season. The Bulls went down 15-5 early and Ohio lead the entire game in blowout fashion. Willie Conner was sick, Lamonte Bearden was out due to suspension, and role player Nikola Rakicevi was still in Serbia for personal reasons. The only positive highlight of the night was Freshman CJ Massinburg's 36 point effort, which is the seventh highest total by a freshman in the nation this season. The Bulls now have a huge test. They will be traveling to Ohio to take on the Akron Zips, who are definitely the clear cut favorite to go to the NCAA tournament this year.
Quick Facts
Opponent: Akron
Head Coach: Keith Dambrot (380-196, 10th year with Akron)
Date/Time: 2/16/16, 7:00 PM
Home/Away: Away
Opponent's Mascot: a Zip, whatever that is
Current Record: 20-5
2014-15 Season Record: 21-14 (9-9 MAC)
Postseason: Did not receive/accept postseason bid
All-Time Series: Akron leads 29-25
Wait...We've Already Played Them
Unlike the other opponents we've already faced twice, it's been a while since we battled against Akron in Alumni Arena. You have to go all the way back to the first game in MAC play where the Zips stole a tightly contested 75-71 game. This game showed a lot of promise for what the Bulls could do by the time they got to Cleveland because they were the pre-MAC play favorite (and they still are the favorite).
What Has Happened Since
Akron has done much of the same since we last matched up with them, they've only dropped games with Central, Toledo, and Northern Illinois (which had terrible officiating). Besides that, the Zips mostly have had comfortable leads by the end of their games. One positive that can be drawn here for the Bulls is that they've beaten every team Akron has lost to.
Can We Win?
Sorry everybody, we're going to need a miracle here. But then again, I've been surprised by this Bulls team before and they always tend to do something interesting when we count them out. Fingers crossed.