For the first time this year Buffalo Bulls Men’s Basketball is on a two game winning streak over a Division I opponent. After collecting wins at Kent and WMU, the Bulls now direct their attention to a road trip to Miami (OH). If the Bulls can put together another good effort here, their chances of beating Akron on the road look much better than a couple of weeks ago.
Miami is led by head coach John Cooper as he continues his fifth season at the helm of the RedHawks. Cooper has yet to compile a winning season with the RedHawks—only managing 13 win seasons three times. In fact, Cooper has only managed a single winning season dating back to his time with Tennessee State where he led the Tigers to a CIT bid.
The RedHawks currently hold an 8-11 record and an abysmal 1-5 mark in MAC play. The one marker they’ve been able to get into the win column for conference play was a two point win against Northern Illinois. Overall, the RedHawks have struggled and have failed to put away a lot of bad teams such as Delaware, Missouri, and Northern Kentucky.
The RedHawks are lead by the 6-2 freshman guard Michael Weathers. He current;y averages 18.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Miami’s other interior threat is Logan McLane, who currently averages 12.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Finally, Bulls fans should keep an eye out for Marcus Weathers, the only real three-point threat for the RedHawks.
What to watch for
1. Another ugly game
Playing Miami isn’t going to be fun for many to watch. Just like UB’s matchup with Western Michigan, I don’t imagine UB’s going to be effective from beyond the arc and that this will be another battle with interior defense. The RedHawks aren’t going to wow anybody on either side of the ball and will focus on slowing the game down and dragging out a win.
2. Blake Hamilton
Buffalo finally looked like they had direction at point guard with Blake Hamilton leading the way against Western Michigan. The 6-6 senior brought in a near-triple-double performance and it did wonders for Buffalo’s offense. If Hamilton can start playing as well that on a consistent basis, Buffalo’s going to be a tough team to stop.
3. Look for Perkins to stay down low
Nate Oats has been encouraging Nick Perkins to be more of a post threat instead of relying on the three-ball so much. After a 21 point, 10 rebound game, Perkins should have a good dose of confidence back to go down low and be the machine that he is there. I think the Bulls get another big night from Perkins in this one.
4. Offensive Rebounding
Although they aren’t as good as Kent State in this regard, this will be another game for Buffalo to work hard at getting the defensive rebound. Miami’s pretty good at getting the OR and allows their inept offense to get more shots than usual in.