#2 Buffalo vs #3 Akron Preview and Game Thread

#2 Buffalo will face #3 Akron in the semi-final round of the MAC Tournament at 12:30 pm (approximately) on March 11, 2022 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland (ESPN+).

The Bulls defeated Akron twice in the regular season, both times by large margins. On January 19, the Bulls wons 76–59 at Alumni Arena. A little more than a week ago, the Bulls took down the Zips, in Akron, 86–60. Those two losses left Akron’s TV announcers Michael Reghi and Jackie Windon at a loss for ideas on how Akron can possibly compete with Buffalo.

In both games, it was Buffalo’s inside game, rebounding and scoring in the paint, that completely overwhelmed the Zips. Sixth year senior forward Summer Hemphill, junior Loren Christie and senior Ade Adeyeye get most of the playing time on the front line and have been playing very well lately. Freshman Saniaa Wilson also had a strong game in the first round of the tournament, with 7 rebounds in 10 minutes of playing time.

In the first game against Akron on January 19, Buffalo’s rebounding advantage was 50–31, while in the second game against Akron it was Buffalo’s points in the paint that Akron couldn’t come anywhere close to (58 points in the paint for the Bulls and just 32 for Akron).

In addition, Buffalo’s guards usually contribute too, as junior Dyaisha Fair leads the MAC in scoring, while Georgia Woolley led MAC freshman in scoring. Both stuff the stat sheet in typical games, picking up a lot of rebounds and assists from the guard position; and both also record a lot of steals. Recently, Buffalo’s point guards have been putting points on the board too, as both junior Dominique Camp and senior Jazmine Young picked up 10 points in the first round win over Western Michigan.