Buffalo is coming off a third place finish at the Great Alaska Shootout with wins over the host Alaska-Anchorage and defending Big Sky Champion, Weber State. Senior Blake Hamilton and sophomore Nick Perkins were both named to the all-tournament team. Hamilton led all players in scoring at the tournament.
The Bulls are in the process of completing a trip that has taken them over 8,400 miles with most of those occurring on the week-long trip to Alaska. When all is said and done, this road trip will last 11 days, the longest since UB has joined the MAC. After returning to Western New York, UB will still have two more games left in its six-game road trip with games at St. Bonaventure (12/3) and Pittsburgh (12/7). UB will then wrap up non-conference with three of the last four in Buffalo.
Creighton is a perfect 6-0 on the season after defeating Loyola (MD) 82-52 on Saturday afternoon. They are currently ranked 10th in the AP Poll. The Blue Jays are amongst the NCAA leaders, averaging 91.8 points per game. They scored 112 points earlier this season in a win over NC State and 103 against Washington State en route to winning the Paradise Jam. Creighton defeated then #9 Wisconsin earlier this year 79-67 in Omaha.
Creighton made it to the quarterfinal round of the NIT last season following a 20-15 year losing at BYU. Watson Jr. led the Blue Jays last year at 14.1 points per game, while racking up 229 assists. For three straight years (2011-14), Creighton made it into the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Bulls are looking to do something that no Mid-American Conference school has ever accomplished and that is win three straight MAC Tournament titles. Buffalo has already become the first team since Kent State to go in back-to-back seasons when the Golden Flashes did it in 2001 and 2002, but a third straight trip would make conference history. No Big 4 school has gone to three straight NCAA Tournament since Canisius in 1955-57.
Buffalo is one of only five programs to have won conference titles in both 2014-15 and 2015-16 joining Hampton (MEAC), Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley), Kentucky (SEC), and Gonzaga (WCC). Of that group, Gonzaga is the only one to have received three straight automatic bids into the NCAA Tournament.
from UBBulls.com via IFTTT
