The Big Picture: University of Buffalo Bulls move to 2-1 overall and 1-1 against Big East in nascent 2007-08 season, winning battle of the Bulls, beating South Florida 76-69 in a pretty exciting, if ragged, encounter. Paced by Rodney Pierce’s 20 points and a swirling defense that frustrated South Florida’s star center Kentrell Gransberry all game, the good Bulls gained a measure of revenge for the 77-61 beatdown the bad Bulls laid on them in Tampa last season. While USF is picked by many to finish at or near the Big East cellar, it’s still nice to get an early season win over a BCS league team.
The Good: Even nicer is how coach ‘Spoon’s squad won. The four guard rotation of Andy Robinson, Pierce, Sean Smiley, and Bryan Mulkey looks like it just might be the quickest and most talented group of perimeter players Buffalo has ever had. Along with harassing Gransberry by double-down on him and using their quick hands to force him into four turnovers, UB’s quarter combined for nine of the Bulls nine thefts and generally controlled the game. Pearce and Smiley showed why the Bulls shouldn’t miss the departed Eric Moore, as they hit 7-of-14 triples, including several that stopped USF runs dead. Going into the season it was expected that UB’s strength would be the backcourt and Greg Gamble on the wing so their stellar — for the third game of the season —performance against USF wasn’t that surprising. The play of UB’s bigs, however, was.
While not the most skilled or athletic group in college hoops, the trio that logged most of the minutes upfront for the Bulls tonight, Max Boudreau, Vadim Fedotov, and Andrew Atman, was, to put it simply, effective. They grabbed key boards, made clutch shots, ran the floor with the perimeter fillies, and kept the rock moving when the Bulls were on O. There were be a lot of games this season where that will be enough to give the Bulls a chance to win.
The Bad: Turnovers are to the Bulls what rats are to New York City — or pigeons if one’s to believe Brooklyn councilman Simcha Felder — seemingly impossible to get rid of and detrimental to one’s health. While not quite the turnover fests UB engaged in on a regular basis last season, the Bulls had 17 against South Florida, half of which were unforced. That’s not a problem against a remarkably average team like the Bulls from Florida but against a side like Miami — 59-57 victors over Xavier tonight — they will be deadly.
Not quite as bad but troublesome nonetheless, junior wing Greg Gamble seemed a little lost on offense tonight. The fact that he was in foul trouble could partly explain it but after a great summer, more’s expected from Gamble than four points, three turnovers, and an O-fer from the charity stripe.
The Ugly: Was avoided big-time when UB senior big Andrew Atman wisely opted to come down with an intended alley-oop pass and go back up again to lay it in rather than trying to dunk it off the lob. That would’ve ended badly for everybody.
Who’s Got Next: Rodney Pierce and Co. have a week off until they, and the frenzied UB students who occupied the True Blue section at tonight’s game, invade sleepy Lewiston, NY, making Niagara’s homecourt their’s for a night, for a crosstown brawl with Big Four rivals Niagara. Bulls vs. Purple Eagles is always one of the best games of the college hoops season, even if it’s little known to people outside of Western New York. With coach ‘Spoon’s squad determined to push tempo this season, this could be an epic battle in the UB-Niagara war.
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