=>Is this the year of the Bull? After Turner Gill leading UB to a MAC football title, Witherspoon has UB emerging as serious for the East division and overall MAC title.
THAT WAS THEN
Last year UB was 3-13 in the MAC and 10-20 overall for the season (9-20 vs. DI teams). UB finished with the worst record in the MAC and earned the #12 seed in the MAC tourney out of the 12 teams. Final RPI of #268.
THIS IS NOW
This year UB is 3-1 in the MAC and 11-5 overall for the season (already matching MAC win total and exceeding last season's overall win total). UB is tied for the best record in the MAC and would be the #1 seed in the MAC tourney out of the 12 teams if the season ended today. Current RPI of #88.
ALSO this year, UB...
* has won the Hawaii Rainbow Classic (8 team field)
* has beaten Temple, Colorado, and Colorado State
* is 6-3 in games away from home (3-0 neutral, 3-3 away)
* has won 8 of their last 10, only 4 of which have been at home.
* came within a hair of knocking off 17-1 UConn (RPI #6) before falling at home 64-68. The other three non-MAC losses were @ 12-6 Evansville (RPI #75), home vs. local rival 14-5 Niagara (RPI #94), and @ 14-5 Siena (RPI #26).
I don't see how he won't be. They would have to absolutely fold which I don't see happening. Frankly I was shocked he wasn't fired after last year but apparently their AD is a smarter man than I (not a huge claim to be fair). But even in a down year for the MAC Buffalo is turning heads with essentially the same cast of characters they had last year. Some others will be in the running (Billy Taylor, John Groce, Charlie Coles) but Witherspoon seems like a mortal lock at this point.
We'll know more about this team after Saturday (UB @ Miami).
Also, without a dominent team in the MAC this year, can't you just picture an injury depleted Charlie Coles team grinding out some wins in Cleveland? Always dangerous.
Hopefully, my memory isn't too far off:
Reggie had a 5 win year a few years ago- Turner Battle's sophomore year. (He missed the last half of the seaon with an injury). Most of their scoring that year came from freshman (Cage, Middleton, Mario Jordan etc) and sophomores (Bortz, Gilbert, Byrd etc.).
I really thought the next season would be Reggie's last year. The good news is most of your players are back. The bad news is the same guys only won 5 games all year. The next 3 years, they won 57 games.
Similar story this year- The only 2 guys who left never played. 98% of your scoring back, but the same players only won 10 games the year last year. Couldn't win close games. Turned it over a lot. Picked for last place.
Then this year, every player elevates his game. Looking like it could be a 20 win season. Absolutely mind boggling. And unexpected.
I hadn't thought about Reggie as COY, but he might have done the best coaching job in the MAC season-to-date.
If OU wins the league, I would go with Groce. If Miami can win the league without Kenny Hayes, I would go with Charlie. If UB wins the league, then Reggie should be the man. Right now I don't see any other contenders, but that can change.
(01-22-2009 04:13 PM)klingon288 Wrote: [ -> ]We'll know more about this team after Saturday (UB @ Miami).
I hadn't thought about Reggie as COY, but he might have done the best coaching job in the MAC season-to-date.
And
without a real point guard. I think that is the most mind-boggling trick. However, he's got the guys to play really hard on defense and they are not turning the ball over as much. If you watch them, they waste less positions this year than in the past two years.
Reggie is a good coach. Buffalo is a tough job because of Miami, Kent State, Akron, Ohio have historically strong programs. BGSU(no NCAA since 1968) and Buffalo are a bit harder to win at. They have a build from the ground up.
I think Reggie is a great assessor of talent and motivator, but even after five years of being a student and going to games he has yet to convince me that he's a great in-game coach. He still pulls the same hockey-style line shifts, he still leaves cold shooters in while ignoring talent on his bench, and he isn't the best at timeout management or drawing up set plays out of the time outs. I think what we have been seeing this year has been the talent that has been building on his roster for 3 years now finally coming out. Calvin Betts is a special player, and Greg Gamble, Andy Robinson, and Rodney Pierce are all excellent role players. Reggie has a lot to do with how these players have devloped, but I still honestly feel there is more he could be doing come game time. It is a travesty that freshmen Mitchell Watt and Titus Robinson have been getting as little game time as they have considering how they have consistently outplayed our other bigs while they have been in.
All in all though, I'm glad Reggie Witherspoon is still Buffalo's head coach. I'll be honest, I wanted him gone after last season. I just felt he had taken the team as far as he could. He's doing his best to prove me wrong, though. A 20 win season isn't looking like that far-fetched a goal, which is pretty shocking considering the state the program was in just 12 months ago.