March Madness Hits Alumni Arena

For the first time since joining the MAC both squads earn home playoff game
BUFFALO, NY- The calenders have turned to March and that is the time when everyone concentrates on college basketball. This is the time where teams want to be playing their best ball as they head to the conference tournaments and hopefully earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament. It is no different in Buffalo, as for the first time since Buffalo has joined the Mid-American Conference that both the men's and women's basketball teams will host a first round game in the MAC Tournament.

Reggie Witherspoon

For the men, this will be the third straight year they are hosting a home playoff game, however, unlike the last couple of years, it will not be Northern Illinois. Head coach Reggie Witherspoon and his squad wrap up the regular season on Saturday at Miami (OH) and by Saturday night will find out who they will be hosting at Alumni Arena on Monday night at 7 pm.

"It is not easy to get a home game in this league," Witherspoon said. "For us to get one, not only means a lot to us, but to the students and the campus as a whole."

While Witherspoon and his veteran players are used to playing the first round at Alumni Arena, for head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald and the UB women's team, it is a different story. Just one player currently on the roster has played in a home playoff game, senior Brooke Meunier (Saginaw, MI/Heritage). Meunier was a freshmen when the Bulls hosted Central Michigan in the 2002-03 season, UB's last trip to Cleveland.

"We have had good attendance at our last few home games," Hill-MacDonald said. "We hope that the fans will come out and support us. It is always exciting to have that type of energy add to what you are doing on the floor."

The two teams have never been to Cleveland in the same season and both coaches believe that having these two teams at home and that possibility is huge step for not only these two programs, but UB Athletics as a whole.

"It would be huge for our athletic department," Witherspoon said. "People around the conference would realize the serious nature that we are training with for all of our programs, not just men’s and women’s basketball. People would be forced to recognize Buffalo for what we are."

Linda Hill-MacDonald

Hill-MacDonald agrees that it would give the department instant recognition.

"Hopefully for Buffalo it is about gaining some respect around the league," said Hill-MacDonald. "I think having both teams earn first round games is a huge statement in getting people to take some notice of the product that Buffalo puts out there each and everyday, not just in basketball, but in all sports."

Heather Turner

Hill-MacDonald and her squad get the first opportunity to try and get both teams to Cleveland. The Bulls host Toledo on Saturday afternoon at 2 pm. The Bulls fell to the Rockets earlier this season, but have no intention of a repeat performance. With Meunier as the lone senior on the team, she is looking to get back to Cleveland for her final season. Sophomores Heather Turner (West Seneca, NY/Mount Mercy Academy) and Stephanie Bennett (Springfield, OH/Kenton Ridge) hope to get their first of many looks at The Quicken Loans Arena, home of the final three rounds of the MAC Tournament.

Calvin Cage

Witherspoon and company got a glimpsed of the Mid-American Conference Finals last season and with nine players back from last years team are looking for a repeat performance, but this time take home the title. Senior Calvin Cage (Capitol Heights, MD/Bladensburg) is the Bulls' leading scorer at 18.1 points per game and is making a case for UB's second straight MAC Player of the Year award. He is joined by seniors Roderick Middleton (University Park, IL/Marian Catholic) and Mario Jordan (Cleveland, OH/Benedictine) who want to make their final postseason a memorable one. Add in the experience of juniors Yassin Idbihi (Tangier, Morocco/Schloss Hagerhoff) and Parnell Smith (Indianapolis, IN/Pike) and this could be a very dangerous team come tournament time.

Tickets are on sale for both games at the UB Ticket Office or calling (716) 645-6666. All undergraduate students will get in free to the women's game with a valid UB ID, while the first 2,000 students will be admitted free into the men's contest.

03/03/2006