B-Zone College Basketball Update

On Friday, we saw one of the better rivalries in basketball take place as Niagara took on Canisius. The game is the best rivalry among all of the Buffalo area Big 4 schools. Unlike the past decade when Niagara has dominated the rivalry and been a team to contend with, Canisius entered Friday night's contest as the favorite.

Friday

Buffalo Big 4 Rivalry Game:

Niagara 54, Canisius 69- When these two teams play one another, you can throw out their records. Both teams always show up and put forth their best effort. It was no different on Friday night as Canisius defeated Niagara in front of a sold out Koessler Center and espnU audience. The game remained close until late in the second half when Canisius pulled away. Canisius won the game because of their stifling defense. They held Niagara to 31.9% shooting from the field. Another reason why the Golden Griffins won was due to the great play of Julius Coles as he scored 20 points.

With the win, Canisius moves to 10-10 (4-6) and next plays January 31st at Fairfield.

Niagara played again on Sunday losing against Siena. With both losses, Niagara falls to 4-19 (1-10) and next plays February 4th vs. St. Peter's.

On Saturday, Ohio, St. Bonaventure, Syracuse, and Buffalo were all in action.

Saturday Games

Ohio 61, Ball State 60- DeVaughn Washington put together another good effort as he scored 16 points and led Ohio to the nice conference win over MAC West leader Ball State. The game was close throughout with Ohio being more clutch towards the end. Nick Kellogg scored five consecutive points late in the game to give Ohio a four point lead and they went on to win by one.

With the win, Ohio moves to 10-11 (3-4) and next plays February 2nd at Central Michigan.

St. Bonaventure 69, Fordham 60- Andrew Nicholson had a double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds as he led the Bonnies to another Atlantic 10 win. The win comes over lowly Fordham which has yet to win an Atlantic 10 conference game on the year. Also having a good game for St. Bonaventure was Michael Davenport as he nearly had a double-double with 10 points and 8 rebounds.

With the win, St. Bonaventure moves to 11-9 (3-4) and next plays February 2nd at Dayton.

#10 Syracuse 70, Marquette 76- Well, to say Syracuse is struggling right now would be an understatement. Syracuse lost their 4th consecutive game on Saturday afternoon as Marquette defeated them. The main key to the game was that Marquette got to the free throw line 19 times more than Syracuse did. This gave Marquette more free baskets which was the key to their victory. Despite the loss, Scoop Jardine had a good game as he had a double-double with 13 point and 13 rebounds.

With the loss, Syracuse falls to 18-4 (5-4) and next plays February 2nd at #5 UCONN.

Northern Illinois 52, Buffalo 63- Buffalo continues to show us why they should be taken seriously in the MAC. With their win over Northern Illinois, they moved into a tie for 1st place overall in the Mid American Conference. Zach Filzen and Byron Mulkey both had good games on the afternoon as they combined for 40 points.

With the win, Buffalo moves 13-6 (5-2) and next plays February 2nd against Toledo.

Ohio Defeats 1st Place Ball State

This season for Ohio, quality wins have been few and far between. But on Saturday, they got one they they truly needed as they defeated 1st place Ball State 61-60 in Muncie, Indiana.

Ball State entered the game 13-6 overall and 5-1 in Mid American Conference. They stood in solo 1st place overall in the MAC.

The game got off to a slow start as both teams struggled to score early on. The game was tied 22-22 with five minutes remaining in the first half.

Then, Ohio decided to wake up and went on a 11-4 run to enter halftime up seven at 33-26.

One of the big factors in the first half was offensive rebounding. Despite shooting an awful field goal percentage in the first half, Ohio grabbed nine offensive rebounds which helped them get many second chance point opportunities.

In the second half, the game remained very tight. Ball State got rid of their seven point deficit and eventually took the lead.

With four and a half minutes remaining, Chris Bond stole the ball from D.J. Cooper and dunked it home to give Ball State the 55-52 lead.

But Nick Kellogg kept Ohio in the game. After Cooper made it one point deficit for Ohio, Kellogg railed off the next five points and gave Ohio a four point lead at 59-55 with 1:52 remaining in the 2nd half.

Ball State would close the deficit to two but failed to comeback in the end. Malik Perry missed a jumper with 34 seconds remaining to tie the game and Ohio went on to win 61-60.

Randy Davis hit a meaningless 3-pointer as time expired to give Ball State their final points of the afternoon.

DeVaughn Washington had another good effort as he had 16 points and was even involved in a scrum that resulted in double-technicals for both teams.

Nick Kellogg also had a good effort with 11 points but was even more important than his stat-line shows. He scored five consecutive points for Ohio in the dwindling moments of the game to help them win.

D.J. Cooper had an awful game for Ohio. He scored four points on 1-10 shooting and had 8 turnovers to 6 assists.

It is truly amazing that Ohio won this game. They shot only 36.7% from the field compared to Ball State which shot 47.1% from the field. All other key stats were very close between both teams.

The one statistic that did stand out to me though was free throw shooting. Ohio shot 19-21 from the line compared to Ball State shooting 8-16 from the charity stripe and that ended up being the difference in the game.

With the win, Ohio moves to 10-11 (3-4) and next plays February 2nd at Central Michigan.

Attendance: 3,976

Ohio's Record: 10-11 (3-4)

Next Game: February 2nd at Central Michigan

Interesting Note: Ohio is 2-0 vs. the MAC West

Key Stat: Ohio shot 19-21 on free throws

B-Zone College Basketball Update

On Tuesday, Syracuse and Buffalo were in action

Tuesday Games

Seton Hall 90, #10 Syracuse 68- This definitely goes down as one of the most surprising scores of the year despite Syracuse entering the contest on a 2-game losing streak. Seton Hall entered Tuesday's matchup vs. Syracuse 8-12 overall and just smacked around the Orangemen. Seton Hall shot 54.1% from the field compared to Syracuse shooting only 36.1% from the field. Jeremy Hazell had a monster game for the Pirates with 28 points and 9 rebounds. For Syracuse, Rick Jackson had his usual double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

With the loss, Syracuse falls to 18-3 (5-3) and next plays January 29th at Marquette.

Buffalo 79, Western Michigan 68- Buffalo entered this MAC contest tied for 1st place in the MAC East with people wondering if they were for real. One of the steps in order to gain respect from the rest of the league is to win big games on the road. And that is what UB did as they took down the 2nd best team in the MAC West. Zach Filzen had another good game scoring 19 points as UB shot 56.3% from the field.

With the win, Buffalo moves to 12-6 (4-2) and next plays January 29th vs. Northern Illinois.

On Wednesday, Ohio and St. Bonaventure were in action

Wednesday Games

Eastern Michigan 65, Ohio 79- There was no-way Ohio was going to lose to Eastern Michigan even with the way Ohio has been playing as of late. Ohio dominated the entire game and won with ease. The Bobcats led by as many as 28 points and played 12 deep. DeVaughn Washington led Ohio in scoring and rebounding with 20 points and 9 rebounds.

With the win, Ohio moves to 9-11 (2-4) and next plays January 29th at Ball State.

Massachusetts 78, St. Bonaventure 69- St. Bonaventure blew a nice opportunity to bring their Atlantic 10 record up to .500 as they lost to UMASS at home. Anthony Gurley just lit up the Bonnies defense going off for 28 points. St. Bonaventure could never get it going from the offensive side of the ball as they only shot 35.6% from the field. Andrew Nicholson had another sluggish game as he only recorded 11 points and 8 rebounds.

With the loss, St. Bonaventure falls to 10-9 (2-4) and next plays January 29th at Fordham.

Ohio University Post-Game Press Conference vs. Eastern Michigan (Part 2)

Ohio University Post-Game Press Conference vs. Eastern Michigan (Part 1)

Ohio Blows Out Eastern Michigan

Well, you figured that Ohio had to win sometime. Heck, even with all the losing, most people had to think that Ohio would beat Eastern Michigan on Wednesday night. And they did do that.

Not only did Ohio defeat Eastern Michigan, they humiliated them. Ohio led by as many as 28 points before winning 79-65.

The blowout came in front of the smallest home crowd of the conference season to this point for Ohio as only 3,949 people showed up to the Convocation Center.

Ohio got ahead early despite sloppy play early on before running away with the game. They entered halftime up 16 points at 45-29.

Ohio got its largest lead of 28 points midway through the second half when DeVaughn Washington made a layup.

That would be their largest lead as Ohio inserted all of their backups soon after.

With the backups in, Ohio saw their large lead dwindle all the way down to 14 points.

Despite Eastern Michigan's slight comeback, it was way too late in the game for them to actually comeback all the way and win.

However, it was early enough for Ohio head coach John Groce to pull all of his bench players in favor of his starters with a minute remaining in the second half. Groce explained after the game how it was a teaching moment for the rest of the team.

Multiple things went right for Ohio that led to the rout.

For the first time in a while, Ohio led the rebounding battle versus an opponent. Ohio out-rebounded Eastern Michigan 36-23.

Ohio shot 54% from the field and forced Eastern Michigan into 17 turnovers.

It was one of Ohio's finest efforts of the season with the outcome of the game never in doubt. Groce played the entire bench as 12 players saw game action.

DeVaughn Washington had the best game of any Bobcats as he nearly had a double-double with 20 points and 9 rebounds.

D.J. Cooper also had a good game recording 12 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds on only 3-4 shooting.

Also having a good game was Nick Kellogg as he had 15 points on 5-7 shooting. He's starting to look comfortable and is starting to make an impact on the team.

With the win, Ohio moves to 9-11 (2-4) and next plays January 29th at Ball State.

Attendance: 3,949

Ohio's Record: 9-11 (2-4)

Next Game: January 29th at Ball State

Interesting Note: DeVaughn Washington scored 20 points

Key Stat: Ohio out-rebounded Eastern Michigan 36-23

Sabres Down Sens: Move Within 4 Points of 8th Place

If you haven't been watching the Sabres lately, you should be. After a horrible start to the season that left many wondering if the playoffs were even a possibility, the Sabres are rolling and can feel the 8th seed in the eastern conference in their grasps.

The Sabres defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-2 in overtime on Tuesday to cap off a wonderful month of January where they went 8-3-1 and are now within four points of Atlanta for the final playoff spot in the eastern conference.

Now onto the game.

Ottawa got out on top first as Chris Kelly scored his 11th goal of the season to put the Senators up 1-0 less than five minutes into the first period.

But the Senators lead was only meant to last a short period of time.

The Sabres responded to the Sen's early lead with a goal of their own as Paul Byron scored his first career NHL goal to tie the game up at 1-1.

Then, before the first period ended, Jochen Hecht added his 8th goal of the year and the Sabres entered the first intermission up 2-1.

The game would remain with the Sabres up 2-1 until late in the 3rd period when Sergei Gonchar scored for the Senators to tie up the game at 2-2.

The game remained tied at 2-2 and headed into overtime.

Midway through overtime, Shaone Morrison scored his 1st goal of the season to give the Sabres the 3-2 win.

The win caps off a very good month of January for the Sabres and has them entering the All-Star break with all the momentum in the world.

The Sabres are playing with more confidence and look like a team that expects to make the playoffs.

They are now winning close games that they would've lost earlier in the season and their young players are stepping up big and contributing for them.

The Sabres currently stand in 10th place in the eastern conference and four points behind Atlanta for the final playoff spot with two games in hand.

They now start their All-Star break and don't play again till February 4th when they travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins.

Attendance: 18,990

Buffalo's Record: 23-21-5 (51 points) 10th in the Eastern Conference

Points Back Of Playoffs: 4 points back of Atlanta (2 games in hand)

Last 10: 7-3

Interesting Note: Paul Byron scored his 1st career NHL goal

Key Stat: Andrej Sekera was a +2

Three Stars:

1st- Ryan Miller (Buffalo)

2nd- Chris Kelly (Ottawa)

3rd- Paul Byron (Buffalo)

B-Zone College Basketball Update

On Sunday, Canisius and Niagara were in action

Sunday Games

Iona 73, Canisius 75- Greg Logins had a huge game for the Golden Griffins as he scored 30 points in Canisius' upset win over Iona. Canisius shot very well going 28-52 (53.8%) from the field. On top of their good shooting, Canisius did very well in other categories as well. The Golden Griffins recorded 21 assists and 8 blocks for the game.

With the win, Canisius moves to 9-10 (3-6) and next plays January 28th at home vs. their Big 4 rival Niagara.

Fairfield 57, Niagara 49- Niagara struggled shooting the entire game as they lost to Fairfield. Niagara had only 4 assists as a team and only played 7 players deep. Niagara got barely any production from their bench as they scored only 8 points. 40 of Niagara's 49 points were from Marvin Jordan, Anthony Nelson, and Kevon Moore. Leading the way for Fairfield was Yorel Hawkins and Maurice Barrow.

With the loss, Niagara falls to 4-17 (1-8) and next plays January 28th at their Big 4 rival Canisius College.

Sabres Hold on to Defeat Islanders: Move Within 6 Points of 8th Place

Well, if you can't beat them the first time, play them again. Two days after the Sabres lost to the Islanders 5-2 in Buffalo, the two teams took the ice again but this time in Uniondale, New York.

Unlike the previous matchup in which the Sabres lost, this time time they came out on top as the Sabres won 5-3.

The Sabres got off to a very fast start as Paul Gaustad scored 15 seconds into the game to put the Sabres ahead 1-0.

The game remained 1-0 Sabres until the second period when the game opened up.

Matt Moulson scored his first of two goals on the night 1:15 into the second period on a power-play goal assisted by John Tavares.

Then, less then four minutes later, Tyler Ennis scored for the Sabres to put them back ahead at 2-1.

Continuing the trend of the back and forth game, Matt Moulson added his 2nd goal of the night for the Islanders midway through the second period to tie the game at 2-2.

The game entered the third period tied at 2-2 when Buffalo decided to set the tone.

Nathan Gerbe and Tyler Myers both scored early in the third period to put the Sabres ahead 4-2.

But the Islanders didn't give up at the first sign of adversity. Jack Hillen scored with a little over three and a half minutes remaining in the third period to bring the Islanders within a goal at 4-3.

But it wasn't meant to be for the Islanders on this night.

Jason Pominville added an empty net goal with under a minute remaining in the game and the Sabres went on to win 5-3.

With the win, the Sabres move within 6 points of Atlanta for the final playoff spot in the eastern conference with three games in hand.

With the win, the Sabres continued their streak of good play in January as they move to 7-3-1 during the month.

The Sabres next play January 25th at Ottawa. It will be there last game before the All Star Game.

Attendance: 10,120

Buffalo's Record: 22-21-5 (49 points)

Points Back of Playoffs: 6 points back of Atlanta (3 games in hand)

Last 10: 6-3-1

Interesting Note: Nathan Gerbe has 3 goals the last 2 games

Key Stat: The Sabres are 7-3-1 in the month of January

Three Stars:

1st- Tyler Ennis (Buffalo)

2nd- Matt Moulson (New York Islanders)

3rd- Ryan Miller (Buffalo)

Ohio Blows 18-Point Halftime Lead as They Fall to Buffalo

It seems as though Ohio finds new ways to lose every game. This time, Ohio blew an 18-point halftime lead at home as they lost to the University of Buffalo 73-68.

Everything went right for the Bobcats in the first half. They shot well and played lights out defense.

In the first half, Ohio shot 51.9% from the field while holding the Bulls to only 30.4% shooting. Nick Kellogg had a great start with 12 points early on and D.J. Cooper had 6 assists through one half of action.

All of this added together equaled an amazing start for Ohio as they led 43-25 entering halftime.

And to be honest, I thought the game was over.

But in the 2nd half, it appeared as if both teams switched jerseys.

It only took UB nine and a half minutes into the second half to get all the way back and tie up the game.

After UB tied the game, they quickly took the lead and never looked back. Ohio appeared scared and tentative with the ball and made many poor decisions late in the game.

D.J. Cooper appeared to be less aggressive than normal and passed up many opportunities to make a play late in the game.

With 41 seconds left in the second half, Ohio fouled UB guard Byron Mulkey to send him to the free throw line for a one and one opportunity.

Mulkey missed the front end of the one and one and Ohio grabbed the rebound with an opportunity to tie the game. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, D.J. Cooper turned the ball over and Ohio was forced to foul UB again.

This time, UB made both free throws and went on to win 73-68.

It was an embarrassing loss for Ohio and made even worse considering that it was on espnU and in front of a huge Dad's weekend crowd of 10,427.

Three Ohio players scored in double-digits with DeVaughn Washington and Nick Kellogg leading the way with 14 points apiece. D.J. Cooper added 8 assists.

For Buffalo, Zach Filzen and Javon McCrea had huge games scoring 23 and 21 points respectively. Mitchell Watt nearly had a double-double with 8 points and 8 assists.

Buffalo had 8 blocks in the game and were tough to penetrate against on defense.

After the first half in which Ohio led by 18 points, they were outscored by 23 points in the second half.

With the loss, Ohio falls to 8-11 (1-4) and next plays January 26th vs. Eastern Michigan.

Attendance: 10,427

Ohio's Record: 8-11 (1-4)

Next Game: January 26th vs. Eastern Michigan

Interesting Note: Ohio set a Convocation loss record for a season with their 8th home loss of the season

Key Stat: Buffalo shot 72% in the 2nd half

B-Zone College Basketball Update

Over the last week, I have been very busy with a lot of things so I haven't posted any college basketball updates. I finally have some down time today so I'll give you the results from games that have taken place in the last two days and update you on the records of the team I cover.

On Saturday, Ohio, Syracuse, UB, and St. Bonaventure were all in action.

Ironically, my college (Ohio University) played one of my favorite colleges growing up (University of Buffalo) in a early season MAC game. It was an awesome game and I was there filming the game live for ohiobobcats.com

Saturday Games

Buffalo 73, Ohio 68- Over 10,000 strong showed up to the Convocation Center Saturday afternoon for the Dad's weekend matchup only to go home disappointed. Ohio got off to a 18 point halftime lead only to blow it and lose in embarrassing fashion. Zach Filzen and Javon McCrea had huge games with both players scoring over 20 points for the Bulls. For the Bobcats, D.J. Cooper had another disappointing game as he went 2-10 shooting for 6 points.

With the loss, Ohio falls to 8-11 (1-4) and next plays January 26th at home vs. Eastern Michigan

With the win, Buffalo moves to 11-6 (3-2) and next plays January 25th at Western Michigan.

#7 Villanova 83, #3 Syracuse 72- Kris Joseph's return to the lineup wasn't enough for Syracuse as they lost to Villanova for their 2nd loss of the season. Joseph had 23 points in his return and Rick Jackson had a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds. For Villanova, Maalik Wayns was their main man going off for 21 points.

With the loss, Syracuse falls to 18-2 (5-2) and next plays January 25th vs. Seton Hall.

St. Bonaventure 62, George Washington 49- St. Bonaventure played stellar defense holding the Colonials to only 49 points and 30.8% shooting from the field. Matthew Wright had a great game off the bench for the Bonnies as he scored 18 points on 6-7 shooting.

With the win, St. Bonaventure moves to 10-8 (2-3) and next plays January 26th vs. UMASS.

Updates on the Sunday games which featured Canisius and Niagara will be posted later today.

Ohio University Post-Game Press Conference (vs. Buffalo 1.22.11

Buffalo (UB) Post-Game Press Conference (vs. Ohio University 1.22.11)

NFL Conference Championship Picks

Its CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK!!!! CAN YOU DIG IT??? As you can tell, I'm very excited about this week's slate of games..............and so should you if you're reading this. This is the 3rd week of the playoffs and I haven't been doing that hot. But all of that changes this week. You better keep reading this and check out my picks.

Divisional Round- 2-2

Playoffs Overall- 3-5

Regular Season- 73-39

B-Zone Overall Record- 76-44

Games:

3:00, FOX

Green Bay @ Chicago: Green Bay

Comment: Sure, I'm a little biased here. I love James Starks. The former UB running back has been playing great football this postseason as the starting running back of the Packers. Green Bay just thoroughly dominated the top-seeded Atlanta Falcons last week and I think they'll do the same vs. the Bears. Chicago and Green Bay both have good defenses (Chicago's defense is a little bit better). However, Green Bay's offense is a whole lot better than Chicago's even with Jay Cutler playing better as of late. I have Green Bay winning in a close game.

BTW Chicago, how do you feel about losing to Green Bay in the last game of the regular season now?

6:30, CBS

New York Jets @ Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh

Comment: By now, you all know how much I HATE the Jets and how much I love the Steelers (I'd root for them if I wasn't a Bills fan). So you probably aren't surprised that I picked the Steelers to win. But to be honest, I'm actually surprised that I'm picking the Steelers. I think the Jets are a better running team and have more talent than the Steelers. The Jets have an amazing defense and they just know how to play "tough" football. There is only one thing I don't like about the Jets: Mark Sanchez. I feel as though the Jets win in spite of him the majority of the time. However, on the other side of the ball, you have "rapist" Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback. Although a questionable character off the field, on the field he is a born winner. His ability to win big games combined with Pittsburgh's amazing rush defense and home-field advantage makes me believe that the Steelers will come out on top on Sunday.

Super Bowl Matchup:

Green Bay Packers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Dave Wannstedt to Bills as Linebackers/Assistant Head Coach

Dave Wannstedt is returning to the NFL and he is coming to the Buffalo Bills.

He will take over as the Bills Linebackers Coach as well as receiving the title of assistant head coach.

He's coming off of a 7-5 season as the head coach for the University of Pittsburgh where he coached for six seasons. He was forced to resign after the Panthers disappointing season.

Wannstedt has previously been a head coach in the NFL for the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins as well as the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins.

The move to bring in Wannstedt shows that the Bills are finally serious about turning around the team. They recognize that their defense was awful last year and they need to fix it.

The Bills have one of the worst linebacker corps I have ever seen and Wannstedt has a lot of work to do.

With that being said, I think Wannstedt is the right guy for the job and will help improve this team.

This also could be bait to try to bring in some decent players in free agency for the Bills.

Earlier in the month, the Bills re-signed Shawne Merriman to a two-year contract. Merriman stated that he was going to try to recruit players to come play for the Bills.

The addition of Wannstedt makes coming to the Bills even more appealing now. It shows that the Bills are tired of losing and have a new attitude. That may be attractive to players who may want to be part of the "turning around" project.

Sabres Beat Down Boston: Lower Gap to 8th to Seven Points

Maybe the Sabres have some fight in them after all. On Thursday night, the Sabres defeated the Northeast Division leader Boston Bruins on the road 4-2.

They twice trailed by a goal but kept on fighting to pull out the win.

Boston got on the board first when Dennis Seidenberg scored midway through the 1st period to give the Bruins the 1-0 lead.

The score remained 1-0 Boston until the 2nd period when Cody McCormick scored his 7th goal of the year to tie the game at 1-1. McCormick has played very well this year adding some offense in addition to his role as a tough guy.

A few minutes after the Sabres tied the game, Boston went up again when Gregory Campbell scored to give them a 2-1 lead.

But Nathan Gerbe wasn't going to let Boston keep the lead for long. Gerbe who has been playing good hockey as of late, scored to tie the game up at 2-2.

The game entered the 3rd period 2-2 when the Sabres decided to go off.

Thomas Vanek scored on an unassisted goal early in the 3rd to put the Sabres up 3-2. Then, late in the period, Jason Pominville scored to cap of a Sabres victory at 4-2.

Thomas Vanek and Tyler Ennis led the Sabres in scoring for the game with 2 points apiece.

With the win, the Sabres move within 7 points of Atlanta for the final playoff spot in the eastern conference with three games in hand.

Also with the win, the Sabres move to 7-2-1 there last 10 games and are easily on their hottest streak of the season.

The Sabres next play Friday January 21st at home vs. the New York Islanders.

Attendance: 17,565

Buffalo's Record: 21-20-5 (47 points) 10th in the Eastern Conference

Points Back Of Playoffs: 7 point back of Atlanta (3 games in hand)

Last 10: 7-2-1

Interesting Note: Thomas Vanek has 4 consecutive 2-point games

Key Stat: Buffalo came from behind twice to win the games

Three Stars:

1st- Paul Gaustad (Buffalo)

2nd- Nathan Gerbe (Buffalo)

3rd- Andrej Sekera (Buffalo)

Ohio's DeVaughn Washington Alley-Oop Dunk

This is actually one of my shots. I sit on the court for all of Ohio University's men's basketball games and film them with my video camera. This is one of the better highlights I've seen since I started filming earlier in the season so I decided to post it here.

Ohio Falls Again as They Lose to Bowling Green

Well, up until this point of the season, I have provided a ton of excuses for the way Ohio University's basketball team has performed. I have stated that they were young, unexperienced, will "get it" with time, and grow as the season goes on. Never once have I ever said that this team doesn't have enough talent to win the MAC.

Well now, I'm starting to rethink my position on that. Ohio lost again Wednesday night as they fell to "lowly" Bowling Green on the road 73-61 to fall to 1-3 in the MAC.

While it is true that they started 0-4 in the MAC last year, this year's team doesn't have nearly the talent that last year's team had. No longer does Ohio have Armon Bassett, KVK, or Stevie Coleman.

Instead, many freshmen and sophomores are being forced to play many minutes and haven't been playing up to there preseason expectations.

For Ohio to lose to Bowling Green is an embarrassing loss for the Bobcats. Even with Ohio's disappointing season to this point, they shouldn't lose to a team like the Falcons.

Bowling Green entered Wednesday night's game with an rpi of 266 and a 6-10 record. With losses to teams like Bowling Green, Ohio is continuing its decline to the lower depths of college basketball this season.

Now onto the recap of the game:

The game was close for the most part although Bowling Green led for the majority of the game.

The game entered halftime with Bowling Green up five at 34-29 before eventually winning 73-61.

Despite the loss, Ohio had balanced scoring with two starters and two bench players scoring in double-digits.

D.J. Cooper led the Bobcats with 18 points and 4 assists. Nick Kellogg got a rare start and scored 13 points.

Off the bench, Tommy Freeman and Ivo Baltic added 10 and 11 points respectively.

For Bowling Green, Scott Thomas and Torian Oglesby led the way. Thomas recorded 19 points and 9 rebounds while Oglesby recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Ohio struggled rebounding again as Bowling Green out-rebounded them 29-22. Also, Bowling Green had 20 assists to only 12 for Ohio.

With the loss, Ohio falls to 8-10 (1-3) and next plays January 22nd at home against Buffalo during Dad's weekend.

Attendance: 1,655

Ohio's Record: 8-10 (1-3)

Next Game: January 22nd vs. Buffalo (Dad's weekend)

Interesting Note: Nick Kellogg started for Ohio

Key Stat: Ohio committed 17 turnovers.

Sabres Defeat Montreal 2-1 in Overtime

On Tuesday night, the Sabres defeated the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 in overtime.

Tyler Ennis and Jason Pominville scored for the Sabres as they took down the Canadiens.

With the win, the Sabres "technically" get back to .500 on the season.

The Sabres initially trailed 1-0 when David Desharnais scored for the Canadiens to put them ahead 1-0. But the Sabres put forth a good effort and came back for the victory.

Besides the goal scorers for the Sabres, many other players put forth good games such as Thomas Vanek (assisted on both Buffalo goals) and Nathan Gerbe (3rd star).

The Sabres stand tied for 9th in the eastern conference and are 8 points back of Atlanta with three games in hand.

The Sabres next play January 20th at Boston.

Attendance: 18,225

Buffalo's Record: 20-20-5 (45 points) Tied 9th in Eastern Conference

Points Back Of Playoffs: 8 points back of Atlanta (3 games in hand)

Last 10: 6-3-1

Interesting Note: Every Sabre was a +/- 0 for the night

Key Stat: Thomas Vanek assisted on both Buffalo goals

Three Stars:

1st- Tyler Ennis (Buffalo)

2nd- Ryan Miller (Buffalo)

3rd- Nathan Gerbe (Buffalo)

B-Zone College Basketball Update

This edition is for all games through Sunday January 16, 2010

On Saturday, Ohio, Syracuse, Canisius, and Niagara were all in action

Saturday Games

Kent State 69, Ohio 66- DJ Cooper's 17 points and 8 assists weren't enough as Ohio blew an opportunity to upend Kent State at home. Ohio had a 3 point lead with a few minutes remaining but failed to hold onto the lead. Rebounding really hurt the Bobcats as Kent State recorded 18 offensive rebounds to Ohio's 15 defensive rebounds.

With the loss, Ohio falls to 8-9 (1-2) and next plays January 19th vs. Bowling Green.

Cincinnati 52, #4 Syracuse 67- Great defense propelled the Orangemen in this contest. Syracuse held Cincinnati to a season low 52 points and 30.5% field goal percentage. Rick Jackson had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Also, Fab Melo added 4 blocks.

Syracuse moves to 18-0 (5-0) and next plays January 17th in a HUGE Big East game vs. Pittsburgh.

Canisius 72, Manhattan 51- Elton Frazier had a good game scoring 18 points and leading the Golden Griffins to a nice conference road win over Manhattan. The win brings Canisius back to .500 on the year.

Canisius moves to 8-8 (2-4) and next plays January 17th vs. Siena.

Niagara 57, St. Peter's 77- Big Surprise Here!!!!!!!!! Niagara Won!!!! Just kidding. Niagara lost again like they have all year.

With the loss, Niagara falls to 4-14 (1-5) and next plays January 17th vs. Manhattan.

On Sunday, Buffalo and St. Bonaventure were in action

Sunday Games

Akron 70, Buffalo 73- Now, this was a pleasant surprise. UB isn't supposed to beat teams like Akron. But on Sunday, they did. Byron Mulkey had a good game with 17 points and lead UB to their first conference win of the season.

Buffalo moves to 9-6 (1-2) and next plays January 19th vs. Kent State.

St. Bonaventure 55, Rhode Island 56- The Bonnies wasted a really good opportunity to get a nice A10 road win. They had a 7-point lead at 55-48 with five minutes left in the game but couldn't manage to score again as they went down 56-55. Michael Davenport lead the Bonnies with 28 points.

With the loss, St. Bonaventure falls to 9-7 (1-2) and next plays January 19th vs. Xavier.

Rebounding Kills Ohio as They Fall to Kent State

Well, its very easy to point out Ohio's main weakness right now. REBOUNDING. On Saturday night, Ohio's lack of defensive rebounding cost them as they fell to Kent State 69-66.

The game was close throughout with Kent State possessing the largest lead at 10 points. The game entered halftime with Ohio down six points but still poised to win the game.

Kent State maintained the lead until midway through the second half.

That's when the game got its most competitive. From the 13:10 point of the 2nd half on, no team held a lead greater than three.

Ohio took the lead off of a DeVaughn Washington jumper with 4:44 remaining to go up 61-59. They upped there lead to three when Ivo Baltic hit a jumper with 2 minutes remaining to go ahead 66-63.

It appeared as though Ohio was in a good position to win the game but as we all know, anything can happen.

Ohio wasted there next few possessions and Kent State added a basket to get within one at 66-65.

After Cooper missed a jumper with 36 seconds remaining, Ohio committed a costly foul that put Carlton Guyton on the free throw line with a chance to give Kent State the lead.

Guyton made both free throws as Kent State went ahead 67-66 with 24 seconds remaining.

Then, before Ohio even had a chance to attempt for the lead, they turned the ball over and went behind by three with 10 seconds remaining.

Down by three with only 10 seconds remaining, DJ Cooper attempted two 3-pointers to tie the game but neither went in as Ohio went on to lose 69-66 in another disappointing loss.

The key to the game was rebounding. Ohio was out-rebounded by Kent State 38-25.

Kent State grabbed 18 offensive rebounds to Ohio's 15 defensive rebounds and allowed 14 second chance points to Kent State. These stats are embarrassing for Ohio and cost them in the end.

Despite the disappointing loss, life goes on and so does the Ohio University basketball season.

Ohio moves to 8-9 (1-2) with the loss and next plays January 19th at Bowling Green.

Attendance: 8,022

Ohio's Record: 8-9 (1-2)

Next Game: January 19th at Bowling Green

Key Fact: Kent State had 18 offensive rebounds to Ohio's 15 defensive rebounds

Interesting Note: Ohio just lost its 7th home game of the season

Sabres Lose to Islanders 5-3

On Saturday night, the Sabres pulled an epic stinker. Playing the 2nd worst team in the NHL, you'd figure that even a team like the Sabres should easily win the game. But that wasn't the case as the Sabres were dropped 5-3 as John Tavares went off for a hat trick for the Islanders.

The Sabres actually scored the first goal in the game......surprisingly. Thomas Vanek scored his 17th goal of the season and the Sabres went up 1-0 early in the 2nd period.

But then, the John Tavares show took place. Tavares scored three goals in a period of 6 minutes for the natural hat trick and put the Islanders up 3-1.

Matt Moulson assisted on all three of Tavares's goals.

Then, Blake Comeau scored with less than three minutes remaining in the 2nd period and the Islanders went up 4-1.

The game remained 4-1 until Tyler Ennis scored on a power play goal early in the 3rd period to cut the Islanders lead to 2 at 4-2.

With the Sabres down only 2 goals, they still had a shot to get back in the game. But it wasn't meant to be as Michael Grabner scored a shorthanded goal with a little over 3 minutes remaining to put the Islanders up 5-2.

Buffalo added one more goal before eventually falling 5-3.

These are the games Buffalo has to win. They have too much ground to make up to lose to bottom feeders.

This loss was disappointing and really hurts them. Buffalo doesn't have many games where they're "expected" to win. Saturday night was one of those games, and they blew it.

If the Sabres don't go on a streak soon, there season may be over before the playoff push even starts.

Attendance: 12,223

Buffalo's Record: 19-20-5 (43 points) 11th in the Eastern Conference

Points Back Of Playoffs: 8 points behind Atlanta for 8th place

Last 10: 5-4-1

Interesting Note: John Tavares is related to Buffalo Bandits star John Tavares

Key Stat: John Tavares recorded his 2nd career hat tricks

Three Stars:

1st- John Tavares (New York Islanders)

2nd- P.A. Parenteau (New York Islanders)

3rd- Andrew Mac Donald (New York Islanders)

Ohio Post-Game Press Conference (vs. Kent State 1.15.11) Part 2

Ohio Post-Game Press Conference (vs. Kent State 1.15.11) Part 1

Kent State Post-Game Press Conference (at Ohio 1.15.11)

Sabres Defeat Hurricanes: Move Within Eight Points of Eighth Place

If the Sabres want to get back in the playoff picture, they're going to have to start winning against the teams ahead of them in the Eastern Conference. They did just that on Thursday night as they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2.

The Sabres got on the board first as Nathan Gerbe scored his 2nd goal of the year in the 1st period to give the Sabres the 1-0 lead.

In the 2nd period, Tuomo Ruutu tied the game up for Carolina on a power-play goal for his 12th tally of the year.

But the game would not remain tied for long. Soon after Carolina scored, Cody McCormick added his second goal in as many nights to put the Sabres ahead 2-1.

The game entered the 3rd period with the Sabres ahead 2-1 when they decided to score another goal to increase there lead to two.

Drew Stafford scored on a power play goal to put the Sabres up 3-1. Thomas Vanek added his 2nd assist of the night on the goal.

Carolina tried to get back into the game on a Jeff Skinner goal with under a minute to play but it was too little too late as the Sabres went on to win 3-2.

It was an important win for the Sabres as they came into Thursday's contest 7 points back of Carolina for 9th in the Eastern Conference.

The Sabres have to be patient as they are trying to gain ground on the rest of the eastern conference. Its going to take time.

Tonight's win brings them within five points of Carolina for 9th and within eight points of Atlanta and Montreal for the 8th and final playoff spot in the eastern conference.

The Sabres next play January 15th in Long Island to take on the New York Islanders.

Attendance: 18,276

Buffalo's Record: 19-19-5 (43 points) 10th in the Eastern Conference

Points Back Of Playoffs: 8 points back of Atlanta and Montreal

Last 10: 6-3-1

Key Fact: Cody McCormick has scored in back-to-back games

Interesting Note: Nathan Gerbe has scored both of his goals this year at home

Three Stars:

1st- Thomas Vanek (Buffalo)

2nd- Cody McCormick (Buffalo)

3rd- Drew Stafford (Buffalo)

B-Zone College Basketball Update

On Wednesday, Ohio, Syracuse, and St. Bonaventure were all in action.

Wednesday Games

Ohio 79, Akron 70- Nick Kellogg's 23 points led Ohio to their first conference win of the season. DJ Cooper had a terrific game as he nearly had a triple-double with 13 points, 15 assists, and 8 rebounds.

Ohio moves to 8-8 (1-1) with the win and next plays Saturday at home vs. Kent State.

#4 Syracuse 76, St. John's 59- Balanced scoring by Syracuse's starters combined with great shooting and defense led the Cuse to a relatively easy win over St. John's. Rick Jackson had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Kris Joseph added another 18 points.

With the win, Syracuse moves to 17-0 (4-0) and next plays January 15th vs. Cincinnati.

St. Bonaventure 55, #23 Temple 83- An awful offensive showing derailed the Bonnies from the beginning as they got blown out against Temple. St. Bonaventure shot only 35.8% from the field for the game. Andrew Nicholson struggled as he only had 12 points and 2 rebounds in 31 minutes of action.

With the loss, St. Bonaventure falls to 9-6 (1-1) and next plays January 16th at Rhode Island.

On Thursday, Buffalo was in action

Buffalo 67, Miami(ohio) 70- Javon McCrea's 26 points off the bench wasn't enough for UB as they lost their 2nd straight MAC game on the road against Miami(ohio). UB had a chance to tie the game as time expired but Zach Filzen missed the attempted 3-pointer.

With the loss, UB falls to 8-6 (0-2) and next plays January 16th vs. Akron.

Ohio Grabs 1st MAC Win of the Season Over Akron

On Wednesday, Ohio grabbed there 1st MAC victory of the season on the road against MAC East contender Akron.

Ohio led the entire game before winning 79-70.

They led by as much as 24 and were up 37-21 at halftime. Akron tried to get back into the game late but had too much ground to make up.

Akron entered Wednesday's contest with the highest RPI of any team in the MAC. Their RPI of 86 is over 100 spots higher than what Ohio's RPI currently is.

So you can see the significance of Ohio's victory of Akron.

-It shows that Ohio can still beat anybody in the MAC.

-Ohio can go win on the road.

-Ohio is a team to reckon in the MAC East.

-The MAC is a lot closer than what everybody thought.

Now onto the game.

Nick Kellogg led the Bobcats in scoring with 23 points. Cooper added a double-double with 13 points and 15 assists.

Also, Tommy Freeman scored 16 points off the bench for Ohio.

For Akron, Steve McNees was their only player to score in double-digits as he scored 15 points.

With the win, Ohio moves to 8-8 (1-1) and gains there 1st conference win of the season. They next play Saturday at home vs. Kent State.

Attendance: 2,865

Ohio's Record: 8-8 (1-1)

Next Game: Saturday at home vs. Kent State

Key Fact: Ohio 52.9% compared to Akron at 37.1% from the field

Interesting Note: DJ Cooper had 15 assists

NFL Divisional Round Picks

Well it's the second week of the playoffs and I am ready! I'm pumped that we're getting closer and closer to the Super. My way of showing how pumped I am is to give all of you the winner's of this weeks games before they even happen.

Wild Card Round: 1-3

Regular Season: 73-39

B-Zone Overall Record: 74-42

Saturday Games

4:30, CBS

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh

Comment: Why am I picking Pittsburgh? How can I not? Call it an extreme respect for the Pittsburgh Steelers organization. I almost always pick the Steelers to win and there is no way that changes at home with a chance to go to the AFC Championship game.

8:00, FOX

Green Bay @ Atlanta: Green Bay

Comment: The Packers finally have a running game. With James Starks in the backfield, the Packers have what they have been searching for the whole season. Forget that the Falcons are great at home and have Matt Ryan. The Packers are gonna win this game and roll all the way to the Super Bowl.

Sunday Games

1:00, FOX

Seattle @ Chicago: Seattle

Comment: Call me crazy! Really, I mean it. I think I'm stupid for picking a team that went 7-9 in the regular on the road in Chicago with an opportunity to go to the NFC Championship Game. But I think they'll pull it off. There offense was electric last week and I think they have what it takes to upset Chicago on the road.

4:30, CBS

New York Jets @ New England: New England

Comment: I respect the Patriots more than any other franchise in the NFL. I hate the Jets more than any other franchise in the NFL. Ya got me? Before I even go into the matchups, I already knew who was gonna be my pick. Also, forgot to mention the Patriots 45-3 Monday Night butt-whooping over the Jets at home late in the regular season.

Buffalo Blows 2-Goal Lead As They Lose to Philadelphia

When you're a bad team, you just find ways to lose. A classic example of that was demonstrated Tuesday as the Buffalo Sabres fell to the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 after blowing a 2-goal lead.

Surprisingly, the Sabres actually got off to a fast start against the "elite" Philadelphia Flyers as they went ahead 2-0 in the 1st period.

Scoring for the Sabres were Paul Gaustad and Cody McCormick.

Shortly after the Sabres made it a two goal lead, Philadelphia responded with a power-play goal from Scott Hartnell to make it 2-1.

The game would remain 2-1 until late in the 2nd period.

With less than two minutes remaining in the 2nd period, former Sabre Daniel Briere scored to tie the game for the Flyers.

So, the 3rd period was up for grabs. Whatever team wanted it more would come out on top. The Sabres are desperate. They have to win this game. Right?

WRONG!

The Sabres put forth an awful 3rd period effort and ended up losing 5-2.

Ville Leino scored early in the 3rd to put the Flyers up 3-2. The goal was reviewed and stood even though the puck went off Leino's skate.

Then, midway through the 3rd period, Mike Richards scored on a breakaway to put the game away for the Flyers.

Scott Hartnell added the Flyers 5th goal in garbage time as he scored on an empty net.

Daniel Briere had a terrific game for the Flyers as he recorded 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists). Of course, as many of you remember, Briere used to be a standout player on the Buffalo Sabres.

The loss ends the Sabres 2-game winning streak and has them drop another 2 points back of Montreal which won on Tuesday vs. the New York Rangers.

The Sabres currently stand 10 points back of the final playoff spot in the eastern conference.

The Sabres next play January 13th vs. Carolina.

Attendance: 18,155

Buffalo's Record: 18,19-5 (41 points) 10th in Eastern Conference

Points Back Of Playoffs: 10 points back of Montreal

Last 10: 5-4-1

Key Fact: The Sabres were outscored 3-0 in the 3rd period

Interesting Note: Daniel Briere had 4 points.

Three Stars:

1st- Daniel Briere (Philadelphia)

2nd- Cody McCormick (Buffalo)

3rd- Kimmo Timonen

Sights & Sounds From Miami(ohio)-Ohio University Basketball Game (1.9.11)

B-Zone College Basketball Update

On Saturday, Syracuse, Buffalo, and St. Bonaventure were all in action.

Saturday Games

#4 Syracuse 61, Seton Hall 56- Balanced scoring lead Syracuse to the 5 point win over Seton Hall despite getting out-rebounded 43-30 for the game. Brandon Triche and Kris Joseph both lead the Cuse in scoring with 15 points apiece. Rick Jackson grabbed 14 rebounds for the game. For Seton Hall, Herb Pope and Jeff Robinson had huge games for Seton Hall. The duo combined for 31 points and 34 rebounds.

With the win, Syracuse moves to 16-0 (3-0) and next plays January 12th at St. John's.

Bowling Green 74, Buffalo 71 (2OT)- Javon McCrea's 18 points (9-11 on field goal attempts) off the bench wasn't enough to propel UB to victory in their first conference game of the season. The Bulls starters had an awful game shooting going a combined 14-47 from the field. A'uston Calhoun had a great game for Bowling Green coming off the bench scoring 20 points for the Falcons.

With the loss, UB falls to 8-5 (0-1) and next plays January 13th at Miami(ohio)

Charlotte 88, St. Bonaventure 92 (3OT)- What is it with St. Bonaventure and overtime games. The Bonnies played another long overtime thriller Saturday as they opened up their conference season with a win. Andrew Nicholson was amazing again as he scored 34 points.

With the win, St. Bonaventure moves to 9-5 (1-0) and next plays January 12th at #22 Temple.

On Sunday, Niagara, Canisius, and Ohio were all in action

Sunday Games

Miami(ohio) 92, Ohio 88 (3OT)- Wow, Ohio can't win in overtime. For the 3rd time this season, they went to overtime only to lose. This loss hurts as it was Ohio's conference opener at home against their biggest rival. D.J. Cooper recorded a double-double with 27 points and 11 assists but did not have his A game as he only shot 7-22 from the field.

With the loss, Ohio drops below .500 at 7-8 (0-1) and next play January 12th at Akron.

Siena 55, Niagara 69- Niagara Wins! Niagara Wins! I never thought this day would come again. After losing 11 of their last 12 games, Niagara finally won thanks to Anthony Nelson going off for 30 points.

With the win, Niagara gets their first conference win of the season and moves to 4-13 (1-4). Niagara next plays on January 15th vs. St. Peter's.

Rider 77, Canisius 76- Canisius led all the way till midway into the 2nd half but couldn't hold on to defeat the MAAC favorites. Julius Coles had a great game for the Golden Griffins scoring 20 points.

With the loss, Canisius falls to 7-8 (1-4) and next plays January 15th at Manhattan.

Miami(ohio) Post-Game Press Conference vs. Ohio University (1.9.11)

Ohio University Post-Game Press Conference (1.9.11 vs. Miami(ohio)

Ohio Falls in a 3OT Thriller vs. Miami

How many times is this going to happen? For the 3rd time this season, Ohio played a hard fought game only to lose in overtime. This time, it just so happened to be against their main rival Miami(ohio).

Ohio got off to a slow start in the 1st half as they were down by as many as seven points only five minutes into the game. Miami tried to set the tone early and it was obvious by the way they played.

Ohio then fought their way back into the game. They came all the way back to take a seven point lead of there own with a little less then 3 minutes remaining in the 1st half.

But Ohio's lead wasn't meant to last. The Bobcats blew the lead right before the half ended and the game entered halftime tied at 33-33.

In the 2nd half, Miami got off to another fast start.

But just like in the 1st half when they blew the lead, Miami did the same thing in the 2nd half.

Miami blew an 8 point lead when D.J. Cooper hit a 3 pointer with 9:33 left in the 2nd half to tie the game at 54-54.

The game remained close as Miami took a 2 point lead off of a Julian Muvunga layup with 1:27 remaining.

With Ohio down 2, DJ Cooper got fouled by Antonio Ballard with 49 seconds remaining in the 2nd half. Cooper went on to make both free throws to tie the game at 65-65.

Miami had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation but Mavunga missed his 3 point attempt and the game headed to overtime.

For Ohio, the overtime periods were mostly about survival.

They had a few leads overall in the overtime periods but trailed for the most part.

At the end of the 1st overtime, Cooper hit a 3-pointer with 39 seconds remaining to tie the game at 73-73.

Then for Miami, Mavunga went on to miss another 3-point attempt to win the game and the game headed to a 2nd overtime.

In the 2nd overtime, no team had a lead greater than 3. Ivo Baltic made 1 of 2 free throws with 1:46 remaining to tie the game. No points were scored after that and the game went to yet another overtime period.

But as the saying goes "all good things must come to an end." The 3rd overtime was the final period of this great basketball game.

Miami got out to an early 2 point lead in the 3rd overtime off of a pair of free throws by Allen Roberts.

Miami then went on to put the throttle on Ohio as they scored 12 points in 3rd overtime and went on to win 92-88.

Ohio had a chance to tie the game with 3 seconds left but failed to gain possession of the rebound when Mavunga missed back to back free throws with 3 seconds remaining.

With Miami getting the ball back, Ohio was forced to foul. Miami made its next 2 free throws and sent Ohio to the loser's column for the 8th time this season.

D.J. Cooper put up good numbers for Ohio but did not have a good game. Cooper recorded a double-double with 27 points and 11 assists but only shot 7-22 from the field.

Tommy Freeman and Ivo Baltic both had decent games going for 17 and 16 points respectively.

For Miami, Antonio Ballard was a beast. Ballard had a monster game going for a double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds. He shot 8-12 from the field and played in all 55 minutes of the game.

Nick Winbush also had a good game for Miami. Winbush nearly had a double-double with 19 points and 9 rebounds.

The key to the game came down to rebounding. Miami out-rebounded Ohio 50-32 for the game and grabbed many crucial boards late in the game.

With the loss, Ohio falls to 7-8 (0-1) and next plays January 12th at Akron.

Attendance: 9,749

Ohio's Record: 7-8 (0-1)

Next Game: January 12th at Akron

Key Fact: Ohio was out-rebounded 50-32

Interesting Note: This was Ohio's 3rd overtime game of the season

Sabres Defeat Coyotes 2-1 in Overtime

On Saturday night, the Sabres defeated the Phoenix Coyotes 2-1 in overtime.

Jordon Leopold and Drew Stafford scored for the Sabres as they took down the Coyotes.

With the win, the Sabres finally got back to .500 for the season.

They stand 10th in the eastern conference and are 8 points back of 8th place Montreal.

The Sabres next play January 11th at home vs. the Philadelphia Flyers.

Attendance: 13,905

Buffal0's Record: 18-18-5 (41 points) 10th in Eastern Conference

Last 10: 5-4-1

Interesting Note: Jordon Leopold scored his 10th goal of the season

Key Stat: Stafford has 21 points in 25 games

Three Stars:

1st- Ryan Miller (Buffalo)

2nd- Jason LaBarbera (Phoenix)

3rd- Drew Stafford (Buffalo)

B-Zone College Basketball Update

On Wednesday, St. Bonaventure took on Arkansas-Little Rock and on Friday, Niagara took on Rider.

Wednesday Night

St. Bonaventure 68, Arkansas-Little Rock 55- Demetrius Conger had a huge night for the Bonnies going for a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Nicholson added 11 points but was limited to only 20 minutes due to foul trouble. The game was tied at 26-26 entering halftime but St. Bonaventure put the "hurt" on the Trojans in the 2nd half as they ended up winning by 13.

St. Bonaventure moves to 8-5 with the win and next plays January 8th as they open up their conference season at home vs. Charlotte.

Rider 82, Niagara 65- I'll phrase up the entire game in three sentences: Rider had 4 players score at least 16 points. Rider shot 55.2% from the field. Niagara shot 29.4% from the field.

Yes it is fair to assume that Niagara University has an awful basketball team.

Niagara falls to 3-13 (0-4) and next plays January 9th vs. Siena.

Ruff Gets 500th Win as Sabres Blank Sharks

On Thrursday night, the Buffalo Sabres defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-0.

Ryan Miller recorded his 3rd shutout of the season while Luke Adam, Jochen Hecht, and Thomas Vanek all scored goals for the Sabres.

With the win, Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff became the 16th coach in NHL history to amass 500 wins and joined Toe Blake as the only one's to get all their wins for one team.

The Sabres move into 10th place in the eastern conference with the win and stand 8 points back of Montreal for the final playoff spot.

Buffalo next plays January 8th at Phoenix.

Attendance: 17,562

Buffalo's Record: 17-18-5 (39 points) 10th in Eastern Conference

Last 10: 5-4-1

Interesting Note: With the win, Lindy Ruff gained his 500th career NHL win.

Key Stat: Ryan Miller recorded his 3rd shutout of the season.

Three Stars:

1st- Ryan Miller (Buffalo)

2nd- Shaone Morrison (Buffalo)

3rd- Thomas Vanek (Buffalo)

NFL Wild Card Playoff Picks

Well, its playoff time and I'm excited. I finished a great season of picks by going 11-5 in the final week of the regular season. That gives me hope that my luck will continue into the playoffs.

Last Week: 11-5

B-Zone Overall Record: 73-39

Saturday Games

4:30, NBC

New Orleans @ Seattle: New Orleans

Comment: How did Seattle even make the playoffs? They WENT 7-9! New Orleans should roll in this one despite going into hostile territory in Seattle.

8:00, NBC

New York Jets @ Indianapolis: Indianapolis

Comment: Despite getting more wins than the Colts in the regular season, the Jets must travel to Indianapolis to take on the high flying Colts. I think Peyton Manning is too experienced and talented to be stopped. I like the Colts in this one in a close game.

Sunday Games

1:00, CBS

Baltimore @ Kansas City: Baltimore:

Comment: I didn't even realize before typing this that 3 of the four wild card teams this year had more wins than their week 1 playoff opponents. Baltimore has too good of a defense and has just enough offense to make a run in the playoffs. I don't think Kansas City will be able to stop them.

4:30, FOX

Green Bay @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia

Comment: It was in the season opener against Green Bay when the Mike Vick experience was re-established with Philadelphia. Kolb got injured and Vick replaced him and almost led the Eagles to a comeback victory. The rest of the story is history. Whoever wins this game will have a great chance to go the Super Bowl.

Sabres Lose to Avs in Overtime

Well, just when you thought that the Buffalo Sabres might be starting a decent winning streak, they blow a 3rd period lead and go on to lose to the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in overtime.

Things didn't start out well for the Sabres as the Colorado Avalanche took a 2-1 lead entering the 2nd period.

Daniel Winnik scored his 7th goal of the season to put the Avalanche up 1-0.

But less than a minute later, Thomas Vanek scored for the Sabres on a beautiful power play goal to tie the game up at 1-1.

Colorado wasn't going to settle for a tie game entering the 2nd period though. Ryan O' Reilly scored a shorthanded goal with a little less than four minutes remaining in the 1st period to give back the 1-goal lead to Colorado.

The game remained tied at 2-1 entering the 3rd period.

In the 3rd period, Buffalo scored back to back goals within a minute of each other to take a 3-2 lead with 15:00 minutes left in the game.

But the lead wasn't meant to last.

31 seconds after Steve Montador scored to give the Sabres the one goal lead, Matt Duchene tied the game up for the Avalanche.

The game then headed to overtime where David Jones won the game for Colorado on a power play goal.

Even with the loss, the Sabres still get a point since the game headed to overtime. Unfortunately for the Sabres, 1 point doesn't really do them much good since they are 9 points back of a playoff spot.

The Sabres are almost 1/2 through the season and have struggled badly up till this point. They need wins and must put together some winning streaks in order to pick up ground on the rest of the eastern conference.

Tonight, it appeared for a little bit as though the Sabres might get their 3rd win in a row but it wasn't meant to be.

The Sabres next play Thursday January 6th at San Jose.

Attendance: 12,548

Buffalo's Record: 16-18-5 (37 points) Tied 11th in the Eastern Conference

Last 10: 4-5-1

Interesting Note: Buffalo is 6-5 in games that end in OT/SO

Key Fact: Colorado had 17 takeaways

Three Stars:

1st- David Jones (Colorado)

2nd- Daniel Winnik (Colorado)

3rd- Peter Budaj (Colorado)

B-Zone College Basketball Update

On Monday, Canisius, Buffalo, and Niagara were all in action

Canisius 55, St. Peter's 63- Nick Leon had 20 points for St. Peter's as they put away Canisius. Reggie Groves came off the bench for Canisius and contributed 16 points in the losing effort. The loss is Canisius's 3rd consecutive conference loss and drops them below .500.

Canisius moves to 6-7 with the loss and next plays January 7th vs. Siena

Buffalo 78, Cornell 66- UB finished its conference schedule with a win over the Big Red on Monday night. Byron Mulkey led UB to the win the great effort. Mulkey recorded 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in the win.

UB moves to 8-4 and next plays January 8th when they open of their conference schedule at home against Bowling Green.

Niagara 48, Fairfield 70- When you look up the word awful in the dictionary, a picture of Niagara University's men's basketball team shows up.

Niagara moves to 3-12 and next plays January 7th vs. Rider.

Ohio University Basketball Midway Report

Overview

It's midway through Ohio University's men's basketball season so I decided to come out with a status report on how the Bobcats have been doing.

As of now, Ohio is 7-7 and has an rpi of 189.

They have only one quality win which occurred vs. Valparaiso and they have many bad losses.

The list of disappointing losses includes losses to IUPUI, St. Bonaventure in 4 OT's, and Robert Morris in overtime.

It has been a long season for Ohio up until this point.

They entered the year with lots of hype coming off of their second round appearance in the NCAA tournament last year. They had a few votes to start the year in the AP Top 25 and were the preseason MAC favorites.

But instead of matching the hype, they have instead played very poorly. They have played miserably at home and haven't been able to put away teams.

The Bobcats are not an awful team. They have talent but they just can't seem to beat other decent teams.

They have a tendency to over rely on sophomore point guard D.J. Cooper. By over-relying on him, other players haven't stood out as much as they were expected to before the season.

Stand Out Players

I hate to always talk about D.J. Cooper but he is Ohio's only stand out player to this point in the season.

Cooper is averaging 18.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 2.9 steals per game. He leads the team in all of the above categories except for rebounds in which he is 2nd on the team.

DeVaughn Washington and Tommy Freeman are both having decent seasons despite not meeting their preseason expectations. Both are averaging slightly above 10 points per game. Freeman has been hitting 43% of his 3-point attempts and Washington is grabbing 5.4 rebounds per game.

The production from both of them has been decent. It would've been nice if they went another step up with their games but the team should still win with the production they're giving.

Possible Break Out Players

The two players I have my mind on are Ivo Baltic and T.J. Hall.

I have always loved Baltic's athleticism. He's making 50.5% of his field goal attempts and has looked decent at times. He's leading the team in rebounds with 6.0 per game and possesses the "it" factor. I feel as though he is just a few steps away from becoming a very good player for this team.

Another player who I have my eye on is T.J. Hall. He has been getting more minutes in recent games which means more shots. While he sometimes has bad shot selection and has been shooting poorly this year (34.5%), he has a lot of potential and will be important for the Bobcats come conference season.

Disappointing Players

The entire team. You know the saying "You win as a team, you lose as a team." Well, that saying applies to Ohio right now.

They are just playing poorly as a unit right now. Sure, they defeat all the duds on their non-conference schedule such as St. Francis and Norfolk State. But they can't beat the mid-level teams on their schedule.

If Ohio ever wants to step up a level, they have to learn to consistently beat fellow mid-majors and stop over-relying on single players such as D.J. Cooper.

Outlook

Come conference season, anything can happen. The MAC is mid-tier conference that is 16th in conference rpi.

Despite Ohio's early season struggles, there is still no reason to think that they can't win the MAC East. No single team stands out as the team to beat in the division.

On the other side of the MAC, the west is even weaker. Only Ball State has a winning record in the west.

Prediction

I have Ohio finishing 3rd in the MAC East behind Akron and Kent State. I don't like the way Ohio has performed against mid-level teams this season. I can't see them winning the MAC with their current brand of basketball.

However with that being said, I still think that Ohio will have a winning record overall and finish the conference season 9-7.

Also, with Ohio opening their conference season on Sunday against Miami(ohio), I have one thing to say.

MUCK FIAMI