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VOL.68 NO.39
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THE BULLS DYNASTY Buffalo’s third MAC title solidifies its spot as a top team in the conference DANIEL PETRUCCELLI SPORTS EDITOR
BULLS WIN
THIRD MAC CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS
CLEVELAND — The Bulls are now the Mid-American Conference regular season and MAC Tournament champions in the same year for the first time in school history. Buffalo (26-8, 15-3 MAC) came away with three wins, culminating in a 7666 win over the Toledo Rockets (23-11, 13-5 MAC) Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena. The win gave the Bulls their third MAC Tournament title in four years –– a feat that has only been accomplished one other time in the 38-year history of the MAC Tournament. Bulls head coach Nate Oats was on the staff for all three titles and has been head coach for the last two. In Saturday’s postgame interview, Oats gave the credit to his players. > SEE BULLS | PAGE 8
PHOTO: MADISON MEYER | DESIGN: PIERCE STRUDLER
Man sentenced to 60 days jail for sexually abusing former UB student in dorms NEWS DESK
Jhon Castiblanco, 36, was sentenced to 60 days in jail and 10 years probationary supervision for sexually abusing a UB student in her dorm in 2015, according to The Buffalo News. A spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office told The Buffalo News the victim had been drinking the night she was assaulted and returned to her dorm alone. She woke to find Castiblanco on top of her. Castiblanco was not charged until May 2017. He was found guilty last November in State Supreme Court of one felony count of sexual abuse of a helpless victim. Castiblanco was found not guilty of the more severe charge of rape of a helpless victim.
Castiblanco’s attorney said Wednesday his client had a “different account of events that night.” Before the sentencing, Assistant District Attorney Bethany Solek read a statement from the victim, who said she still has nightmares and trouble forming relationships since the assault. The victim has since moved away. Justice Christopher J. Burns said at the hearing he thought Castiblanco’s actions warranted some jail time. UB remains on the education department’s list of universities under investigation for mishandling a sex abuse complaint, stemming from a complaint filed by a student May 12, 2016. email: news@ubspectrum.com
University police hold active-shooter training session Officers reviewed ‘Run, Hide, Fight’ protocol with students HARUKA KOSUGI ASST. NEWS EDITOR
University police discussed what to do when an active shooter is on campus during two active-shooter training sessions held last Wednesday and Friday. UPD began conducting “walk-in” training sessions last year to teach students and faculty how to react in an emergency shooting event. The training, conducted by interim Chief of Police Chris Bartolomei and Officer Scott Marciszewski, went over
United People’s Party
GSA votes in support of TA stipends, student anti-gun violence demonstrations
“Run, Hide, Fight,” active-shooter protocol based on the Department of Homeland Security’s response model. Although concern about school shootings and gun violence has dominated headlines in the past few weeks, it’s still hard to reach students, Bartolomei said. On Wednesday, roughly 20 students and faculty members attended, and on Friday, just three. Bartolomei addressed the low turnout during Friday’s session. “We’ve advertised it the best we can,” he said. “There have been recent events that have been piquing people’s interests, but we still don’t get a good turnout.” > SEE UNIVERSITY POLICE | PAGE 4
REAL Party
ANNA SAVCHENKO, THE SPECTRUM
Ariana Nash, member of the Living Stipend Movement, presented the TA living stipend resolution alongside fellow movement members at Wednesday’s GSA Senate Meeting. The graduate student representatives voted in favor of the resolution.
ANNA SAVCHENKO ASST. NEWS EDITOR
The Graduate Student Association Senate passed a unanimous resolution supporting current and prospective students who wish to participate in antigun violence demonstrations. The Senate also voted to increase stipends for graduate student teaching and research assistants, which the majority of the graduate student representative body supported. GSA President Tanja Aho urged the graduate student department and club representatives to vote alongside other schools who are advocating stricter gun laws at Wednesday’s Senate meeting. More than 260 colleges said there would be no penalty during the admissions process for applicants whose records indicate they were penalized for taking part in non-violent demonstrations against gun violence. The GSA passed the same resolution
The Spectrum will moderate SA’s main debate between the executive board candidates on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Student Union Theater.
UB’s Faculty Senate voted for on Tuesday that calls for faculty to support all students who choose to participate in the national walkout on March 14. Faculty, high school and college students across the country plan to walk out of classes at 10 a.m. for 17 minutes in honor of the 17 Parkland shooting victims. “This asks the university to allow students to peacefully protest and accept incoming students without penalizing them for standing in solidarity for the victims of the Parkland shooting,” Aho said. “[Because they] are afraid that if they participate in this walkout, it will show up in their transcripts and it will be harder for them to get into college.” Peter Farruggia, a graduate law and public health student, said he will participate in the walkout even though it takes place the same time as his midterm exam. > SEE GSA | PAGE 2
Changes to academic integrity policy long overdue
Moments from the MAC
> PAGE 3 NEWS OPINION
> PAGE 5 SPORTS
NEWS
2 | The Spectrum
Monday, March 12, 2018
Acclaimed author Margaret Atwood charms UB community Atwood delivers keynote address for ‘Humanities to the Rescue’ weekend
ANNA SAVCHENKO ASST. NEWS EDITOR
Margaret Atwood said she understands why people are concerned about the future of the humanities. Atwood’s sold-out keynote address, “An Evening with Margaret Atwood,” kicked off the “Humanities to the Rescue” weekend on Friday in the Center for the Arts. Her speech was part of a UB’s Humanities Institute project that aims to illuminate the importance of the humanities in the current socio-political climate. Kari Winter, executive director of the Humanities Institute, moderated a Q&A session following the speech. “You may feel like a rat trying to find the cheese in [the humanities]. But believe me, there’s treasure in there,” Atwood
GSA votes CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
“Some students were definitely questioning it, and we were curious to kind of see what our professor was going to say,” Farruggia said. Farruggia said his professor expressed her support for the walkout and told the students they were more than welcome to participate in the protest. The Living Stipend Movement, whose members have been actively pushing for a living wage for all graduate student workers, presented the resolution on the floor. Ariana Nash, an English graduate student and member of the Living Stipend
said. “The treasure is in the stories, and we have to know the bad stories as well as the good ones because guess what –– the bad stories are still out there.” Atwood talked about her experiences writing for a future generation. She also mentioned a manuscript she submitted for the Future Library project, a program in Norway that will collect books from 100 authors including Atwood. The project will release the books in 2114. Atwood said all her creative ideas originated from real-life experiences. Her time at Harvard played a role in “The Handmaid’s Tale.” “The wall on which the bodies of the executed are hanged [in the novel] is the Harvard Wall,” Atwood said. “Back in 1985 when the novel was first published, Harvard did not find any of this amusing. But they have come around since.” Robin Schulze, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said hearing Atwood talk in person was close to her heart as an English professor. “What she said about the darkest of
her novels being hopeful was something I never noticed in them before –– they’re all written for posterity,” Schulze said. “Everything we all do everyday to document our lives, to make sure we’re recording our feelings or even a letter to a friend –– these are all just really hopeful things.” Caitlin Conlon, a senior English major, said she enjoyed the way Atwood joked lightheartedly about political issues. “Nowadays it’s really easy to become frustrated with our political and social situation,” Conlon said. “The way she still has that hope and inspires that hope in other people is really significant for me.” Winter has written several papers on Atwood’s work and has been teaching it as a subject tied to the power of storytelling. She said she was glad to see a woman who has achieved such success. “There haven’t been many women who culture has allowed to have that long-term blossoming of their work,” Winter said. “And it’s just so deeply gratifying to me to see her success and to be fully inhabiting the literary genius.”
Movement and GSA, said she is hopeful the resolution will put real pressure on the administration to address graduate student concerns. “When faculty, staff and graduate students all support a reasonable measure, and the administration does nothing about it, it tells you a lot about how little the administration cares about the university community,” Nash said. “The UB administration paid a lot for a branding campaign about ‘academic excellence,’ but they don’t seem to care at all that there is campus-wide consensus that graduate programs are suffering because graduate students are being paid poverty wages.” Members of the Living Stipend Movement estimated the cost of paying all stu-
dents a living stipend would be less than $10 million annually. “That’s very little in terms of the overall budget, but it would make an immense difference in people’s lives, and President Tripathi hasn’t even been willing to discuss it,” Nash said. “So yes, hopefully we don’t have to start organizing undergrads and petitioning the parents of students and prospective students in order to get the administration’s attention. Hopefully, the administration will start to listen and start to make real change.” Seventeen of UB’s administrators make over $300,000 annually, not including additional compensation from the SUNY Research Fund and the UB Foundation, according to New York Upstate.
HARUKA KOSUGI, THE SPECTRUM
Kari Winter moderating a Q&A with Margaret Atwood on Friday’s Humanities to the Rescue event, “An Evening with Margaret Atwood.”
Haruka Kosugi contributed reporting for this article. email: anna.savchenko@ubspectrum.com twitter: @annasavchenkooo
“It’s absolutely appalling,” Farruggia said. “Especially considering that President Tripathi is the highest paid SUNY President in the entire SUNY system. The TAs and GAs here at UB are some of the lowest paid TAs and GAs in the SUNY system, and his response shows that he doesn’t care. He has all the advanced degrees of where he was a TA or GA, and he knows what it feels like. But this just shows how out of touch he is with the university system even though he was part of it a long time ago.” The Faculty Senate will discuss TA living wage and stipends on March 13. email: anna.savchenko@ubspectrum.com twitter: @AnnaSavchenkooo
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OPINION
Monday, March 12, 2018
The Spectrum | 3
THE THESSPECTRUM PECTRUM Monday, March 12, 2018 Volume 67 Number 39 Circulation: 4,000
EDITORIAL BOARD Editor in Chief Hannah Stein
Managing Editor David Tunis-Garcia
Creative Director Pierce Strudler
Copy Editors
CARTOON | ARDI DIGAP
Dan McKeon, Chief Emma Medina Cassi Enderle, Asst. Lauryn King, Asst. Savanna Caldwell, Asst.
News Editors Sarah Crowley, Senior Max Kalnitz Haruka Lucas Kosugi, Asst. Anna Savchenko, Asst.
Features Editors Benjamin Blanchet, Senior Erik Tingue, Asst. Wanly Chen, Asst.
Arts Editors Brenton Blanchet, Senior Brian Evans, Asst.
Changes to academic integrity policy long overdue Proposed solutions demonstrate change is possible
Sports Editors Thomas Zafonte, Senior Daniel Petruccelli
Editorial Editor Maddy Fowler
Multimedia Editors Allison Staebell, Senior Elijah Pike, Asst. Jack Li, Asst.
Cartoonist Ardi Digap
PROFESSIONAL STAFF Office Administrator Helene Polley
Advertising Manager Ayesha Kazi
Graphic Design Managers Stephen Jean-Pierre JuYung Hong, Asst.
EDITORIAL BOARD
A faculty committee is recommending changes to UB’s academic integrity policy following a two-year long study that found students and staff think the current academic integrity policy is inconsistent and overly harsh. The current policy is outlined at length on UB’s website, but the wording is confusing, and specific rules and regulations are not emphasized clearly enough. You have to read through several paragraphs in order to find instructions for reporting academic dishonesty. Punishments under the current system vary greatly. Some students get away with cheat-
ABOUT THE SPECTRUM The views expressed – both written and graphic – in the Feedback, Opinion and Perspectives sections of The Spectrum do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board. Submit contributions for these pages to The Spectrum office at Suite 132 Student Union or news@ ubspectrum.com. The Spectrum reserves the right to edit these pieces for style and length. If a letter is not meant for publication, please mark it as such. All submissions must include the author’s name, daytime phone number, and email address.
The Bulls at-large If the women’s basketball team does not go to the NCAA Tournament, it’ll be a robbery
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ing and many others see this and think it is OK for them to cheat, too. Other times, punishment is doled out, but it is mild. In one instance, an editor said his classmate was just asked to re-do a plagiarized assignment and was not punished. Another editor said she knows a student who submitted the same paper to two classes and got away with it. The nuances of academic dishonesty are rarely broken down and explained. Cheating is not always as obvious as students think, particularly in English courses. Inexperienced freshmen may not realize paraphrasing someone else’s ideas without proper citation or handing in an essay written for another class still qualifies as academic dishonesty. If students are found guilty, the focus is punishment, not remediation. While students who cheat should absolutely be held accountable and face consequences, they should also be giv-
SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
Historically, if you lose in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, your season is done. Every trip Buffalo has taken to the NCAA Tournament has been from winning the conference championship. In both programs’ histories, neither team has ever recieved an at-large bid, an invitation to the NCAA tournament for teams who do not win their conference championship. The bids are mostly used for teams in big conferences like the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big 12 Conference and the Big Ten Conference. Mid-majors like the MAC are almost always skipped over in the at-large selection process. But if the Bulls (27-5, 16-2 MAC) do not receive an at-large this year, then one of the 64 best teams in the nation will not play
in the tournament it deserves to be in. Following the Bulls’ loss in the MAC Tournament final to the Central Michigan Chippewas (28-4, 17-1 MAC), Buffalo’s only way into the NCAA Tournament is an at-large bid. As of March 10, ESPN’s Bracketology has the Bulls as a 10-seed in the tournament. But, there is a general fear that the Bulls will be overlooked for a major conference team. How am I to believe the Iowa Hawkeyes (24-7, 11-5 Big 10) are supposed to be a six-seed when they lost to the Nebraska Cornhuskers (21-10, 11-5 Big 10) twice and the Bulls beat Nebraska 82-72 this season? The easiest way to discredit the Bulls is to point to their losses. The most glaring is against the Northern Illinois Huskies (1515, 7-11 MAC) in January and a non-conference loss to the Niagara Purple Eagles (13-18, 9-9 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference). The Purple Eagles loss is the one that could jeopardize Buffalo, as the Bulls lost to a worse team that night. The Huskies loss is a different story, as the Bulls kept the game close, losing in overtime. The Bulls followed that loss with 11 straight
en the opportunity to learn from their mistakes to ensure they do not cheat again in the future. More than 60 percent of respondents to the academic integrity study said they have observed or reported cases of cheating. But UB only sees an average of 150 academic integrity violations every year. Based on these findings, faculty members are recommending the creation of a dedicated academic integrity office. The office would include a permanent committee of faculty and students who would hear all appeals and determine the appropriate response for each case of cheating. The office would also ensure more consistency in terms of how academic dishonesty cases are handled. Many professors do not follow up on academic dishonesty cases because the current process is time-consuming and confusing,
the study found. By having the disciplinary process for academic integrity violations all in one office, it will be easier for professors to report and students will be less likely to get away with cheating. We applaud the faculty committee for seeing a need to examine the weaknesses in the current academic integrity policy and for putting together a thorough study, which included roughly 400 faculty members and 4,000 students. We are also glad to see the process was student-centric, with thousands of students given the opportunity to weigh-in on the issue. The new proposal shows what is possible when the administration listens to student and faculty concerns, and takes concrete steps to address pressing problems on campus. It shows change is possible if it is advocated for. We hope to see the trend continue.
wins, setting the program record for wins in a season before they ever got to Cleveland. If Buffalo does not make the tournament, expect these losses to be the talking points as to why. I find it ridiculous that anyone would put merit in the Bulls’ other losses to the Arizona State Sun Devils (21-12, 10-8 Pacific-12 Conference) and the Chippewas. The Sun Devils, a solid team in their own right, played the Bulls in non-conference before the team figured out how to run its fast-paced transition offense consistently. The Chippewas are one of the top teams in the nation, with only one loss in conference play to the Bulls. Besides these blemishes, the Bulls have a better record than most teams seeded above them by ESPN. The Bulls’ best reason for going to the dance is the quality and consistency of the team’s wins. People can outlandishly say the MAC is a weak conference, but the Bulls ran through it. They went 17-1 this season when playing any MAC team not named the Chippewas. They won 11 of those games by 15 points or more. That is not even considering the big wins the Bulls have picked up this season. The Bulls beat quality teams like the UNLV Rebels (19-11, 14-3 Mountain West Conference), Nebraska, Central Michigan and the Ball State Cardinals (24-6, 13-5 MAC). Not to mention wins over big conference teams like the Clemson Tigers (11-19, 1-15
ACC) and the St. John’s Red Storm (16-14, 9-9 Big East Conference). Even if you look at stats, Buffalo is one of the best 64 teams in the nation. As of March 9, the Bulls are ranked nineteenth in the NCAA RPI rankings. They were also ranked 28th in points per game, averaging 77.1 points and 30th in field-goal percentage defense at 36.5 percent. Buffalo was even ranked eighth in steals per game. Junior guard Cierra Dillard ranked 17th in steals per games amongst Division-I players. The numbers don’t lie and they spell the Bulls dancing at the NCAA tournament. The only reason they wouldn’t is because the NCAA doesn’t view Buffalo as a strong fanbase. The major schools bring in more fans based on name-value alone. People go to Notre Dame just to be part of the Fighting Irish. If Buffalo had a more serious fanbase for women’s basketball, I wouldn’t be so nervous. But when the best attendance number the team did all year was 2,681, the NCAA knows that the overall fan interest is not there. As head coach Felisha LegetteJack has said, the women’s basketball team is a different kind of cool. It’s fine if you don’t want to support UB’s female athletes, but the Bulls are still going to play great basketball and appreciate the fans that do show up.
email: opinion@ubspectrum.com.
email: thomas.zafonte@ubspectrum.com twitter: @Thomas_Spectrum
NEWS
4 | The Spectrum
Monday, March 12, 2018
Bulls draw Wildcats in first round Buffalo will meet Arizona in third NCAA Tournament appearance SPORTS DESK
The No. 13 Bulls will play the No. 4 Arizona Wildcats in the South bracket of the NCAA Tournament on March 15. The announcement comes one day after the Bulls beat the Toledo Rockets in the finals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament to win the program’s third MAC championship and a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulls (26-8, 15-3 MAC) finished first in the MAC regular season and come in on a six-game winning streak. Arizona (27-7, 14-4 Pac-12) finished first in the Pac-12 regular season and won the conference championship tournament. The game will take place in Boise, Idaho with tipoff to be announced.
MADISON MEYER | THE SPECTRUM
The Bulls’ bench celebrates their semi-final victory in Cleveland this past weekend. After winning the MAC tournament, the Bulls secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The team will play the Arizona Wildcats in Boise, Idaho on March 15.
email: sports@ubspectrum.com
University police CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
The session stressed the importance of being aware of surroundings on campus and signing up for UB alerts via cell phone. The goal of the training is “not to scare,” but to prepare students and faculty, Marciszewski said. Bartolomei defined an “active shooter” as someone who is “intent on killing as much as possible, and is actively engaged in doing so.” Officers said shooters are usually not strangers, but members of
UB T H E
D O N A L D
L .
D AV I S
the community. The officers played a video that showed how to react during a shooting. The video said the first priority is to run away from the danger. If that is not possible, the next step is to hide in a secure location and to turn off lights and cell phone ringers to not alert the shooter. The last resort is to engage the shooter in combat to stall or disarm the shooter. “I don’t advocate fighting with an armed or hostile person, but that may be your only option,” Marciszewski said. Audience members asked if UPD will
L E C T U R E S H I P
F U N D
set up a campus-wide drill. Bartolomei responded saying it is difficult to conduct a functional drill for a university of UB’s size. Bartolomei added that during a shooting, it isn’t beneficial for everyone to react the same way. A drill would not necessarily help prepare for the scenario. “It’s kind of an every-man-for-themself response [to a shooting], which typically sounds bad, but in this situation it actually works and the best part about it is that it’s not predictable for the shooter either,” Bartolomei said. The officers told students to report anyone making threats on social media or act-
ing strangely. Bartolomei said he has seen crime decrease on campus, but fear of crime has gone up because of national news coverage of tragedies. “I don’t want you to live in fear because really I think this campus is safer than it ever has been in the time I’ve worked here,” Bartolomei said. email: haruka.kosugi@ubspectrum.com twitter: @kosugispec
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Monday, March 12, 2018
SPORTS / ARTS
The Spectrum | 5
Moments from the
MAC
PHOTOS: MADISON MEYER | THE SPECTRUM
Spring Awakening blossoms at Shea’s 710 Historical musical highlights contemporary issues through rock music
MADDY FOWLER EDITORIAL EDITOR
MusicalFare’s “Spring Awakening” takes place in 19th-century Germany, but it tells a story that resonates with modern audiences. The energetic rock musical about teen sexuality takes place in the repressive Victorian-era rural Germany and earned the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2007. “Spring Awakening” explores themes such as homosexuality, masturbation, child abuse, abortion and suicide. The production is staged in Shea’s 710, a smaller venue than Shea’s main stage. The story details the sexual awakening of five teenagers and is based off of an 1891 German play of the same name. The original work was widely banned and censored for its explicit depiction of teen sexuality. The musical version brings new life to the century-old play with modern rock music that illuminates the inner monologues of troubled teens. The characters express their inner angst with turbulent, rousing numbers like “The B*tch of Living” and “Totally F*cked.” The intimate setting of Shea’s 710 was ideal for the emotional show, and the cast uses this setting to its advantage by performing in the aisles beside the audience. Emily Yancey’s character Martha sings a song called “The Dark I Know Well,” a number that details the sexual abuse the character experiences from her father. Yancey describes it as the “Me Too” song
COURTESY | JESSE SLOIER
The cast of MusicalFare’s “Spring Awakening” performs “Totally F*cked” at Shea’s 710 Theatre. “Spring Awakening” is a controversial rock musical that explores teen sexuality in 19th century Germany.
of the production, and said she hopes audience members will grasp the connection with the modern-day social movement. Director Randall Kramer intentionally had the female cast members stand in a line at the front of the stage to highlight the oppression women continue to face, according to Yancey. UB alum Leah Berst drew connections between “Spring Awakening” and the recent shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The song “Left Behind” illustrates the pain felt by those left behind after someone dies. “There are so many people going through that same thing right now,” Berst said. “It is a story that’s so important to tell.” Later in the performance, the Parkland connection becomes overt. While the cast performed the show-stopping “Totally
F*cked,” they pulled out pieces of chalk and etched Parkland related messages like “Never Again” and “kids are dying” onto the stage. Patrick Cameron’s standout performance as the emotionally troubled Moritz highlights the pressures teenagers face and the intense anxiety that comes along with these pressures. With nervous, fidgeting mannerisms and anguished vocals, Cameron powerfully portrays Moritz’s mental breakdown that ultimately leads to the character’s suicide. Teen suicide is a sensitive topic, but Cameron approaches it with nuance and genuine emotion. In “Don’t Do Sadness/Blue Wind,” a duet between Moritz and the character Ilse, Cameron’s vocals sound like a howling winter wind, reflecting Moritz’s pained mental state. His performance is beautifully juxtaposed with Arianne Davidow’s
stunningly warm alto. Berst is reprising her role as Wendla, whom she portrayed in UB’s production of “Spring Awakening” in 2015. Berst was 19 the last time she played the character. Now 22, she said she brings more maturity and a deeper understanding of the character to the role. Her familiarity with the character and acting growth showed in the performance. With a powerful soprano, Berst brings Wendla to life and makes the 19th-century character accessible for a modern generation, portraying intense topics like teen sexuality and abortion with tremendous grace and maturity. Her passion for the role is palpable, particularly in her stunning rendition of “Whispering” that is on par with the original Broadway version of the song performed by Lea Michele, who was nominated for a Drama Desk award for her role in 2007. Berst doesn’t just sing notes and speak lines — her performance tells a story. It’s no surprise that Wendla is among Berst’s favorite roles. “I could do this production my whole life and be happy,” Berst said. Despite the production’s controversial nature, Nick Stevens, who portrays the male lead, Melchior, does not think the show is edgy just to create a shock factor. He believes “Spring Awakening” tells a powerful, honest and timely story. “[Spring Awakening] is not attempting to push buttons,” Stevens said. “It’s about bringing truth to a moment that needs it.” “Spring Awakening” opened March 8 and will run through March 18 at Shea’s 710 Theatre. Discounted student tickets are available. email: maddy.fowler@ubspectrum.com twitter: @mmfowler13
6 | The Spectrum
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8 | The Spectrum
SPORTS
A chance for more magic Women’s basketball proud despite loss in Cleveland, ready for NCAA
MADISON MEYER | THE SPECTRUM
Players from the women’s basketball team huddle in the MAC championship game against the Central Michigan Chippewas. The Bulls lost 96-91 but will now look for an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament.
THOMAS ZAFONTE SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
CLEVELAND –– Buffalo may have lost to the Central Michigan Chippewas on Saturday in the MAC Tournament championship final, but head coach Felisha LegetteJack was still smiling at the postgame press conference. “What a wonderful opportunity to coach these young ladies,” said Legette-Jack after Saturday’s game at Quicken Loans Arena. “What a great season we’re having. Still not over yet, so much more basketball to play, so many lessons to learn, so many lessons to teach, so many things to get out of this experience.” Despite the loss, Buffalo (27-5, 16-2 MAC) still had a historic season. The Bulls set the program’s record for wins in a season before they even got to Cleveland. They had their best record in the MAC in program history, including a perfect 12-0 at home, the best home record since joining the MAC. Now with talks of an at-large bid –– the first in UB’s basketball history –– the Bulls could have a chance to make even more history. According to the team, what keeps the Bulls going is the belief Buffalo will go to the NCAA Tournament despite not being MAC champions. “The season’s definitely not over,” said sophomore forward Summer Hemphill. “We definitely have a longer run to look forward to. … It’s definitely a great lesson to learn from before we continue our journey.” The Bulls picked up wins over the Western Michigan Broncos (18-15, 9-9 MAC) and the Kent State Golden Flashes (1319, 5-13 MAC) at the tournament. The Bulls will need an at-large bid to get into NCAA Tournament. But every opposing team’s head coach in the MAC Tournament said the Bulls deserve the bid. “I don’t know if they’re [receiving an atlarge bid], but there should be an investigation if they don’t,” said Western Michigan head coach Shane Clipfell after playing the Bulls on Friday. “History says they don’t leave teams out with those kind of RPIs.”
Monday, March 12, 2018
As of March 9, the Bulls were ranked nineteenth in the RPI, a statistical-based ranking of every team in Division I. The Bulls were first in steals, second in scoring defense and third in scoring offense in the MAC this season. Legette-Jack discussed the pride she has coaching this team in every postgame press conference The Spectrum attended this season. She always called attention to the depth the team has. “The way we feed off each other, it’s not just one person who has to do everything,” said junior guard Cierra Dillard. “We really feed off each other and we really push in transition. It’s easy to play when you have great teammates like I do.” Dillard, who was visibly upset after the MAC final, went up to Legette-Jack and said, “You go, girl,” after being interviewed, something Dillard would do after postgame press conferences this season. Legette-Jack said this team has been different than previous teams she’s coached; the players always seem to be enjoying the game. “They’re just fun, good kids –– just energetic,” Legette-Jack said. “I just say ‘be all of who you are.’ Whoever it is, we can always tone that down. It just bothers me when kids feel they have to act a certain way all the time. Let the magic happen.” The idea of sisterhood is something coaches and players discussed in several interviews with The Spectrum throughout the season. Legette-Jack said after every game of the MAC Tournament, the Bulls showed that unity in their play. “You listen to these young ladies, you can’t do anything other than fill up with pride even if you’ve never seen them before,” Legette-Jack said. “The way they articulate who they are, it’s a credit to our administration that does a tremendous job of allowing our athletes to become just people.” The Bulls wait for the Selection Showcase on Monday, airing at 7 p.m. on ESPN to see if they will receive an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament. email: thomas.zafonte@ubspectrum.com twitter: @Thomas_Spectrum
THE BULLS DYNASTY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
“Let’s not act like I’m some genius coach,” Oats said. “Sometimes, coaching is a little overrated. You get the best players. You get them to play hard. You win a lot of games.” The Bulls were the MAC coaches’ preseason selection to be runners-up in the tournament, getting one less vote than Western Michigan who didn’t make it to Cleveland. The Bulls exceeded expectations with new additions junior guard Jeremy Harris and senior guard Wes Clark, who took the MAC by storm and earned all-MAC second and third team honors, respectively. They both delivered for the Bulls this weekend, and both were named to the alltournament team. Clark was chosen as the MVP of the tournament. Harris hit 59 percent of his shots from the floor and 64 percent from behind the arc, Thursday and Friday. He didn’t score as well on Saturday, but he still shot 40 percent from deep and had a team-high eight rebounds. Clark took over as the primary scorer in the championship game. He ended his MAC career the same way he began it –– with a 25-plus point performance to lift the Bulls over Toledo. “I watched the Toledo game the first time and he killed them. That was maybe his best game,” Oats said. “I told him this morning, take a peek at your [highlight film] because you destroyed them.” The Bulls entered the tournament as a top-10 scoring team in the nation and shot over 50 percent in their previous 10 games heading into Thursday. They never quite found the same shot during the
MADISON MEYER | THE SPECTRUM
(left) Junior guard Jeremy Harris holds a piece of the net from the MAC championship game. Harris was named to the all-tournament team for the Bulls. (middle) Senior guard Wes Clark holds his MAC tournament MVP award. Clark had 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting in the tournament finals to help the Bulls get the win. (right) Bulls head coach Nate Oats holds the cut down net. Oats led the Bulls to the second MAC title of his three-year tenure as head coach.
tournament and only converted 45 percent over the three games. They also failed to reach their team-scoring average in all three games. But the Bulls found other ways to get it done in Cleveland “We pride ourselves on doing the tough plays and really focusing in on the grind,” Clark said. The Bulls showed their toughness in the second half of the tournament and closed-out games well. Opposing teams outscored the Bulls in the second half of 50 percent of their conference games this season, but the Bulls outscored their opponents by a total of 123-105 in second halves during the tournament. Junior guard CJ Massinburg and junior forward Nick Perkins were both first team allMAC selections and had solid tournaments. Massinburg averaged 12 points and six boards in the tournament. His best game
was in the quarterfinals when he added 18 points, five rebounds and four assists. Perkins averaged 14.7 points and 5.7 rebounds. He went 1-for-8 in the first half and picked up a technical foul early in the second for spiking the ball. He was able to compose himself and was 5-for-7 in the second half for 13 points. Five of those points came in the final three minutes to help the Bulls separate from the Rockets. “It was really just me slowing down and just finishing,” Perkins said. “In the second half, I just slowed down, got to my spot and just finished. That was really the big difference.” Oats said another trip to the NCAA Tournament will help grow the momentum the program already has. He said that was the biggest reason for him signing the contract extension until 2023. “The recruiting class we’ve got coming in next year is a big reason, along with [Harris,
Perkins and Massinburg],” Oats said. “All these guys are back next year. [That’s] why I really wanted to get a contract and stay here. We’ve got something building.” He also expressed his gratitude towards former UB Athletic director Danny White who originally hired him as the head coach of the team. “I’ve got to give Danny White tons of credit,” Oats said. “I love him for giving me a shot. I was a high school coach two years before he hired me as a Division-I coach. Most people won’t do that.” Now Buffalo will compete in what Oats called “the greatest sporting event on the earth.” The Bulls start the tournament against fourth-seeded Arizona Wildcats (27-7, 14-4 Pac-12) in Boise, Idaho on Thursday. email: daniel.petruccelli@ubspectrum.com twitter: @DanP_Spectrum