Buffalo vs. St. Bonaventure: 2018-19 College Basketball game preview, TV schedule
Buffalo is riding high as a nationally ranked program. But could they be on upset alert against a good A-10 team in St. Bonaventure?
TV schedule: Saturday, November 8, 4:00 pm ET. ESPN+
Arena: Reilly Center in Saint Bonaventure, NY
The historic season continues for the Buffalo Bulls, currently ranked as the No. 17 program in the country at 8-0. They were the recent winners of the Belfast Classic in a four-point win over a talented San Francisco team and are one of 11 undefeated teams in the country.
But it hasn’t gone perfectly, evident by the first half effort against D-II school Le Moyne. The score was tied at the half, before the Bulls went on to win by 34 points. There’s a possibility that they were looking ahead to a stretch of games that’ll define their season in many ways.
While most college basketball observers are looking towards the back-to-back games of Syracuse and Marquette as the most difficult games on the schedule, it’s the next opponent that Buffalo should really worry about.
St. Bonaventure’s current record of 4-5 may not make them looking threatening, but the 1-5 start to the season was due to the absence of senior forward Courtney Stockard, who was out with an injury. Since his return, the Bonnies have won three straight games, including a dominant 82-40 win over Siena. He had 17 points and nine rebounds in the game. Now at full strength, he and leading scorer and UNLV transfer Jaylen Poyser (16.1 ppg) presents a very difficult challenge for a Buffalo team that can surrender some points.
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Last season, St. Bonaventure went to Buffalo and pulled out the win. Now comes the return game, with the Bulls having a ton of momentum. But there also comes the pressure that goes along with it. Teams will now be giving the No. 17th team in the country their best shot, so Buffalo has to be ready for it. But as long as CJ Massinburg and company can get their shots to fall early, they can win this one and stay unbeaten.