Syracuse’s next opponent brings a lot of intrigue. The Buffalo Bulls have been banged up all year long to the degree that they had to add a football player to its roster. However, the Bulls are getting a lot healthier as of late and have some players who can wreak havoc no matter who the opponent is. Not to mention the fact that Buffalo also can knock down from behind the arc, which can be problematic against Syracuse. Here are the guys you need to look out for on the Bulls.
C.J. Massinburg
This guys is going to remind SU fans a lot of Andrew White III. He’s a lanky guy who forces the issue offensively. Massingburg leads the Bulls in scoring at 20 points per game on the dot. He also shoots the three ball really well at a 47 percent clip, good for 35th in the country. This is the guy Syracuse is going to have to lock down defensively, because if not, he could be the one to stir up an upset.
Davonta Jordan
You can book Jordan for taking a charge in this game. The sophomore from Montverde Academy (where he played a year with Howard Washington) is Mr. Hustle for the Bulls. He is a six-time winner of Buffalo’s Blue Collar Award this season, which is a point scoring system for hustle plays (2 points for steals, deflections, etc. and 4 points for a charge) that is given out on a game-by-game basis. Jordan is also an energy guy who can change the tide of the game with his hustle, so he could frustrate an already thin SU lineup by drawing fouls.
Ikenna Smart
Smart just played in his first game of the season against Robert Morris and has not skipped a beat from his time off from a back injury. He hit all six of his shots for 12 points and 6 boards in just 21 minutes against the Colonials. This is a Bulls team that is not very big, but Smart is bringing some size back to Buffalo with his 6-foot-10 frame. We might see Smart’s minutes spike a little more tonight and maybe even slot into the starting lineup.
