Well then! What a time to start winning on the road. Five of the Buffalo Bulls' first 18 wins came on the road, and the 19th is the sixth. The Quinnipiac Bobcats were a plucky team out of the Northeast Conference with a savvy record (22-9) but with not only zero quality wins, but they didn't even play anybody from a power conference. Were it not for Rhode Island, Buffalo might've been their stiffest test to date.
They ... they didn't pass it. Well, Deontay Twyman did, as noted by his 10 assists, but that wasn't the problem. Nothing entirely stood out, but QU (great acronym!!!) is known for outrebounding their opponents. They did, but barely: 42-40, and 16-13 on the offensive side. This is just a bit more than the Bobcats are accustomed to handling, and the second-chances were there all night for the Bulls.
And for whatever reason, the juniors stepped up: Zach Filzen shot landed three threes, Mitchell Watt owned the inside, and Dave Barnett did all of the above. They combined for 48 points, 18 rebounds (six OR), and three turnovers. There was no amazing run that put them on top by ten points, it was just a gradual grind that kept them ahead for most of the second half. A shot here. A stop there. It's how you beat a team from the NEC. Nothing fancy.
Next up: Well, we don't know. According to the CollegeInsider.com tournament schedule: "12 teams will advance. 4 will receive a bye into the quarterfinals. Seeding, which will be based on RPI, strength of schedule, conference ranking and geographical location, will determine the byes." Buffalo has a pretty lousy RPI. I hope they're cool with another road test.