Head Coach Ricky TylerMarch 15, 2025
MAC Tournament
Buffalo Bulls (1) (17) vs. Ohio Bobcats (3)"Our expectation was to face Ohio in the final, they are a really good basketball team. Our worst performance of the season was a 96-107 lost at Ohio, probably the worst defensive performance we've had at Buffalo during my time here. In saying that I can't take anything away from Ohio's performance because their offensive execution was flawless. I have a lot of respect for the Ohio players and coaching staff. J.D. Cooper is going to be the focal point of our gameplan, the all-MAC First Team guard averages 14.7 points per game, 5.4 assists per game, and 2.3 steals per game. Cooper is a problem both on the offensive and defensive ends of the court.
Cooper being the strong leader he is will not be phased by our pressure, he's the type of guard who has been in the pressure cooker and thrives on pressure. Ohio made their first 5 shots of the game and Cooper was responsible for all 5 baskets scoring twice and dishing out 3 assists. We absorbed their early punch and then countered back with some punches of our own going on a lightning quick 9-0 run. We tried four different guys on Cooper, Matt Tibbs, John Underwood, James Finley, and Bryan Sanders but none of them had much success guarding Cooper. He was playing lights out completely in his groove. Ohio held a 45-41 halftime lead with Cooper leading their charge with 11 points and 7 assists.
Talking to the coaching staff at halftime our sole focus was finding a way to neutralize Cooper, we decided to switch from our 1-2-2 press to a 2-2-1 press. In the halfcourt we decided to go to a Box and 1 defense with Bryan Sanders being the primary defender on Cooper. The other four players in the zone were instructed to help out on Cooper as much as possible. We knew that would possibly free up Ohio's other players, but we were willing to take that risk because we wanted anyone but Cooper to beat us. On offense we came out running a lot more screening action, whoever Cooper was guarding we'd get him involved in pick and roll defense. This was done to try and wear him down defensively by making him have to expend more energy on the defensive end.
The change in gameplan worked early, in the first five minutes of the second half we outscored Ohio 14-5 to take a five-point lead. Unfortunately for us the thing we feared as a coaching staff started to happen, Ohio went on a spree from three making five consecutive threes. That took us out of the Box and 1 as we went to a more conventional 3-2 zone. The second half was a heavyweight title boxing match with both teams giving and taking shots. James hit a corner three to put us up 85-84 with 4 minutes left in the game. However, things turned as Matt and Bryan picking up their 5th fouls, blood was in the water and Cooper like a great white shark went in for the knockout. His floater put Ohio up 90-87 with 1:30 left in the game. We turned the ball over on our next possession. Defensively we decided we were going to double team Cooper, somehow the ball found its way back to Cooper. With the shot clock running he launched a step back three that hit nothing but net. That was the knockout blow, we couldn't recover eventually falling 95-89."