KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team looks to move to 2-0 in MAC play for the first time since 2017-18 on Saturday afternoon as it visits Buffalo.
 

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (4-9, 1-0 MAC) at Buffalo (2-11, 1-0)

Date/Time: Saturday, Jan. 6 – 2 pm

Site: Alumni Arena (Buffalo, N.Y.)

Video: ESPN+

Radio: Bronco Media Network

Live Stats: SIDEARM

OPENING TIP

• Western Michigan wraps up a stretch of four out of five on the road on Saturday afternoon as it visits Buffalo.
• WMU is looking to start 2-0 in league play for the first time since 2017-18.
• The Broncos opened MAC play with an 83-74 win at Miami on Tuesday. 
• With the victory, Western Michigan started MAC play with a road win for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
• Seth Hubbard led WMU in scoring for the fourth straight game with 17 points.
• Hubbard was named the MAC Player of the Week on Monday after a career-best outing back on Dec. 29 against Aquinas.
• Western Michigan is once again atop the conference in offensive rebounding at 12.2 offensive boards per contest.
• Buffalo has won 10 straight against WMU and leads the overall series 22-13.
• Western Michigan's last win in the series came on Jan. 23, 2016, while its last road win over UB came on Feb. 1, 2010. 

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Western Michigan concludes its stretch of four out of five on the road on Saturday afternoon as it visits Buffalo. The Broncos are looking to start 2-0 in MAC play for the first time since the 2017-18 season and to win their first two league road games since the 2004-05 campaign. That season, the Brown and Gold started 6-0 in conference play and won their first three MAC road games.  

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos opened up conference play with an 83-74 win at Miami on Tuesday. Three players scored in double-figures for WMU, led by Seth Hubbard's 17 points. Tuesday's win marked the first time Western Michigan began MAC play with a road win since the 2008-09 season. 

BALANCED BRONCOS
After having a season-high six players score in double-figures on Dec. 29 against Aquinas, WMU's offense was very balanced once again on Tuesday. Three players scored in double-figures for the Brown and Gold, while seven of the nine Broncos who played on Tuesday recorded at least eight points. 

SUPER SOPHOMORE
Seth Hubbard led the Brown and Gold in scoring for the fourth consecutive game on Tuesday, tallying 17 points. The sophomore has led Western Michigan in scoring seven times so far this season and been in double-figures in 11 of WMU's 13 games. Hubbard ranks seventh in the league in scoring at 16.4 points per game, and is second in the MAC in three's with 2.5 makes per game.

BROWN'S BLOCK PARTY
Western Michigan recorded a season-high seven blocks on Tuesday in Oxford, with Javonte Brown collecting a career-high three rejections to lead the way. Brown is averaging 1.3 blocks per game this season. 

IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Javonte Brown has made an immediate impact in his first four games for the Broncos, scoring at least 12 points in all four contests. The center has been extremely efficient from the floor, including a 4-of-5 effort on Tuesday to give him a 17.0 points per game  scoring average on 69.2 percent shooting. If he qualified, Brown would be third in the conference in field goal percentage. 

LENDING A HELPING HAND
B. Artis White handed out five assists on Tuesday, his third game this season with five or more helpers. The Canton, Mich., native paces the Brown and Gold with 3.2 assists per game, sixth-best in the MAC, while Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro is eighth with 2.9 per contest. White is also seventh in the league with a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. 

CRASHING THE BOARDS
After leading the MAC in offensive rebounding a season ago at 12.2 per game, Western Michigan is right back at the top of the league this season, once again averaging 12.2 offensive boards per contest. WMU has won the overall rebounding battle in four straight contests and has climbed into a tie for second in the conference in overall rebounding at 37.2 rebounds per game. 

DIALING LONG DISTANCE
Western Michigan has hit at least one three-in 404 straight games dating back to 2011. 

SERIES HISTORY
Buffalo enters Saturday's matchup with a 22-13 lead in the all-time series between the two programs. The Bulls have won 10 in a row against the Broncos, and eight straight in Buffalo. WMU's last win in the series came on Jan. 23, 2016, in Kalamazoo, while its last road win over UB came on Feb. 1, 2010. 

SCOUTING THE BULLS
Like the Broncos, Buffalo opened up MAC play with a road win on Tuesday as it went to Mount Pleasant and downed CMU, 76-64.UB's Sy Chatman ranks fourth in the league in scoring at 18.4 points per game, while he (5th, 7.3) and Jonnivius Smith (2nd, 9.3) rank among the league leaders in rebounding. 

ON THE HORIZON
Western Michigan returns to University Arena for a pair of home games next week as it welcomes Northern Illinois to town on Jan. 9 and Ohio on Jan. 13.