schedule

Canisius to face former Niagara coach Mihalich

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By Nick Veronica

Canisius basketball will open the 2015-16 season against former Niagara coach Joe Mihalich at Hofstra on Nov. 13, the Griffs announced Friday in their nonconference schedule release.

CCLogobigThe Griffs get return games against Lehigh and Cornell at the Koessler Athletic Center in November before going to St. Bonaventure on Nov. 24 on UB on Nov. 28. Boston University comes to the KAC on Dec. 19. The Griffs close the nonconference schedule with a Jan. 12 return game at Dartmouth, which Canisius beat in last year’s CIT, 87-72.

Opponents for the Las Vegas Classic were announced last week.

Full Canisius nonconference schedule

Friday, Nov. 13 at Hofstra, TBA
Monday, Nov. 16 vs. Lehigh, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 21 vs. Cornell, TBA
Tuesday, Nov. 24 vs. St. Bonaventure
Saturday, Nov. 28 at Buffalo, TBA
Thursday, Dec. 10 at Penn State*, TBA
Saturday, Dec. 12 at Kent State*, TBA
Saturday, Dec. 19 vs. Boston University, 2 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 22 vs. Louisiana-Monroe*, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 23 vs. Nicholls State or Hampton, TBA*
Tuesday, Jan 12 at Dartmouth, TBA

*Las Vegas Classic games

More to come.

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Canisius goes to UMass, big-name opponents expectedly absent Griffs’ 2014-15 schedule

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By Nick Veronica

CCLogobigJim Baron put a high-profile opponent on Canisius’ basketball schedule last season, and the result was an overtime thriller against Notre Dame.

But with this year’s team expected to be less competitive, the Griffs’ 2014-15 schedule is absent of a true big-name school.

Canisius’ nonconference schedule, released today, is highlighted by a trip to UMass on Dec. 13 to face Derek Kellogg’s Minutemen, who earned a 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament last season. (UMass lost its first tournament game to Tennessee.)

Canisius heads to Ithaca on Nov. 26 to play Cornell and plays at Lehigh on Nov. 18. Home nonconference opponents include Vermont, Stony Brook, Holy Cross and UMKC — all return games for opponents Canisius has played in the last three seasons. Scheduling them all this year should allow Baron more freedom with his schedule in upcoming years when the team is more prepared to contend for a title.

Canisius hosts UB at the First Niagara Center on Nov. 29 in the Big 4 doubleheader, as was announced last month, and travels to St. Bonaventure on Nov. 22. Canisius goes to Niagara on Dec. 6, and the Purple Eagles come to the KAC on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

One other point worth noting (that doesn’t affect Canisius) is the early start to the MAAC schedule: Niagara and Saint Peter’s open the conference season on Nov. 20, one of the earliest MAAC start dates in history.

Canisius’ full schedule:

Sat, Nov. 1 vs.  Ryerson (Exhibition), Koessler Athletic Center
Tue, Nov. 11 vs. Daemen (Exhibition), KAC
Sat., Nov. 15 vs. Vermont, KAC
Tue., Nov. 18 at Lehigh, Bethlehem, Pa.
Sat., Nov. 22 at St. Bonaventure, Olean
Wed., Nov. 26 at Cornell, Ithaca
Sat., Nov. 29 vs. UB, First Niagara Center
Wed., Dec. 3 at Saint Peter’s, Jersey City, N.J.
Sat., Dec. 6 at  Niagara, Lewiston
Sat., Dec. 13 at Umass, Amherst, Mass.
Thu., Dec. 18 vs. Stony Brook, KAC
Sun., Dec. 21 vs. Holy Cross, KAC
Tue., Dec. 30 vs. UMKC, KAC
Fri., Jan. 2 vs. Monmouth, KAC
Sun., Jan. 4 vs. Manhattan, KAC
Thu., Jan. 8 at Marist, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Sat., Jan. 10 at Iona, New Rochelle, N.Y.
Fri., Jan. 16 vs. Siena, KAC
Sun., Jan. 18 vs. Iona, KAC
Thu., Jan. 22 at Fairfield, Bridgeport, Conn.
Sat., Jan. 24 at Rider, Lawrenceville, N.J.
Fri., Jan. 30 vs. Quinnipiac, KAC
Sun., Feb. 1 vs. Marist, KAC
Fri., Feb. 6 at Manhattan, Riverdale, N.Y.
Sun., Feb. 8 at Monmouth, West Long Branch, N.J.
Fri., Feb. 13 vs. Rider, KAC
Sun., Feb. 15 vs. Saint Peter’s, KAC
Thu., Feb. 19 at  Siena, Albany
Sat., Feb. 21 at  Quinnipiac, Hamden, Conn.
Tue., Feb. 24 vs. Niagara, KAC
Fri., Feb. 27 vs. Fairfield, KAC

Canisius hockey opens HarborCenter era vs. Ohio State

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By Nick Veronica

CCLogobigCanisius hockey opens the 2014-15 season with two games at the First Niagara Center and ushers in the HarborCenter era against Ohio State on Halloween, according to today’s schedule announcement.

Because HarborCenter may not be completed by the start of the season, Canisius opens with a two-game series against Western Michigan at the First Niagara Center on Oct. 10 and 11, with both games starting at 7:35 p.m.

The Griffs then have two weekends of conference games on the road before the inaugural HarborCenter series against Ohio State — coach Dave Smith’s alma mater — on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Canisius played Ohio State for the first time in school history last season, losing 3-0 and 3-1 in Columbus.

Canisius will not face Niagara at the HarborCenter this year, traveling to Dwyer Arena for games on Jan. 22 and 24. The Griffs face RIT at the HarborCenter on Nov. 14 and 15. Canisius plays both teams only twice this season instead of four times (an option under the new 11-team scheduling format), but with Niagara and RIT being two of the better AHA teams, four fewer games against them may end up helping Canisius in the standings.

Canisius travels to Maine for its final nonconference action, Jan. 2 and 3.

The Atlantic Hockey playoffs begin March 6. The championship weekend at Blue Cross Arena is March 20 and 21.

Here’s a nifty infograph from GoGriffs:

Full schedule:

Oct. 5 Toronto (Exhibition), TBA 6:35 p.m.
Oct. 10 Western Michigan, First Niagara Center 7:35 p.m.
Oct. 11 Western Michigan, First Niagara Center 7:35 p.m.
Oct. 17 Army, West Point, N.Y. 7:05 p.m.
Oct. 18 Army, West Point, N.Y. 7:05 p.m.
Oct. 24 AIC, Springfield, Mass. 7:05 p.m.
Oct. 25 AIC, Springfield, Mass. 7:05 p.m.
Oct. 31 Ohio State, HarborCenter 7:35 p.m.
Nov. 1 Ohio State, HarborCenter 7:35 p.m.
Nov. 7 Sacred Heart, Milford, Conn. 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 8 Sacred Heart, Milford, Conn. 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 14 RIT, HarborCenter 7:35 p.m.
Nov. 15 RIT, HarborCenter 7:35 p.m.
Nov. 21 Mercyhurst, Erie, Pa. 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 22 Mercyhurst, HarborCenter 7:35 p.m.
Nov. 28 Air Force, HarborCenter 2:05 p.m.
Nov. 29 Air Force, HarborCenter 7:35 p.m.
Dec. 5 AIC, HarborCenter 7:35 p.m.
Dec. 6 AIC, HarborCenter 7:35 p.m.
Jan. 2 Maine, Maine 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 3 Maine, Maine 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 9 Holy Cross, HarborCenter 11:05 a.m.
Jan. 10 Holy Cross, HarborCenter 7:35 p.m.
Jan. 16 Bentley, HarborCenter 7:35 p.m.
Jan. 17 Bentley, HarborCenter 7:35 p.m.
Jan. 22 Niagara, Lewiston, N.Y. 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 24 Niagara, Lewiston, N.Y. 7:05 p.m.
Feb. 6 Robert Morris, Pittsburgh, Pa. 7:05 p.m.
Feb. 7 Robert Morris, Pittsburgh, Pa. 7:05 p.m.
Feb. 13 Army, HarborCenter 7:35 p.m.
Feb. 14 Army, HarborCenter 7:35 p.m.
Feb. 20 Mercyhurst, Erie, Pa. 7:05 p.m.
Feb. 21 Mercyhurst, HarborCenter 7:35 p.m.
Feb. 27 Air Force, USAF Academy, Colo. 9:05 p.m.
Feb. 28 Air Force, USAF Academy, Colo. TBA

UB announces 2014-15 nonconference basketball schedule, Bulls visit two Final Four teams

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By Nick Veronica

ublogoUB announced its nonconference basketball schedule Wednesday morning, including games at Kentucky and Wisconsin, Final Four teams a season ago. Both are big pulls for second-year coach Bobby Hurley.

As agreed upon last year, UB and Canisius will play another game downtown at the First Niagara Center, on Nov 29. UB travels to Big 4 rival St. Bonaventure on Dec. 3 and hosts Niagara Dec 19.

This year’s opponents combined to finish 217-212 in 2013-14.

Full nonconference schedule
(“vs.” games are home, “at” games are away, last year’s record in parenthesis)

Nov. 14 vs. South Dakota State (19-13, 10-4 Summit)

Nov. 16 at Kentucky (29-11, 12-6 SEC, national runners-up)*

Nov. 18 at Texas-Arlington (15-17, 9-9 Sun Belt)*

Nov. 21. vs. Montana State (14-17, 9-11 Big Sky)*

Nov. 25 at Grand Canyon (15-15, 10-6 WAC)*

Nov. 29 vs. Canisius at First Niagara Center  (23-13, 14-6 MAAC)

Dec. 3 at St. Bonaventure (18-15, 6-10 Atlantic 10)

Dec. 7 at Robert Morris (22-14, 14-2 Northeast)

Dec. 16 vs. Drexel (16-14, 8-8 Colonial)

Dec. 19 vs. Niagara (7-26, 3-17 MAAC)

Dec. 28 at Wisconsin (30-8, 12-6 Big Ten, Final Four participant)

Dec. 30 at Binghamton (7-23, 4-12 America East)

Jan. 3 vs. Cornell (2-26, 1-13 Ivy)

*Part of a tournament

NBA Summer League schedules & results: Billy Baron, Javon McCrea, Mitchell Watt, Jordan Heath

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By Nick Veronica | @NickVeronica

Four local college products have signed on with teams for the NBA’s summer league. Teams are guaranteed at least four games.

Some games will be shown live on NBA TV while a package for every game can be purchased for $14.99 through NBA Summer League Live.

Schedules for the Big 4 products are listed below and will be updated with stats after each game:

Billy Baron (Canisius) — Chicago Bulls

Games in Las Vegas

Saturday, July 12 vs. Los Angeles Clippers — W 86-70, 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting in 19:06 off the bench; 2 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, no turnovers (box score). Also made summer league’s top plays with this shot:

Sunday, July 13 vs. Denver Nuggets — W 103-76, 3 points on 1-of-4 3-pointers, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 foul, no turnovers in 15:45 off the bench (box score).

Tuesday, July 15 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves – W 107-73, 8 points on 2-of-6 shooting, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist, no turnovers in 17:02 off the bench (box score).

Playoffs

First round, Wednesday, July 16: First round bye

Second round, Thursday, July 17: Overall No. 1 seed Bulls vs. 16-Philadelphia 76ers — W 79-68, 3 points on 1-of-7 shooting, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls in 17:07 off the bench (box score).

Quarterfinals, Saturday, July 19: 1-Bulls vs. 8-Sacramento Kings, 8 p.m. – L 80-61, 3 points on 1-of-11 shooting, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers in 23:02 off the bench (box score). Season over.

Final stats: 5.6 points per game, .257 field goal percentage, .263 on 3-pointers, 3.4 rebounds per game, 2.4 assists per game, 1.2 steals per game, 2.2 fouls per game, 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Averaged 18.4 minutes off the bench. (Excluding the July 11 game where he was 1-for-11 shooting and 1-for-7 behind the arc, Baron shot .333 from the field and from 3-point range.)

Javon McCrea (UB) — Dallas Mavericks

Games in Las Vegas

Friday, July 11 vs. New York Knicks — L 76-64, 2 points on his only shot in 4:31 of game time (box score).

Saturday, July 12 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves — W 93-85, 3 points on 1-of-3 shooting, 1-2 from the line, 1 rebound, 1 block, 1 steal, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls in 10:25 off the bench (box score).

Monday, July 14 vs. Toronto Raptors — W 88-57, 7 points on 2-of-5 shooting, 3-4 from the line, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 5 fouls in 16:41 off the bench (box score).

Playoffs

First round, Wednesday, July 16: 10-Mavericks vs. 23-Charlotte Hornets — L 82-81, 2 points on 1-of-2 shooting, 1 steals, 0 rebounds in 7:35 off the bench (box score).

Consolation round, Friday, July 18: Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns — W 88-62, 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting, 3 rebounds, 4 fouls in 18:40 off the bench (box score). Season over.

Final stats: 4.8 points per game, .625 field goal percentage, 1.4 rebounds per game, 0.8 assists per game, 0.6 turnovers per game, 2.8 fouls per game. Averaged 11.6 minutes off the bench.

Mitchell Watt (UB ’12) — Golden State Warriors

Games in Las Vegas

Friday, July 11 vs. Charlotte Hornets — W 70-58, 8 points on 4-of-6 shooting, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 turnovers, 3 fouls in 20:46 off the bench (box score).

Saturday, July 12 vs. Phoenix Suns — W 74-72, 3 points on 1-of-4 shooting, 6 rebounds, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls in 20:31 off the bench (box score).

Monday, July 14 vs. Los Angeles Lakers — L 89-88, 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting, 5-8 from the line, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, 7 fouls in 22:02 off the bench (box score).

Playoffs

First round, Wednesday, July 16: 11-Warriors vs. 22-Atlanta Hawks — L 68-65, 2 points on 1-of-3 shooting, 3 rebounds, 4 turnovers, 6 fouls in 17:40 off the bench (box score).

Consolation round, Friday, July 18: Warriors vs. Milwaukee Bucks — L 79-74, 6 points on 3-of-6 shooting, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal, 7 fouls in 19:58 off the bench (box score). Season over.

Final stats: 6.0 points per game, .480 field goal percentage, 5.6 rebounds per game, 1.4 blocks per game, 2.4 turnovers per game, 5.2 fouls per game. Averaged 20.2 minutes off the bench.

Jordan Heath (Canisius) — Detroit Pistons

Games in Orlando

Saturday, July 5 vs. Houston Rockets – W 95-89, did not play, coach’s decision

Sunday, July 6 vs. Memphis Grizzlies – W 85-82, did not play, coach’s decision

Tuesday, July 8 vs. Miami Heat – W 80-78, did not play, coach’s decision

Wednesday, July 9 vs. Boston Celtics — L 92-90, did not play, coach’s decision

Friday, July 11 vs. Orlando Magic (5th place game) — L 96-87, 6 points on 3-of-3 shooting, 3 rebounds, 3 fouls, 1 block in 16:10 of game time (box score).

[Note: this post originally overlooked Mitchell Watt, who graduated from UB in 2012. It has been corrected.]