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Game 1
Niagara Purple Eagles (0-0, 0-0 MAAC) vs. Buffalo Bulls (0-0, 0-0 MAC)
Friday, November 11 – 8 p.m.
Gallagher Center – Niagara University
Radio: 1400 WWWS - Todd Callen
Broadcast: LCTV - Todd Callen
Internet: Niagara Sports Network

Scene Setter
•  The Niagara Purple Eagles begin their 111th season of basketball when they host Big 4 rival and the two-time defending MAC Champions Buffalo Bulls on Friday at 8 p.m.
•  Chris Casey earned his first victory as Niagara head coach against Buffalo when he led the Purple Eagles to a 92-81 win on Nov. 13, 2013 in the home opener. The win snapped a four-game losing streak in the series and was Niagara's first home win in the series since Nov. 20, 2007.
•  The Purple Eagles are in search of their first season-opening win since defeating Central Connecticut State in overtime, 102-93, to open the 2011-12 season.
•  Since the 2007-08 season, the Purple Eagles are 7-2 when opening their home schedule, including winning four of their last five.
 
Tipoff Tidbits
•  Head coach Chris Casey begins his fourth season leading the Purple Eagles, who return six letter winners from last season's team.
•  NU's leading returner is junior guard Matt Scott, who had a career setting sophomore campaign en route to earning 2015-16 All-MAAC Third Team honors.
•  Sophomores Dominic Robb, Marvin Prochet and Chris Barton all played significant minutes as true freshmen. Robb played in all 32 games and averaged 5.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 1.1 bpg, while leading the team in field goal percentage and blocks. Prochet started in 28 of the 32 games last season, averaging 7.2 ppg and 5.4 rpg. He was third on the team in points per game and second in rebounds and blocks. Barton saw action in every game and played 95 minutes in the final two games of the season including 55 minutes in the triple overtime MAAC Tournament game. 
•  Senior Maurice Taylor Jr. and redshirt-junior Ali Tew added depth to the frontline last season.
•  Guards Kevin Larkin and Kahlil Dukes, who redshirted last season as transfers, are eligible this season.  Larkin led all NCAA Division II freshmen in scoring with 17.8 ppg while playing at Cheyney University (Pa.) and was named the 2014-15 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Freshman of the Year. Dukes spent two seasons playing at USC where he made 39 appearances. Prior to USC, Dukes was a prolific scorer at Capital Prep Magnet School in Hartford, Conn.
• NU welcomes five to the program – Shane Gatling, James Towns, Dwayne Pow, Kierell Green and Greg King. Gatling (Baldwin High School) was named to the All-NYSPHAA team while leading Baldwin to the Long Island AA Championship. Towns (Henry High School) was named to the Detroit News All-Area First Team, to the Detroit Free Press First Team and the Detroit Free Press All-Tournament Team. Pow played the 2014-15 season at Mineral Area College, an NJCAA program, where he helped the team to the program's sixth NJCAA Region XVI championship.  Green (Integrated Design and Electronic Academy) received second team All-DC and first team all-conference honors as a senior. King spent the 2015-16 season as a member of the Eastern Kentucky University Colonel basketball team where he averaged 3.0 ppg and 2.7 rpg in 23 appearances. He will have to redshirt this season due to NCAA transfer rules.
 
On The Court
Buffalo Bulls (0-0, 0-0 MAC)
•  Buffalo, the two-time defending MAC Champions, return nine letter winners from last season's team that went 20-15 and lost to Miami in the NCAA Tournament First Round.
•  The Bulls are led by seniors Blake Hamilton, who was named to the All-MAC Third Team last season, and Willi Conner, who was named MAC Tournament Most Valuable Player and to the MAC All-Defensive team.
•  UB also got contribution from CJ Massinburg, Nick Perkins and David Kadiri, while Raheen Johnson returns after missing nearly the entire 2015-16 season due to injury.
•  Four Bulls were named to Preseason All-Big 4 Teams: Hamilton and Massinburg on the first team and Connor and Nick Perkins on the second team. 
•  Hamilton was named to the Preseason All-MAC East Division Team.
•  The Bulls were tabbed third in the 2016-17 Preseason MAC East Division.
 
Against the Bulls (Niagara leads, 56-31)
•  Niagara and Buffalo have met 87 times with the Purple Eagles winning approximately 64 percent of the meetings.
•  NU is 3-7 in the last 10 overall meetings.
•  The teams have split the last 10 meetings at the Gallagher Center dating back to the 1994-95 season with NU winning the most recent meeting.
•  The Purple Eagles are 4-1 against the Bulls in home openers since 1979. Niagara won the home opener in 1979 (90-72), 1980 (82-62), 1998 (85-63), and 2013 (92-81) with the lone defeat coming in the 1993 home opener (69-64).
 
Last Meeting – December 19, 2014
Niagara 62, Buffalo 88
 
AMHERST, N.Y. – The Niagara Purple Eagles were unable to snap their losing streak to Big 4 foes in an 88-62 setback at the Buffalo Bulls on Friday night.
 

The Series	Niagara leads 56-31
Last Game	December 19, 2014
	Niagara 62, Buffalo 88
Last Niagara win	November 13, 2013
	Niagara 92, Buffalo 81
Last Buffalo win	December 19, 2014
	Niagara 62, Buffalo 88
Last Niagara win at Home	November 13, 2013
	Niagara 92, Buffalo 81
Last Buffalo win at Niagara	December 7, 2011
	Niagara 74, Buffalo 82
Current streak	Buffalo, W1
Coach Casey vs. Buffalo	1-1