ANTHONY GETTINO
Sports Editor
While most casual basketball fans know about the Syracuse basketball team, New York has quite a few other Division I schools with basketball teams to look forward to, both men’s and women’s.
One of the schools closest to us is the University of Buffalo. A fellow SUNY school, this team is coming off a 16–9 season where they lost in the third round of their conference tournament to Ohio.
This year started off mediocre, with a 4–2 record to show.
The women’s UB basketball team also started out on a 4–2 note this season. Last year, the team ended with a 15–9 record and a second round exit to Bowling Green in their conference tournament. The team hopes to make a push forward toward a conference title and automatic NCAA tournament berth.
Another Western NY team to look for is Canisius. Our own Fredonia team recently went up against the men’s squad and came away with a 106–40 win.
Canisius is currently 2–6 and it looks like they are going to try and come close to their winning percentage from last season.
As for the women’s Canisius team, they are currently 2–5. Their last season was cut short after December, so the team is now looking for more progress.
Niagara is another team in the region with a 2021–22 basketball season to look towards.
Niagara is currently sitting at 3–4 this season and is looking to improve on their 9–11 record the season prior.
The women’s program at Niagara is also holding a 3–4 record this year. The team is well on their way to beating their prior season’s win total. The team was 4–7 last year.
Finally, there is Syracuse basketball. They are the most nationally recognized of the bunch from the area and are looking towards playing their way into the NCAA tournament once again. The team is currently 5–3 and hopes to improve on their record of 18–10 last year.
The women’s squad also hopes to make some noise in the NCAA tournament after last season’s run to the second round. Currently 4–4, they have to continue to improve their chemistry as they lost multiple starters and role players from last season.