MOBILE, Ala.– The South Alabama men's basketball team will be looking to get back on track this weekend as they travel to New York to take on Buffalo in the MAC-SBC Challenge at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov.11.

This game is the first matchup of the MAC-SBC Challenge. The MAC-SBC Challenge is a scheduling alliance with 12 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball programs traveling to compete against 12 Mid-American Conference teams in two games this season. The second matchup in the MAC-SBC Challenge will take place on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, with the games set based on real-time NET rankings announced in January. 

The Jaguars are coming off an 83-74 loss in the season opener against University of Mobile, while Buffalo fell to Fairleigh Dickinson 92-86.  
 

Game Information vs. Buffalo (0-1)

Tip-off: Saturday, Nov. 11 | 1 p.m. CST

Site: Buffalo, New York| Alumni Arena

ESPN+    Live Stats    Game Notes

 

Series History 

South Alabama and Buffalo are meeting for the first time. 
 

South Alabama Notes

• The Jags loss Monday night snapped a streak of 31 straight home opener victories and a nine game win streak over Mobile. 

• Judah Brown set a new career-high against Mobile, scoring 21 points on 4-9 shooting from behind the arc. 

• Isiah Gaiter and Samuel Tabe scored double figures in their first game as a Jaguar. Gaiter scored 14 points, grabbed five rebounds, and had four assists. Samuel Tabe added 12 points and six rebounds of his own. 

• Thomas Howell led South Alabama with seven rebounds in his Jaguar debut, while Marcus Millender and Judah Brown both recorded two blocks in Monday's contest. 

• South is 5-4 all-time against Mid-American conference opponents. The Jags most recent result came in 2018, when USA defeated Miami (Ohio) 82-71. 

• The Jaguars return three players with playing experience in 2023, including Judah Brown, Tyrell Jones, Marshall Kearing, and Elijah Ormiston. 

•  South Alabama welcomes seven newcomers to the program for the 2023-24 season. Four are transfers, including two from the Division I level, two from the Division ll level, and three freshmen. Nine states are represented on the roster, including one international country(Australia). Illinois is the only state with multiple players (2). The roster consists of three freshmen, one sophomore, three juniors, four seniors, and one graduate senior. 

• Buffalo is one of six teams South Alabama will play for the first time this season. 

• The Jaguars have a 2-1 overall record in the state of New York in program history. They have wins over Hofstra and Fordham and one loss to Syracuse. 

• This is South Alabama's first division l opponent of the season. 

Buffalo Notes

• Buffalo is led by first-year head coach George Halcovage, who is entering his first stint as a head coach after being a trusted assistant on the Villanova coaching staff. 

• Halcovage helped lead the Wildcats to a record of 389-131, two national championships, four NCAA regional championships, seven Big East regular season championships, and five Big East Tournament championships during his time there.

• The Bulls won their exhibition against Daemen 71-67, on Oct. 23, before dropping Monday's contest to Fairleigh Dickinson. 

• Buffalo had four players in double digits. Isaiah Adams and Jonnivius Smith paced the Bulls offensively against FDU. Adams scored 28 points and six rebounds, while Smith had a double-double with 19 points and 19 rebounds. 

• The Bulls return five players and add six transfers and one freshman to the roster this season. 

FOLLOW THE JAGS

For complete coverage of South Alabama men's basketball, follow the Jags on social media @SouthAlabamaMBB (Twitter), /SouthAlabamaJaguars (Facebook), @southalabamambb (Instagram), or visit the official home of South Alabama athletics at usajaguars.com.