The Canisius and Niagara men’s basketball teams will play rare Monday afternoon games this week, the product of a snowstorm that hit Western New York on Saturday and Sunday.
It not only pushed the Buffalo Bills-Pittsburgh Steelers AFC wild-card game to Monday afternoon, but also sent the two local Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference teams to an early-week tipoff.
While the Golden Griffins and Purple Eagles enjoy their home courts Monday, the University at Buffalo men’s basketball team continues a lengthy stretch of road games Tuesday at Toledo.
Here is a look at what to watch for this week in the Big 4:
1. Monday MAAC-tion: Canisius will host Fairfield at noon at Koessler Athletic Center, and Niagara takes on Siena at noon at the Gallagher Center in Lewiston. Both games were scheduled for Sunday, but Canisius and Niagara postponed the games to Monday due to winter weather and travel restrictions in Western New York.
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Canisius (7-8, 2-3 MAAC) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 67-63 win Friday against Siena, and Niagara (7-8, 3-2) looks to extend a four-game win streak after a 96-72 win Friday against Fairfield.
2. Hello, again: The St. Bonaventure men face George Mason at 2 p.m. Saturday in Fairfax, Virginia. It is the only meeting between the two programs this season, but will mark a reunion with a former assistant for the Bonnies. Steve Curran joined head coach Tony Skinn’s staff at George Mason as an associate head coach in the spring after 13 seasons on Bona’s staff as an assistant or associate head coach.
Curran was a key recruiter of several players who have been integral in Bona’s recent success, including Jaylen Adams, Osun Osunniyi, Kyle Lofton and former Cheektowaga standout Dominick Welch.
3. On the road: The UB men play at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Toledo, the second game in a stretch in which the Bulls will play seven of nine games on the road between Friday and Feb. 13. That began Friday with a 76-59 loss at Akron. After the road game at Toledo, the Bulls (2-14, 1-3 Mid-American Conference) return to Alumni Arena for a 7 p.m. game Jan. 23 against Ball State.
The remainder of that stretch: Jan. 27 at Eastern Michigan, Jan. 30 at Ohio, Feb. 3 against Kent State at Alumni Arena, Feb. 6 at Bowling Green, Feb. 10 at an opponent to be announced in the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge and Feb. 13 at Northern Illinois.
4. Players to watch this week: Kirsten-Lewis Williams, a freshman guard on the UB women’s basketball team, scored a season-high 21 points in a 67-62 loss Tuesday at Ball State, and the freshman has emerged as the Bulls’ top rebounder, averaging 6.4 per game. She had nine rebounds and five steals Saturday in a 59-57 win against Akron.
Ahmad Henderson II, a freshman guard on the Niagara men’s basketball team, scored 20 points Friday against Fairfield. Henderson leads the Purple Eagles in scoring this season (13.1 points in 15 games).
Big 4 schedule
Monday
Canisius men vs. Fairfield, noon.
Niagara men vs. Siena, noon.
Tuesday
UB men at Toledo, 7 p.m.
Wednesday
St. Bonaventure women at Duquesne, 6 p.m.
UB women at Northern Illinois, 7 p.m.
Bona men vs. Rhode Island, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Canisius women vs. Quinnipiac, 6 p.m.
Niagara women vs. Manhattan, 6 p.m.
Friday
Canisius men at Iona, 7 p.m.
Niagara men at Rider, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Canisius women vs. Manhattan, 1 p.m.
UB women at Western Michigan, 2 p.m.
Niagara women vs. Quinnipiac, 2 p.m.
Bona men at George Mason, 2 p.m.
Bona women at Loyola Chicago, 2 p.m.
Sunday
Canisius men at Saint Peter’s, 2 p.m.
Niagara men at Mount St. Mary’s, 2 p.m.
Rachel Lenzi
College/high school sports enterprise reporter