Jaaron Simmons dribbles across the court in Ohio's MAC tournament semifinal game against Buffalo on March 11, 2016.
CLEVELAND — Saul Phillips didn’t feel like getting too nostalgic after his team’s 88-74 loss to Buffalo on Friday.
Who could blame him?
He had just coached his team to 21 wins and a Mid-American Conference semifinal game just a year after Ohio managed 10 wins and a first-round exit from the tournament.
He turned a flawed, erratic group of youngsters into a team that looked worthy of challenging top-seeded Akron for the conference title.
Instead, Buffalo — a team Ohio had swept in the regular season — drained 14-of-27 3-point shots, outrebounded the Bobcats by 10, and cut his team’s championship hopes and NCAA tournament aspirations.