Bulls getting support from Down Under

TALLAHASSEE — Several players’ family members have made the long trip to Tallahassee to watch the UB women’s team take on Florida State today in the second round of the NCAA tournament, but none longer than Sam Wilkins, the older sister of Courtney Wilkins, the Bulls junior forward.

“I’ve definitely wanted to come over here for a while,” Sam Wilkins said on Sunday, in the unmistakable accent of the Land Down Under.

That’s because Sam has traveled halfway around the world to see Courtney play at March Madness — first making the two-leg, 10,000-mile flight to Cleveland from their hometown of Melbourne, Australia, for the UB women’s run to the final of the MAC Tournament, then making the short hop from Cleveland to Buffalo for two days. Then it was quickly on to Tallahassee, another two-leg flight covering some 1,200 miles.

A long trip, but there’s been a lot to see for the 23-year-old competitive swimmer, including Courtney’s career-high 23-point performance that helped the Bulls to their first-ever NCAA Women’s Tournament victory, Saturday’s 101-79 upset of South Florida.

“It’s pretty insane, really,” she said. “Coming from an individual sport myself, seeing a team sport is pretty interesting, all the dynamics that go around it and all the support stuff, and on top of that, the venues they play at. And the whole college life — the bands, the cheerleaders. It blows my mind.”

“It’s good to have Sam in the stands,” Courtney said. “When I used to play junior at home my mum and dad came to every game. I’m not used to not having family at games anymore, so this is good. My mum and dad and younger sister came to Buffalo sophomore year, then my dad came the last two years with my younger sister again, and now my older sister. So they’ve all been.”

The families of the rest of the UB women’s Australian contingent — Stephanie Reid and Katherine and Liisa Ups — have followed the Bulls’ historic exploits from home, watching via livestream in the wee hours of the morning. Saturday’s 1:30 p.m. game was on at 4:30 a.m. Melbourne time, and Monday’s 6:30 p.m. tipoff means a 9:30 a.m. start for the Reids and the Upses.

“Dad’s a computer nerd,” Liisa Ups said, “but he couldn’t work out a way to watch American TV at home. It took him four years to figure out how to watch it.”

“Now they all watch it,” Reid said. “We figured it out finally, a little late in the game. But it’s a good time.”

The 11th-seeded Bulls are decided underdogs against third seed Florida State ahead of tonight’s second round game, but there is no question they have earned the Seminoles’ respect.

“Buffalo played an outstanding game against South Florida, who I think is an excellent basketball team,” FSU coach Sue Semrau said yesterday. “I’ve watched a lot of Buffalo — they’re fearless, they fight. We’re going to have to match their intensity.”

“It’s exciting to sit there and watch their excitement on the court and how hard they go and the little scrappy plays they make,” said center Chatrice White, FSU’s leading rebounder.

While the UB women are seeking the program’s first-ever trip to the Sweet 16, the Florida State women are aiming for their fourth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance and the sixth in the history of their program.

Just as impressive, the FSU women have won their last 59 straight games versus mid-major competition like UB. That streak includes the Seminoles’ 91-49 thrashing of Little Rock in their tournament opener on Saturday.

However, the UB women have a statistic in their favor. While they’ve never played Florida State before, the Bulls are 9-8 versus teams in the vaunted Atlantic Coast Conference. That mark includes a 61-41 romp over Clemson in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Nov. 26.

The Bulls game against Florida State is being broadcast at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2. Watch with other Bulls fans at one of several watch parties in Amherst.