UB sends Bulls off to the Big Dance

First came the chant: “Let’s go Buffalo! Let’s go Buffalo!”

A cowbell segued into the rhythm as the crowd of more than 100 supporters waived #UBDancing signs.

The cacophony crescendoed with cheers and handclaps as the UB women’s basketball team emerged from the bowels of Alumni Arena Thursday morning and took its first steps to Tennessee, where the Bulls will battle the Lady Volunteers in the first round of NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

“It’s these young peoples’ right time now,” coach Felisha Legette-Jack said of the team, which posted a 25-8 record on the year and won the MAC Tournament championship last weekend in Cleveland. “And I’m excited about the journey they’re on, and to be a part of this right now.”

Team members smiled as they made their way among supporters toward the bus awaiting to take them to the airport.

“I’m so excited,” said Rev. Msgr. J. Patrick Keleher, affectionately known around campus as “Father Pat.”

Jack praised the team’s work ethic and its ability to overcome adversity, two traits that will be useful as the Bulls take on one of women’s college basketball’s most storied programs at 3 p.m. on Saturday on ABC. The game will be the team’s first network television appearance.

“What an incredible opportunity for the women’s basketball program but also for the university itself — to get our brand out there; it’s such national exposure,” said UB Athletic Director Mark Alnutt. “Just the excitement to play more basketball, and the opportunity not just for the university, but the entire Buffalo community to rally around this team and support them.

 “I’m so proud of our team and what they’ve been able to accomplish.”