O/T: NEC's Wagner plays Union Tonight

[haggyland]

I know that this is not UAlbany related, but I saw the schedule for the game on-line, and I thought there might be some local interest.

While I admittedly know little about Union's basketball team, I still think it is interesting that they would be scheduled against a D-I team.

[olddog71]

I know that this is not UAlbany related, but I saw the schedule for the game on-line, and I thought there might be some local interest.

While I admittedly know little about Union's basketball team, I still think it is interesting that they would be scheduled against a D-I team.

 

Albany used to play Division I Buffalo almost every year in the 60's and 70's when we were still Division III. I know that those games were from very long ago. Continuing with our history, I think it was in the late 60's (1969, maybe) that we lost to Marist by 22 at home. We then beat UB for the very first time at our next home game, and it was the beginning of a 25-game home winning streak which culminated with very important SUNYAC league victories over Brockport (which had a couple former Division I players) and Potsdam (coached by Jerry Welsh). During those critical games, University Gym was packed by very enthusiastic fans. The 2-year streak was broken by none other than the Bulls from Buffalo. I think that was the "Golden Age of Division III basketball at Albany, although people can claim that the year we played (and lost to) NYU in the Northeast Regionals at home was the best D III year.

[haggyland]

Good facts, OldDog.

Do you know anything about the Union teams?

[olddog71]

Good facts, OldDog.

Do you know anything about the Union teams?

I don't really know anything about the recent Union teams. They're still D3 while we have advanced, so my interest in them is not so high. Union also receives little coverage in the Times Union. Out of print, out of mind. Union teams used to be quite good when I was attending Albany. Bill Scanlon often beat Doc Sauers during those years.

[haggyland]

I was pretty surprised to see them playing Wagner tonight, as there was no mention of it in the paper.

I did not even know that they still had a team, so I thought this was questionable scheduling by Wagner.

Maybe there is some sort of coaching connection, or something, but anyways, Union got killed.

[Dane96]

Unless I am mistaken, Buffalo Did not go DI until the late 80's early 90's. I vaguely remember that from my recruiting trip up to Amherst.

[olddog71]

Unless I am mistaken, Buffalo Did not go DI until the late 80's early 90's. I vaguely remember that from my recruiting trip up to Amherst.

 

Dane96,

 

I thought that the University at Buffalo had been DI throughout its modern history. I remember the game brochure from the game I cited where we lost something like 76-62 to end our home-game winning streak mentioned that UB was a DI opponent. I believeI still have the game brochure, but I'm not home right now to look it up.

 

Perhaps someone else, like UAalum72 or KingDane, can verify this information. I don't know where else I can confirm it.

 

I've certainly been wrong on my posts on this board before, so I would be very appreciative of anyone who can help us out.

[reeder]

UB was D3 into the mid 80's - not sure when they moved to D1 (football was anyway - I assume basketball was also).

[UAalum72]

UB history

 

Buffalo was declared a 'major' college in 1962, joined SUNY in 1963, dropped football in 1971, reinstated it and declared Div. III in 1977, and moved up in the late 80's, accepted into Div. I in 1991.

 

Albany played Buffalo in men's BB 30 times from 1962 to 1990 (9-21).

[Dane96]

UB history

 

Buffalo was declared a 'major' college in 1962, joined SUNY in 1963, dropped football in 1971, reinstated it and declared Div. III in 1977, and moved up in the late 80's, accepted into Div. I in 1991.

 

Albany played Buffalo in men's BB 30 times from 1962 to 1990 (9-21).

 

 

Yep...makes sense. When I had an athletic spec in my body and I was on my recruiting trip in the Fall of 1991, Buffalo officials told my parents we are going to be the "UCLA of the EAST...and the only DI SUNY" after the move up to DI. Sold us on the school until the drive home.....

[olddog71]

UB history

 

Buffalo was declared a 'major' college in 1962, joined SUNY in 1963, dropped football in 1971, reinstated it and declared Div. III in 1977, and moved up in the late 80's, accepted into Div. I in 1991.

 

Albany played Buffalo in men's BB 30 times from 1962 to 1990 (9-21).

 

Thanks, UAalum72, for the information you supplied on UB's athletics.

 

The info cited is kind of sketchy on the school's status in the 1960's and 1970's. Perhaps someone can verify my next statements. I think that Albany beat UB for the first time in men's basketball in the season of 1970-71, probably in the latter part of that season. We had probably played UB 14 times before that victory. We lost to UB in February of 1973 at home, bringing that 25-game home winning streak to an end. That game culminated a series of three home games in a row before consecutive sellout crowds in University Gym.

 

Did UB join the SUNYAC league? That situation might have been somewhat strange, as the conference was eventually divided into West and East divisions, and that meant that there were two Buffalo schools in the same division of the same conference.

 

Furthermore, I don't think Albany joined the SUNYAC conference until the early 1970's. I recall that when I was a grad student at Albany in 1971-72 that we beat SUC Buffalo (the other Buffalo school) during that season. It was remarkable because it was that Buffalo school's first SUNYAC defeat in 50 games. I believe that Albany had joined the SUNYAC that year or the year before.

 

Perhaps somebody can verify that information for me. It was an interesting time for Albany basketball, even though it wasn't in Division I times.

[UAalum72]

Albany Media Guide says Albany was in all but one SUNYAC tournament from 1980-1987. Buffalo was also in most of them. There may have no tournament before then.

 

No problem with two Buffalos. SUNYAC also had two Red Dragons (Oneonta and Cortland)