To stay atop the Mid-American Conference, the Kent State men’s basketball team has to do something they haven’t done in three years: win in Buffalo, N.Y.

Kent State beat Buffalo 70-52 in their last meeting at the M.A.C. Center Jan. 29. But the Flashes lost their last two road games against the Bulls 77-66 last season, 82-66 in the 2003-04 season, and only pulled off a one-point victory in Buffalo in January 2003.

Buffalo (16-8, 6-7 MAC) is No. 5 in the MAC East Division. The Bulls are coming off a 73-59 win at Central Michigan that snapped a four-game losing streak.

Kent State (17-7, 11-2 MAC) has won four of its last five games and is coming off a 67-55 road victory against Northern Illinois. The Flashes remain tied for first place in the MAC with cross-town rival Akron.

The Bulls’ and Flashes’ last wins have come in similar fashion. They were both decisive victories on the road against MAC West opponents. Buffalo and Kent State both pulled down 37 rebounds. The Bulls scored 30 points from behind the three-point arc, and the Flashes scored 24.

– Sean Joseph