Buffalo Bulls men's basketball
The Buffalo Bulls men's basketball team represents the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, New York, United States. The team currently competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division. Buffalo began play in 1915 and joined the MAC in 1998. They won their first MAC East Division title in 2009, and won a third MAC East Division title in 2015 along with their first outright MAC Regular-Season championship and first MAC Tournament title to earn the program's first bid to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The Bulls also have six appearances in the NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship between 1957 and 1965 and two appearances in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Their Head Coach position was filled on March 30, 2023 when Buffalo hired Villanova associate head coach George Halcovage.[2]
| Buffalo Bulls | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
 | ||||
| University | University at Buffalo | |||
| All-time record | 683–641 (.516) | |||
| Head coach | George Halcovage (1st season) | |||
| Conference | Mid-American | |||
| Location | Buffalo, New York | |||
| Arena | Alumni Arena (Capacity: 6,783) | |||
| Nickname | Bulls | |||
| Colors | Royal blue and white[1] | |||
| Uniforms | ||||
| ||||
| NCAA tournament round of 32 | ||||
| 2018, 2019 | ||||
| NCAA tournament appearances | ||||
| 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 | ||||
| Conference tournament champions | ||||
| 1982, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 | ||||
| Conference regular season champions | ||||
| 2009, 2015, 2018, 2019 | ||||
| Conference division season champions | ||||
| 2009, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021 | ||||
Conference affiliations
- 1915–16 to 1942–43 – Independent
- 1943–44 to 1944–45 –
- 1945–46 to 1977–78 – Independent
- 1978–79 to 1987–88 – State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC)
- 1988–89 to 1990–91 – Mid American Conference
- 1991–92 to 1993–94 – East Coast Conference
- 1994–95 to 1997–98 – Mid-Continent Conference (Mid-Con)
- 1998–99 to present – Mid-American Conference
Postseason
NCAA Division I tournament
Bulls vs. Kent State in 2014
The Bulls have appeared in the NCAA Division I tournament four times. Their combined record is 2–4.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | #12 | First round | #5 West Virginia | L 62–68 |
| 2016 | #14 | First round | #3 Miami | L 72–79 |
| 2018 | #13 | First round Second Round | #4 Arizona #5 Kentucky | W 89–68 L 75–95 |
| 2019 | #6 | First round Second Round | #11 Arizona State #3 Texas Tech | W 91–74 L 58–78 |
NCAA Division II Tournament results
The Bulls have appeared in the NCAA Division II tournament six times. Their combined record is 5–8.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Regional semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight | Capital Evansville Kentucky Wesleyan | W 75–64 W 77–75 L 68–72 |
| 1958 | Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game | American Wagner | L 60–77 L 65–72 |
| 1959 | Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game | Saint Michael's Williams | L 51–53 W 78–53 |
| 1960 | Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game | Wabash Arkansas State | L 65–76 W 53–52 |
| 1963 | Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game | South Carolina State Youngstown State | L 63–80 L 53–65 |
| 1965 | Regional semifinals Regional Finals | Randolph-Macon Akron | W 81–69 L 58–69 |
NIT results
The Bulls have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) two times. Their record is 1–2.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Opening Round First round | Drexel Saint Joseph's | W 81–76 L 50–55 |
| 2021 | First round | Colorado State | L 73–75 |
Alumni Arena
.jpg.webp)
Bulls Basketball complex in Alumni Arena
Victor E. Bull, Buffalo Bulls Mascot, November 5, 2013
The Buffalo Bulls play their home games at Alumni Arena, located in Amherst, New York. The arena seats 6,100 spectators and features a state of the art video-board, sound, and lighting systems.
Notable former players
NBA players
Two former Bulls have played in the National Basketball Association (NBA):
- Sam Pellom: Played for the Atlanta Hawks (1979–82) & Milwaukee Bucks (1982–83)
- Jeenathan Williams: Played for the Portland Trail Blazers (2023–present)
Other notable alumni
- Turner Battle: MAC Player of the Year (2005), former Bulls assistant coach
- Yassin Idbihi: former professional player, 3× Bundesliga champion and 2× All-Star
- Javon McCrea: basketball player for Medi Bayreuth of the Bundesliga
- Mitchell Watt, basketball player for Ironi Nes Ziona of the Israeli Basketball Super League
- Rasaun Young: Former all time leading scorer and coach at New Rochelle High School[3]
- Wes Clark
- Jarryn Skeete
- Justin Moss
- Shannon Evans
- Blake Hamilton
- Mitchell Watt
- Jeremy Harris
- Nick Perkins
- C.J. Massinburg
Retired numbers
| Buffalo Bulls retired numbers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Player | Tenure | Ref. | ||
13 | Jim Horne | 1970–73 | [4][5] | ||
19 | Harold Kuhn | 1951–55 | [4] | ||
50 | Sam Pellom | 1949–52 | [4] | ||
52 | Curtis Blackmore | 1970–1973 | [4] | ||
Honored jerseys
Jerseys were retired but the numbers remain available:
| No. | Player | Tenure | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
11 | Rasaun Young | 1993–98 | [6] |
All-Americans
The following Buffalo players were named NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans:
- Turner Battle – 2005 (AP Honorable Mention)[7]
- Mitchell Watt – 2012 (AP Honorable Mention)[8]
- Javon McCrea – 2014 (AP Honorable Mention)[9]
- Justin Moss – 2015 (AP Honorable Mention)[10]
- C. J. Massinburg – 2019 (AP Honorable Mention)[11]
Academic All-Americans
The following Buffalo players were named Academic All-Americans:
- Turner Battle – 2005
Mid-American Conference award recipients
Player of the Year
- Turner Battle – 2005[12]
- Mitchell Watt – 2012[12]
- Javon McCrea – 2014[12]
- Justin Moss – 2015[13]
- C. J. Massinburg – 2019[14]
Coach of the Year
- Reggie Witherspoon – 2004[12]
- Nate Oats – 2018, 2019
Defensive Player of the Year
- Dontay Caruthers – 2017, 2019
- Davonta Jordan – 2020
- Josh Mballa – 2021
Freshman of the Year
- Javon McCrea – 2011[12]
Sixth Man of the Year
- Mark Bortz – 2005[12]
- Nick Perkins – 2017, 2018, 2019
- Ronaldo Segu – 2020
Academic All-MAC
- Mark Bortz – 2004, 2005[12]
- Turner Battle – 2003, 2004, 2005[12]
- Vadim Fedotov – 2009[12]
- John Boyer – 2010[12]
- Byron Mulkey – 2011[12]
- Tony Watson II – 2012[12]
- Will Regan – 2013, 2014[12]
- Shannon Evans – 2015
- Nikola Rakicevic – 2017
- Dontay Caruthers – 2019
- Brock Bertram – 2020, 2021
- Tra'Von Fagan – 2021
- David Skogman – 2021
All-MAC First Team
- Turner Battle – 2005[12]
- Rodney Pierce – 2009, 2010[12]
- Mitchell Watt – 2012[12]
- Javon McCrea – 2012, 2013, 2014[12]
- Justin Moss – 2015[17]
- C. J. Massinburg – 2018, 2019[12]
- Nick Perkins – 2018, 2019
- Jayvon Graves – 2020
All-MAC Second Team
- Turner Battle – 2004[12]
- Calvin Cage – 2006[12]
- Byron Mulkey – 2011[12]
- Shannon Evans – 2015[17]
- Blake Hamilton – 2017[18]
- Jeremy Harris – 2018, 2019
- Jayvon Graves – 2021
- Jeenathan Williams – 2021
- Josh Mballa – 2021
All-MAC Third Team
- Lamonte Bearden – 2016[19]
- Blake Hamilton – 2016[19]
- Wes Clark – 2018
All-Freshman Team
- Yassin Idbihi – 2004[12]
- Javon McCrea – 2011[12]
- Jarryn Skeete – 2013[12]
- Shannon Evans – 2014[12]
- Lamonte Bearden – 2015[17]
- C.J. Massinburg – 2016[19]
All-Defensive Team
All-Tournament team
- Turner Battle & Yassin Idbihi – 2005[12]
- Max Boudreau – 2009[12]
- Mitchell Watt – 2012[12]
- Shannon Evans & Xavier Ford – 2015[15]
- Lamonte Bearden, Willie Conner & C. J. Massinburg – 2016[16]
See also
- Blue Collar U, a team of primarily Buffalo Bulls alumni that participates in The Basketball Tournament
References
- "University at Buffalo Color Palette". Retrieved June 28, 2016.
- Jonah Bronstein (2023-03-30). "UB hires basketball coach George Halcovage from Villanova". WVIB. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
- McShea, Keith (6 March 2013). "Ex-UB star Rasaun Young is in the spotlight". Buffalo News. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- 2018-19 Buffalo men's basketball media guide, p. 94–95
- 1954-1955 Buffalo Bulls Basketball by Scott Hollander at University at Buffalo Libraries
- Bulls to Honor Former Standout Rasaun Young on March 8, 28 Feb 2019 at UBBull.com (archived)
- "Hamilton Earns Honorable Mention All-America Honors". GoHolyCross.com. College of the Holy Cross. March 22, 2005. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
- "Mitchell Watt Earns AP All-America Honorable Mention Honors". UBBulls.com. University at Buffalo Athletics. March 26, 2012. Archived from the original on 17 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
- "Javon McCrea Named AP All-America Honorable Mention". UBBulls.com. University at Buffalo Athletics. March 31, 2014. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
- "Justin Moss Named AP All-America Honorable Mention". UBBulls.com. University at Buffalo Athletics. March 30, 2015. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
- "Duke freshmen Williamson, Barrett top AP All-America team". APNews.com. Associated Press. April 2, 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- "2014 MAC Record Book" (PDF). MAC-Sports.com. Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
- "Justin Moss Named MAC Player Of The Year". UBBulls.com. University at Buffalo Athletics. March 11, 2015. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
- "Buffalo's Oats, Massinburg Earn Top MAC Honors". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. March 13, 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
- Wright, Branson (March 14, 2015). "Buffalo Bulls forward Xavier Ford named MVP of MAC Tournament 2015: Notebook (photos)". Cleveland.com. The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
- Wright, Branson (March 12, 2016). "Buffalo Bulls' Willie Connor named tournament MVP: MAC Tournament 2016 (video)". Cleveland.com. The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
- "MAC Announces Men's Basketball All-MAC, All-Freshman Teams". MAC-Sports.com. Mid-American Conference. March 9, 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
- "Hamilton, Massinburg, Caruthers Earn All-MAC Honors". www.ubbulls.com. University at Buffalo Athletics. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
- "MAC ANNOUNCES MEN'S HOOPS ALL-MAC, ALL-FRESHMAN & ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAMS". Mid-American Conference. March 7, 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
External links
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