Buffalo Bulls men's basketball
| Buffalo Bulls men's basketball | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
 | |||||||
| University | University at Buffalo | ||||||
| All-time record | 1,284–1,195 (.518) | ||||||
| Head coach | George Halcovage (2nd 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 Elite Eight | |||||||
| 1957* | |||||||
| |||||||
| Conference tournament champions | |||||||
| 1982**, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 | |||||||
| Conference regular-season champions | |||||||
| 2009, 2015, 2018, 2019 | |||||||
| Conference division regular-season champions | |||||||
| 2009, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021 | |||||||
* at Division II level ** at Division III level | |||||||
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 College Division 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]
History
[edit]Men's basketball teams representing the University at Buffalo date back to at least December 1, 1905 when the Buffalo Bisons played in front of a crowd of 400 in Buffalo, losing 27–23 to Cornell University.[3] Their first known win came in their following game against Tonawanda High School in the high school's gym.[4] Their first known win against a fellow college basketball team came in the first game of the following season against Cornell at a roller rink.[5]
In 1915, an official basketball program was launched with the full support of the university amid an athletic revival that saw the rebirth of the football team in the same year.[6][7] Art Powell of the University of Rochester was hired as head coach for the inaugural season. The team practiced at a Turn-Verein building[6] and played its home games at a Fraternal Order Orioles hall.[7]
Although the university officially changed its athletics teams' names from Bisons to Bulls in 1931,[8] the basketball team was referred to as the Bulls in newspaper coverage as early as 1926.[9]
Conference affiliations
[edit]- 1915–16 to 1942–43 – Independent
- 1943–44 to 1944–45 – Did not play
- 1945–46 to 1977–78 – Independent
- 1978–79 to 1987–88 – State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC)
- 1988–89 to 1990–91 – Mideast Conference
- 1991–92 – East Coast Conference
- 1992–93 – Independent
- 1993–94 – East Coast Conference
- 1994–95 to 1997–98 – Mid-Continent Conference (Mid-Con)
- 1998–99 to present – Mid-American Conference
Postseason
[edit]NCAA Division I tournament
[edit]
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
[edit]The Bulls appeared in the NCAA Division II tournament six times. Their combined record is 6–7.
| 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 Philadelphia Textile |
L 60–77 W 77–73 |
| 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 |
NCAA Division III Tournament results
[edit]The Bulls appeared in the NCAA Division III tournament once. They went 0–2.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game |
Staten Island Ithaca |
L 53–64 L 73–74 |
NIT results
[edit]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 81–76OT L 50–55 |
| 2021 | First round | Colorado State | L 73–75 |
CIT results
[edit]The Bulls have appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) two times. Their combined record is 3–2.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | First round Second Round Quarterfinals |
Quinnipiac Western Michigan Iona |
W 75–68 W 49–48 L 63–78 |
| 2012 | First round Second Round |
American Oakland |
W 78–61 L 76–84 |
CBI results
[edit]The Bulls have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) once. Their record is 0–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | First round | Wichita State | L 73–84 |
Alumni Arena
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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
[edit]NBA players
[edit]Three 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: Debuted for the Portland Trail Blazers in 2023
- Curtis Jones: Debuted for the Denver Nuggets in 2025
Other notable alumni
[edit]- Turner Battle, MAC Player of the Year (2005), Bulls assistant coach, athletic director of The Park School of Buffalo
- Wes Clark, The Basketball Tournament (TBT) 2022 champion
- Modie Cox, professional basketball player and coach
- Shannon Evans, professional basketball player
- Blake Hamilton, TBT 2022 champion
- Jeremy Harris, TBT 2022 champion
- Yassin Idbihi, professional player, 3× Bundesliga champion and 2× All-Star
- C. J. Massinburg, MAC Player of the Year, TBT 2022 champion and MVP, Italian Cup champion
- Javon McCrea, MAC Player of the Year (2014), professional basketball player, ABA All-Star
- Justin Moss, MAC Player of the Year (2015), professional basketball player
- Nick Perkins, professional basketball player, 2022 TBT Champion
- Jarryn Skeete, Canadian professional basketball player
- Mitchell Watt, MAC Player of the Year (2012), champion of the FIBA Europe Cup, Italian Cup, German Cup and Balkan League
Retired numbers
[edit]| Buffalo Bulls retired numbers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Player | Tenure | Ref. | ||
13 |
Jim Horne | 1951–55 | [10][11] | ||
19 |
Harold Kuhn | 1949–52 | [10] | ||
50 |
Sam Pellom | 1974–78 | [10] | ||
52 |
Curtis Blackmore | 1970–73 | [10] | ||
Honored jerseys
[edit]Jerseys were retired but the numbers remain available:
| No. | Player | Tenure | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
11 |
Rasaun Young | 1993–98 | [12] |
11 |
Turner Battle | 2001–05 | [13] |
All-Americans
[edit]The following Buffalo players were named NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans:
- Sam Pellom – 1976 (AP Honorable Mention)[14]
- Turner Battle – 2005 (AP Honorable Mention)[15]
- Mitchell Watt – 2012 (AP Honorable Mention)[16]
- Javon McCrea – 2014 (AP Honorable Mention)[17]
- Justin Moss – 2015 (AP Honorable Mention)[18]
- C. J. Massinburg – 2019 (AP Honorable Mention)[19]
Academic All-Americans
[edit]The following Buffalo players were named Academic All-Americans:
- Turner Battle – 2005
Mid-American Conference award recipients
[edit]- Turner Battle – 2005[20]
- Mitchell Watt – 2012[20]
- Javon McCrea – 2014[20]
- Justin Moss – 2015[21]
- C. J. Massinburg – 2019[22]
Coach of the Year
[edit]- Reggie Witherspoon – 2004[20]
- Nate Oats – 2018, 2019
Defensive Player of the Year
[edit]- Dontay Caruthers – 2017, 2019
- Davonta Jordan – 2020
- Josh Mballa – 2021
Freshman of the Year
[edit]- Javon McCrea – 2011[20]
Sixth Man of the Year
[edit]- Mark Bortz – 2005[20]
- Nick Perkins – 2017, 2018, 2019
- Ronaldo Segu – 2020
Academic All-MAC
[edit]- Mark Bortz – 2004, 2005[20]
- Turner Battle – 2003, 2004, 2005[20]
- Vadim Fedotov – 2009[20]
- John Boyer – 2010[20]
- Byron Mulkey – 2011[20]
- Tony Watson II – 2012[20]
- Will Regan – 2013, 2014[20]
- Shannon Evans – 2015
- Nikola Rakicevic – 2017
- Dontay Caruthers – 2019
- Brock Bertram – 2020, 2021
- Tra'Von Fagan – 2021
- David Skogman – 2021
All-MAC teams
[edit]All-MAC First Team
[edit]- Turner Battle – 2005[20]
- Rodney Pierce – 2009, 2010[20]
- Mitchell Watt – 2012[20]
- Javon McCrea – 2012, 2013, 2014[20]
- Justin Moss – 2015[25]
- C. J. Massinburg – 2018, 2019[20]
- Nick Perkins – 2018, 2019
- Jayvon Graves – 2020
- Jeenathan Williams – 2022
All-MAC Second Team
[edit]- Turner Battle – 2004[20]
- Calvin Cage – 2006[20]
- Byron Mulkey – 2011[20]
- Shannon Evans – 2015[25]
- Blake Hamilton – 2017[26]
- Jeremy Harris – 2018, 2019
- Jayvon Graves – 2021
- Jeenathan Williams – 2021
- Josh Mballa – 2021, 2022
- Ronaldo Segu – 2022
All-MAC Third Team
[edit]- Lamonte Bearden – 2016[27]
- Blake Hamilton – 2016[27]
- Wes Clark – 2018
- Curtis Jones – 2023[28]
All-Freshman Team
[edit]- Yassin Idbihi – 2004[20]
- Javon McCrea – 2011[20]
- Jarryn Skeete – 2013[20]
- Shannon Evans – 2014[20]
- Lamonte Bearden – 2015[25]
- C.J. Massinburg – 2016[27]
- Ben Michaels – 2025[29]
All-Defensive Team
[edit]- Willie Conner – 2016[27]
- Dontay Caruthers – 2017, 2019[26]
- Davonta Jordan – 2018, 2019
- Josh Mballa – 2021, 2022
All-Tournament team
[edit]- Turner Battle & Yassin Idbihi – 2005[20]
- Max Boudreau – 2009[20]
- Mitchell Watt – 2012[20]
- Shannon Evans & Xavier Ford – 2015[23]
- Lamonte Bearden, Willie Conner & C. J. Massinburg – 2016[24]
- Wes Clark & Jeremy Harris – 2018[30]
- Josh Mballa & Jeenathan Williams – 2021[30]
See also
[edit]- Blue Collar U, a team of primarily Buffalo Bulls alumni that participates in The Basketball Tournament
References
[edit]- ^ "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.
- ^ "Cornell Wins from U. of B." Buffalo Courier. 2 December 1905. p. 9. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Clean Victory for the U. of B." Buffalo Courier Express. 16 December 1905. p. 11. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Blue and White Defeats Cornell". Buffalo Courier Express. 1 December 1906. p. 11. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ a b "Art Powell Will Give U. B. Place on Basketball Map". Buffalo Courier. 10 December 1915. p. 10. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
- ^ a b Hollander, Scott. "1915-1916 Buffalo Basketball". library.buffalo.edu. University at Buffalo. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
- ^ Hollander, Scott; Quinlivan, Kathleen (September 13, 2012). "The history of UB football". UB Reporter. University at Buffalo. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ^ "Varsity Quint Will Practice in Kodak Hall". Democrat and Chronicle. 14 January 1926. p. 24. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
In addition Art Powell's Bulls were just nosed out in two games with Syracuse.
- ^ a b c d 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)
- ^ Buffalo, University at (January 6, 2024). "UB to Honor Former Standout Turner Battle on Feb. 17". University at Buffalo. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
- ^ "AP All-America". The Mexico Ledger. March 11, 1976. p. 12. Retrieved July 3, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab "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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b c "MAC Announces Men's Basketball All-MAC, All-Freshman Teams". MAC-Sports.com. Mid-American Conference. March 9, 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
- ^ a b "Hamilton, Massinburg, Caruthers Earn All-MAC Honors". www.ubbulls.com. University at Buffalo Athletics. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
- ^ a b c d "MAC ANNOUNCES MEN'S HOOPS ALL-MAC, ALL-FRESHMAN & ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAMS". Mid-American Conference. March 7, 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
- ^ "2022-23 MAC Basketball Postseason Awards Released". Mid-American Conference. 8 March 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ^ "Men's Mid-American Conference All-Freshman Winners". College Basketball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Men's All-Mid-American Conference Tournament". College Basketball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
External links
[edit]
