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Buffalo Bulls men's basketball

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Buffalo Bulls
2024–25 Buffalo Bulls men's basketball team
UniversityUniversity at Buffalo
All-time record683–641 (.516)
Head coachGeorge Halcovage (2nd season)
ConferenceMid-American
LocationBuffalo, New York
ArenaAlumni Arena
(capacity: 6,783)
NicknameBulls
ColorsRoyal blue and white[1]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away
Alternate jersey
Team colours
Team colours
Alternate
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1957*
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1957*, 1965*
NCAA tournament round of 32
2018, 2019
NCAA tournament appearances
1957*, 1958*, 1959*, 1960*, 1963*, 1965*, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019
*at Division II level
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

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]

Conference affiliations

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Postseason

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NCAA Division I tournament

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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

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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

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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

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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

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NBA players

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Two former Bulls have played in the National Basketball Association (NBA):

Other notable alumni

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Retired numbers

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Buffalo Bulls retired numbers
No. Player Tenure Ref.
13
Jim Horne 1970–73 [3][4]
19
Harold Kuhn 1951–55 [3]
50
Sam Pellom 1949–52 [3]
52
Curtis Blackmore 1970–1973 [3]

Honored jerseys

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Jerseys were retired but the numbers remain available:

No. Player Tenure Ref.
11
Rasaun Young 1993–98 [5]
11
Turner Battle 2001–05 [6]

All-Americans

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The following Buffalo players were named NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans:

Academic All-Americans

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The following Buffalo players were named Academic All-Americans:

Mid-American Conference award recipients

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Coach of the Year

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Defensive Player of the Year

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  • Dontay Caruthers – 2017, 2019
  • Davonta Jordan – 2020
  • Josh Mballa – 2021

Freshman of the Year

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Sixth Man of the Year

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Academic All-MAC

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  • 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 teams

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All-MAC First Team

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All-MAC Second Team

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All-MAC Third Team

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All-Freshman Team

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All-Defensive Team

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  • Willie Conner – 2016[19]
  • Dontay Caruthers – 2017, 2019[18]
  • Davonta Jordan – 2018, 2019
  • Josh Mballa – 2021, 2022

All-Tournament team

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See also

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  • Blue Collar U, a team of primarily Buffalo Bulls alumni that participates in The Basketball Tournament

References

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  1. ^ "University at Buffalo Color Palette". Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  2. ^ Jonah Bronstein (2023-03-30). "UB hires basketball coach George Halcovage from Villanova". WVIB. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  3. ^ a b c d 2018-19 Buffalo men's basketball media guide, p. 94–95
  4. ^ 1954-1955 Buffalo Bulls Basketball by Scott Hollander at University at Buffalo Libraries
  5. ^ Bulls to Honor Former Standout Rasaun Young on March 8, 28 Feb 2019 at UBBull.com (archived)
  6. ^ Buffalo, University at (January 6, 2024). "UB to Honor Former Standout Turner Battle on Feb. 17". University at Buffalo. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ "Duke freshmen Williamson, Barrett top AP All-America team". APNews.com. Associated Press. April 2, 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ "Buffalo's Oats, Massinburg Earn Top MAC Honors". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. March 13, 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ a b "Hamilton, Massinburg, Caruthers Earn All-MAC Honors". www.ubbulls.com. University at Buffalo Athletics. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  19. ^ 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.
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