Buffalo Bulls men's basketball

Buffalo Bulls
Buffalo Bulls
	2023–24 Buffalo Bulls men's basketball team
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;
Uniforms
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 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]

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

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

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: Debuted for the Portland Trail Blazers in 2023

Other notable alumni

Turner Battle, MAC Player of the Year (2005), former Bulls assistant coach, athletic director of The Park School of Buffalo
Wes Clark
Modie Cox
Shannon Evans
Blake Hamilton
Jeremy Harris
Yassin Idbihi, former professional player, 3× Bundesliga champion and 2× All-Star
C.J. Massinburg
Javon McCrea, MAC Player of the Year (2014), basketball player for Buffalo eXtreme of the American Basketball Association
Justin Moss
Nick Perkins
Jarryn Skeete
Mitchell Watt, basketball player for Ironi Nes Ziona of the Israeli Basketball Super League

Retired numbers

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

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

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]

Tournament MVP

Xavier Ford – 2015^[15]
Willie Conner – 2016^[16]
Wes Clark – 2018
Jeremy Harris – 2019

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 teams

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
Jeenathan Williams – 2022

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, 2022
Ronaldo Segu – 2022

All-MAC Third Team

Lamonte Bearden – 2016^[19]
Blake Hamilton – 2016^[19]
Wes Clark – 2018
Curtis Jones – 2023

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

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

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]

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.
^ 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.
^ "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.

External links

Official website

[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.

[buffmediag-3] 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)

[Buffalo_2024_w560-6] 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.

[2014RB-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.

[2015att-15] 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.

[2016att-16] 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.

[2015teams-17] "MAC Announces Men's Basketball All-MAC, All-Freshman Teams". MAC-Sports.com. Mid-American Conference. March 9, 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.

[2017teams-18] "Hamilton, Massinburg, Caruthers Earn All-MAC Honors". www.ubbulls.com. University at Buffalo Athletics. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2017.

[2016allmac-19] "MAC ANNOUNCES MEN'S HOOPS ALL-MAC, ALL-FRESHMAN & ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAMS". Mid-American Conference. March 7, 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.

v t e Buffalo Bulls men's basketball
Venues	Clark Memorial Gymnasium (1938–1982) Alumni Arena (1982–present)
Culture & lore	Victor E. Bull "Victory March"
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

v t e Mid-American Conference men's basketball
Teams	Akron Zips Ball State Cardinals Bowling Green Falcons Buffalo Bulls Central Michigan Chippewas Eastern Michigan Eagles Kent State Golden Flashes Miami RedHawks Northern Illinois Huskies Ohio Bobcats Toledo Rockets Western Michigan Broncos
Future teams	UMass Minutemen (joining in 2025)
Championships & awards	MAC tournament Regular season champions Player of the Year
Seasons	1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25