Bucknell Bison | |||
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University | Bucknell University | ||
Head coach | John Griffin III (1st season) | ||
Conference | Patriot | ||
Location | Lewisburg, Pennsylvania | ||
Arena | Sojka Pavilion (Capacity: 4,000) | ||
Nickname | Bison | ||
Student section | TBD | ||
Colors | Blue and orange [1] | ||
Uniforms | |||
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Pre-tournament Premo-Porretta champions | |||
1901 | |||
NCAA tournament round of 32 | |||
2005, 2006 | |||
NCAA tournament appearances | |||
1987, 1989, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2018 | |||
Conference tournament champions | |||
ECC: 1987, 1989 Patriot League: 2005, 2006, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2018 | |||
Conference regular season champions | |||
ECC: 1979, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989 Patriot League: 1992, 1993, 1995, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
The Bucknell Bison men's basketball team represents Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania in NCAA Division I competition. The school's team competes in the Patriot League and plays home games in Sojka Pavilion. [2] John Griffin III was appointed the program's 22nd head coach on March 21, 2023. [3]
Bucknell began varsity intercollegiate competition in men's basketball in 1896. [4] The Bison were retroactively recognized as the pre-NCAA tournament national champion for the 1900–01 season by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. [5] In the tournament era, the Bison have appeared eight times in the NCAA tournament, most recently in 2018.
Bucknell has appeared in 11 postseason tournaments, with three wins in total. In 2005, Bucknell defeated #3 seed Kansas in the first round as a #14 seed, in the biggest upset of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. They received the award for "Best Upset" at the 2005 ESPY Awards. The following year, they received a #9 seed (highest in Patriot League history) and defeated the #8 seeded Arkansas in the first round.
The Bison have appeared in eight NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 2–8.
Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1987 | #16 | First Round | #1 Georgetown | L 53–75 |
1989 | #15 | First Round | #2 Syracuse | L 81–104 |
2005 | #14 | First Round Second Round | #3 Kansas #6 Wisconsin | W 64–63 L 62–71 |
2006 | #9 | First Round Second Round | #8 Arkansas #1 Memphis | W 59–55 L 56–72 |
2011 | #14 | First Round | #3 UConn | L 52–81 |
2013 | #11 | First Round | #6 Butler | L 56–68 |
2017 | #13 | First Round | #4 West Virginia | L 80–86 |
2018 | #14 | First Round | #3 Michigan State | L 78–82 |
From 2011–2015 the round of 64 was known as the Second Round
The Bison have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) three times. Their record is 1–3.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | First Round Second Round | Arizona Nevada | W 65–54 L 67–75 |
2015 | First Round | Temple | L 67–73 |
2016 | First Round | Monmouth | L 80–90 |
Year | Player | Conference |
---|---|---|
1985 | Jaye Andrews | East Coast Conference |
1992 | Patrick King | Patriot League |
1993 | Mike Bright | Patriot League |
2006 | Charles Lee | Patriot League |
2011 | Mike Muscala | Patriot League |
2013 | Mike Muscala (2) | Patriot League |
2014 | Cameron Ayers | Patriot League |
2017 | Nana Foulland | Patriot League |
2018 | Zach Thomas | Patriot League |
Year | Player | Conference |
---|---|---|
1984 | Charlie Woollum | East Coast Conference |
1985 | Charlie Woollum (2) | East Coast Conference |
1987 | Charlie Woollum (3) | East Coast Conference |
1993 | Charlie Woollum (4) | Patriot League |
1995 | Pat Flannery | Patriot League |
1997 | Pat Flannery (2) | Patriot League |
2006 | Pat Flannery (3) | Patriot League |
2011 | Dave Paulsen | Patriot League |
2012 | Dave Paulsen (2) | Patriot League |
2016 | Nathan Davis | Patriot League |
2017 | Nathan Davis (2) | Patriot League |
The Bison have retired three jersey numbers in program history. [6]
No. | Player | Years |
---|---|---|
22 | Al Leslie | 1977–1981 |
31 | Mike Muscala | 2009–2013 |
44 | Hal Danzig | 1956–1959 |
Bucknell has had three players drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA). Mike Muscala is the only current active Bison playing in the NBA.
Player | Draft | Round | Pick | Team | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Al Leslie | 1981 | 2 | 37 | Indiana Pacers | Highest drafted in program history |
Jaye Andrews | 1985 | 7 | 169 | Philadelphia 76ers | — |
Mike Muscala | 2013 | 2 | 44 | Atlanta Hawks | Only Bison to play in the NBA |
Charles Lee is an American former professional basketball player and assistant coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 6'3" guard from Bucknell University, he spent most of his professional career in Israel and Europe.
The Bucknell Bison are the athletic teams that represent Bucknell University. The program is a member of the Patriot League for most NCAA Division I sports and Division I FCS in football.
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The 2017–18 Bucknell Bison men's basketball team represented Bucknell University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bison, led by third-year head coach Nathan Davis, played their home games at Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania as members of the Patriot League. They finished the season 25–10, 16–2 in Patriot League to win the Patriot League regular season championship. They defeated Loyola (MD), Boston University, and Colgate to win the Patriot League tournament championship. As a result, they received the Patriot League's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the first round to Michigan State.
Zachary Ryan Thomas is an American formerly a professional basketball player for Keravnos of the Cypriot League. He played college basketball for Bucknell University. Now a graduate assistant coach at the University of Kentucky.
The 2018–19 Bucknell Bison men's basketball team represented Bucknell University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bison, led by fourth-year head coach Nathan Davis, played their home games at Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania as members of the Patriot League. They finished the season 21–12, 13–5 to earn a share of the regular season Patriot League championship. As the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League tournament, they defeated Holy Cross and Lehigh before losing to Colgate in the championship game. They were not selected for postseason play.
The 2019 Patriot League women's basketball tournament will be held from March 9, 11, 14 and 17 at campus sites of the higher seed, except that both semi-final games will be played at the same site of the highest seed. The winner will earn an automatic trip to the NCAA women's tournament. Bucknell won the conference tournament championship game over American, 66–54. Kaitlyn Slagus was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
The 2005 Patriot League men's basketball tournament was played at Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania and Hart Center in Worcester, Massachusetts after the conclusion of the 2004–05 regular season. Number two seed Bucknell defeated top seed Holy Cross, 61–57 in the championship game, to win its first Patriot League Tournament title. The Bison earned an automatic bid to the 2005 NCAA tournament as #14 seed in the Syracuse region. In the round of 64, Bucknell upset #3 seed Kansas 64–63. It was the first win for a Patriot League team in the NCAA Tournament, and the first time Kansas lost an opening-round game since 1978.
The 2021–22 Bucknell Bison men's basketball team represented Bucknell University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bison, led by seventh-year head coach Nathan Davis, played their home games at Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania as members of the Patriot League.
The 2004–05 Bucknell Bison men's basketball team represented Bucknell University during the 2004–05 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bison, led by head coach Pat Flannery, played their home games at Sojka Pavilion and were members of the Patriot League. They finished the season 23–10, 10–4 in Patriot League play to finish second in the conference regular season. They won the Patriot League tournament to earn an automatic bid to the 2005 NCAA tournament where they upset No. 3 seed Kansas in the opening round. In the round of 32, the Bison were beaten by No. 6 seed Wisconsin.
The 2005–06 Bucknell Bison men's basketball team represented Bucknell University during the 2005–06 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bison, led by head coach Pat Flannery, played their home games at Sojka Pavilion and were members of the Patriot League. They finished the season 27–5, 14–0 in Patriot League play to win the conference regular season title by three games. They won the Patriot League tournament to earn an automatic bid to the 2006 NCAA tournament where they defeated No. 8 seed Arkansas in the opening round. In the round of 32, the Bison were beaten by No. 1 seed Memphis. This was the second straight season the Bison reached the round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament.
The 2022–23 Bucknell Bison men's basketball team represented Bucknell University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bison, led by eighth-year head coach Nathan Davis, played their home games at Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania as members of the Patriot League. They finished the season 12–20, 5–13 in Patriot League play to finish in last place. They lost to American in the first round of the Patriot League tournament.
The 2023–24 Bucknell Bison men's basketball team represented Bucknell University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bison, led by first-year head coach John Griffin III, played their home games at Sojka Pavilion located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania as members of the Patriot League.