BUFFALO, NEW YORK — Thanks to their 80-57 win over Kent State in front of the largest crowd ever at Alumni Arena of 6,688, the No.25-ranked Buffalo Bulls look primed for a deep tournament run.
Not many know of them, few can name their head coach or players, but the Bulls May be the most underrated 24-win college hoops team in the country.
Led by fourth-year head coach Nate Oats, the Bulls (24-3, 12-2) boast quality wins over big name programs such as West Virginia and Syracuse–in the Carrier Dome–and a quality loss against 11th-ranked Marquette, Buffalo is hoping to improve on their Second Round 95-75 loss to fifth-seeded Kentucky.
The strength of the Bulls is their upper classmen as Buffalo is led by 6’3 194-pound senior point guard, CJ Massinburg, who leads the Bulls in scoring in averaging 18.5 points a game, power forward Nick Perkins is second on the Bulls with 14.1 points a game followed by fellow senior guard Jeremy Harris, who is third on the team in scoring in averaging 13.5 points.
If Buffalo hopes to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, as they are currently projected as a No.7 seed by ESPN, CBS and USA Today, then look for them to heavily ride on their three seniors to do so.
As they are set to defend their Mid-American conference title down in Cleveland, be on the lookout for the senior-led Bulls as they could be a dangerous sleeper and tough out for whomever they face in March.