MAC Champion Bulls Open NCAA Tournament Play Thursday Night Against Arizona

#13 Buffalo (26-8, 15-3 MAC) vs. #4 Arizona (27-7, 14-4 PAC-12)
March 15, 2018
Taco Bell Arena - 9:40 pm EST

Bulls on the Air

Radio - ESPN 1520-AM WWKB

Television - CBS

Quick Hits

• Buffalo opens up NCAA Tournament action on Thursday evening as the 13th-seeded Bulls will face #4 Arizona in Boise, ID. This is Buffalo's third trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last four years as the Bulls are still looking to claim their first ever win in the Big Dance.

• The Bulls will be representing the Mid-American Conference for the third time in the last four years, the first MAC school to do that since Kent State in 1999, 2001, and 2002. UB is one of nine schools in the NCAA Tournament field to claim their league's automatic bid at least three times in the last four years. One of the other nine schools is UB's first round opponent, Arizona.

• The Bulls enter the NCAA Tournament with a school-record 26 wins, beating opponents by an average of just under nine points per game. UB is has won 19 of their last 22 games dating back to the start of 2018 with those three losses all coming on the road and by a combined eight points.

• Buffalo and Arizona are two of 44 teams nationally scoring at least 80 points per game. The Wildcats are 41st in scoring at 80.9 points per game, while the Bulls have one of the top offenses in the nation as they are seventh, scoring 84.8 points per game.

• Buffalo and Arizona will meet for the first time on the basketball court on Thursday night. It will be just the third PAC-12 school that UB has ever faced. Buffalo is 0-3 all-time against Washington State and 1-1 against Colorado, defeating them in Hawaii in 2008.

• All five schools that Buffalo lost to during their tough non-conference schedule made it into the NCAA Tournament. Both Syracuse and St. Bonaventure are headed to Dayton for a First Four game, while Texas A&M received an at large bid and Cincinnati (American) and South Dakota State (Summit) both won their league's automatic bid. The Jackrabbits will be joining Buffalo in Boise.

• The winner of Thursday night's game between Buffalo and Arizona will face the winner of #5 Kentucky and #12 Davidson on Saturday in the NCAA Second Round with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.

The Opponent

• Arizona enters the NCAA Tournament with a 27-7 record, while winning the PAC-12 regular season and conference tournament. The Wildcats went 14-4 in conference play. It will be a matchup of two of the higher scoring teams in the nation as Arizona is averaging 80.9 points per game. They are shooting over 50% from the floor for the year, which is fourth in the nation.

• Arizona is led by one of the top players in the nation in Deandre Ayton, who averages 20.3 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per contest. He also has a team-high 65 blocks. The Wildcats have four players averaging 12.1 points per game or more. Allonzo Trier averages 18.4 points per game.

• Arizona is making its 33rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament with an all-time record of 56-31 (.644) with a mark of 13-6 (.684) during the Sean Miller era. The 2018 NCAA Tournament will be the Wildcats' seventh appearance in the big dance in Miller's nine seasons in Tucson.

• Sean Miller owns a 340-113 (.751) record in 13 years as a head coach, while attaining a 220-66 (.769) mark at Arizona and a 107-37 (.743) record in Pac-12 play. In 25 years on the collegiate sidelines, Miller's teams have produced 22 winning seasons and averaged better than 20 wins per year. He also has three gold medals as a member of the USA Basketball program, one as a player, one as an assistant coach and one as a head coach. Miller has been a part of 16 NCAA Tournament teams as a player, assistant coach and head coach, including ten in his 13-year head coaching career. He has guided teams to seven Sweet 16's and four Elite Eights, and owns a 20-10 (.667) record as a head coach in the NCAA Tournament. Miller played at Pittsburgh where he helped lead the Panthers to the 1988 Big East regular season title.

Bulls Set For Third NCAA Tournament Trip

For the third time in school history Buffalo will head to the NCAA Tournament, matching up with the Arizona Wildcats on Thursday evening. The Bulls are still looking for their first NCAA Tournament victory as they fell to West Virginia in 2015 and Miami (FL) in 2016. UB is the first team from the Mid-American Conference to go to three NCAA Tournaments in a four-year period since Kent State in 1999, 2001, 2002.

Of the 14 players on the UB roster, only three of them have NCAA Tournament experience, led by Ikenna Smart the only Buffalo player to have been a part of all three NCAA Tournament teams. Juniors CJ Massinburg and Nick Perkins were both freshmen in 2016 when UB faced Miami and Perkins led the Bulls with 20 points in the game. The Bulls are looking to become the first MAC team to win a game in the NCAA Tournament since Ohio's Sweet 16 run in 2012.

Bulls Dominate Postseason All-MAC Teams

The Bulls dominated the postseason All-MAC teams as juniors Nick Perkins and CJ Massinburg were named to the All-MAC First Team, while junior Jeremy Harris was named to the All-MAC Second Team. Senior Wes Clark earned All-MAC Third Team honors and sophomore Davonta Jordan was named to the All-MAC Defensive Team. That group of five has combined for 71.4 points per game, which is more than 109 teams nationally.

The Bulls represented the majority of the MAC East on the first three teams. Of the 15 players selected, seven were members of the MAC East, but four of those were from Buffalo.

For the second straight year, Perkins was named the MAC Sixth Man of the Year as he was nearly a unanimous pick across the league. Head coach Nate Oats is the second UB head coach to be named the MAC Coach of the Year and the first since 2004.

Clark was named the MAC Tournament Most Valuable Player after scoring 26 points in the championship game on 10-of-15 shooting. Harris was also named to the All-Tournament team after scoring over 20 points in each of the first two games, including a career-high 27 points against Central Michigan in the quarterfinals.

I Love The 80's

Buffalo will enter the NCAA Tournament tied for the national lead in 80-point performances this season as they have scored 80 or more points 25 times this season in 34 games. UB is tied with Villanova for the national lead and has two more than NCAA Tournament teams, Duke and South Dakota State.

The Bulls are currently seventh nationally in scoring offense, averaging a school-record 84.8 points per game. In MAC games only, UB averaged 88.1 points per game, the highest scoring mark in MAC play since Central Michigan averaged 88.3 points per game during the 1974-75 season.

Giving 100%

The Bulls hit the magical 100-point number for the first time this season during their 106-87 victory at Niagara. The 106 points tied the school record for points scored in a road game, matching the total from March 2, 1974 at Rochester. It was only the fourth time ever that Buffalo had scored triple figures in a road game and it was the most points in a road game since a 100-92 win at Chicago State on November 21, 2001.

For the first time since the 1997-98 season, the Bulls hit 100 points in multiple games in the same season following their 104-94 win against Toledo in the MAC opener. UB set a new record for points in a MAC game on Saturday afternoon in Buffalo's 108-82 win over Ohio. It was the most points allowed by the Bobcats in a regular season game since 2010.

UB hit the century mark the for the fourth time this year and the second time in three games in the regular season finale at Bowling Green with a 100-70 win. The four 100-point games are the most for Buffalo since 1064-65 when it did it five times. Buffalo has the two highest scoring outputs during MAC in regulation games and they have three of the four 100-point performances in regulation by MAC school during conference play as Toledo is the only other team to score 100 in regulation during a MAC game. The four 100-point games are tied for 11th most in the nation this season.

Mr. 1000

Junior CJ Massinburg became a member of the 1,000-point club in the MAC opener against Toledo as he scored 27 points against the Rockets. Massinburg is the 20th player to score 1,000 points for the Bulls and he is the seventh fastest to do so, achieving it in his 73rd career game, which is quicker than previous MAC Players of the Year Turner Battle, Mitchell Watt, and all-time leading scorer, Javon McRea.

After scoring just eight points in the opener, Massinburg has scored at least 20 points 11 times. He scored 30 at Delaware, the second time in his career he has done that. Twice this year, Massinburg has been named the MAC East Player of the Week and he is currently second in the MAC in scoring at 18.7 points per game. Massinburg is also UB's leading rebounder on the season, as he is averaging 8.3 boards per contest, which is fourth in the league. He has a team-high seven double-doubles on the year, including recording a career-high 14 boards at Delaware. The seven double-doubles are tied for second most in the Mid-American Conference. He was most recently named to the watch list for the Lou Henson Award, which is awarded to the nation's top mid major player.

Massinburg stuffed the stat sheet against Kent State, getting close to his first career triple-double with eight points, nine rebounds, and a career-high seven assists. Massinburg had 24 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists in the win over Bowling Green. Massinburg scored 15 points in the win over Ohio as he moved into 13th place on UB's all-time scoring list surpassing Rodney Pierce. Massinburg now has 1,236 career points and next up on the all-time scoring list is Rick Coleman, who played from 1987-91. He helped lead the Bulls to victory in the home finale with 26 points and 10 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season. He is in 10th place with 1,317 career points. Massinburg is one of just three juniors in the nation with 1,200 career points, 500 career rebounds, and 200 career assists, joining John Konchar from IPFW and Ethan Happ from Wisconsin. Massinburg did it in just 90 career games, which is the fewest amount of games of the trio. He was most recently named to the All-MAC First Team for the first time in his career.

Mr. 1000 (Part 2)

Junior Nick Perkins got off to a fast start to the 2017-18 season as the Ypsilanti, MI native had a career-high 26 points in the season-opening win over Canisius. The 26 points were the most by a UB player in a season opener since Nikolai Alexeev had 26 against Niagara on November 19, 1999.

Perkins became the latest member of the 1,000 point club as he scored 20 points at Ohio on Jan. 26 to became the 21st player in school history to accomplish the feat.

Perkins came off the bench for the first time this season against Syracuse and he ended up leading the Bulls in scoring with 18 points, while also pulling down seven rebounds, including six offensive ones. Perkins has had some of his best games against Power 5 competition. In addition to 18 against Syracuse on Dec. 19, Perkins had 20 points as a freshman against Miami (FL) in the NCAA Tournament, and last season he added 23 points at Pitt. He added 17 points against SEC foe Texas A&M. Perkins had his first double-double of the year with 24 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Toledo. He recorded back-to-back double-doubles following his 15 points and 11 rebounds at Ball State. Perkins has now come off the bench in 11 straight games and he is averaging 19.3 points per game in those contests. Perkins was named the MAC East Player of the Week following back-to-back wins to open conference play where he averaged 19.5 point and 10.5 rebounds.

Perkins tied his career high with 26 points in the win over Northern Illinois and he added 18 points and nine rebounds against Western Michigan to earned MAC East Player of the Week honors for the second time this season. Perkins averaged 24.0 points in two games against NIU this season as he added 22 in DeKalb. He led UB in scoring in MAC play at 18.3 per game, which is fourth in the league. Perkins has scored in double figures in 24 straight games, all coming off the bench, including 21 in against Ohio in just 23 minutes of action. He added 14 points against Akron. Perkins was named first-team All-MAC for the first time in his career, while also earning the MAC Sixth Man of the Year for the second straight year. He is the first MAC player to ever win the award in back-to-back seasons.

Wild, Wild Wes

The Bulls got a huge boost to their lineup prior to the Syracuse game on Dec. 19 as senior Wes Clark was cleared to play by the NCAA, marking his first collegiate game since February 13, 2016 when he played for Missouri. Clark, who joined UB last January, has been practicing with Buffalo since then, but he was finally able to play in his first game at Syracuse.

Clark scored 15 points and had six assists in his UB debut, picking up the start and playing 34 minutes. Clark added 17 points and eight assists against Texas A&M. Clark scored 27 points in his Alumni Arena debut on Dec. 29, scoring 13 of those points in the overtime period. It was a new career high for Clark as he scored 26 against South Carolina, while playing for Missouri.

He played his high school basketball for Buffalo head coach Nate Oats at Romulus High School right outside of Detroit, MI.

Clark had 25 points and five assists in the win over Toledo. Clark played his first ever college game in his home state of Michigan at Western Michigan and was impressive finishing with 17 points and nine assists. Clark had his second nine-assist game against the Broncos on Feb. 2, while adding 13 points. Clark added 21 points against Northern Illinois and 19 more against Kent State. Clark had his first double-double in a UB uniform with 12 points and a career-high 11 assists in the win over Ohio. Clark added 18 points and five assists in the Senior Day win over Akron. Despite playing just 21 games this season, Clark was named to the All-MAC Third Team. After a quite opening two days of the MAC Tournament, Clark led the Bulls to the MAC Title as he scored 26 points against Toledo to lead all scorers. For his performance, he was named the tournament MVP. Clark has 964 points and 342 assists in his career spanning Missouri and Buffalo.

Deuces Wild

One the most of anticipated newcomers is wearing #2 on the Buffalo team and that is junior college transfer Jeremy Harris, who came to UB from Gulf Coast College, where he was ranked as the second best junior college player in the nation by JUCORecruiting.com.

Harris had a pair of 17-point games during the Cayman Classic as he recorded double figures in scoring in all three games. He had17 points and six rebounds against nationally-ranked Cincinnati and added 17 points and four assists in the win over UAB. He had 11 points and five assists against South Dakota State. His best game so far came against Niagara as he finished with a career-high 23 points, going 5-of-8 from three-point range. He also added seven rebounds and six assists. Harris recorded his first career double-double against Central Penn and added 14 points and nine rebounds in the win over Robert Morris. Harris had a big afternoon against Ball State as he finished with 16 points in the win over the Cardinals. He followed that up by scoring a game-high 17 points in the win at Akron. Harris continued his tear through MAC play as he tied his career high with 23 points in the win over Miami, recording his second double-double as he had 10 rebounds.

Following the wins over Akron and Miami Harris was named the MAC East Player of the Week, the third straight week UB has done it with three different players. Harris tied for team-high honors with 20 points in the win at Western Michigan last Friday night, going 4-of-5 from behind the arc. Harris had one of his best all-around games on Tuesday against Eastern Michigan, finishing with 22 points and a career-best 14 rebounds, which was tied for the most by a UB play this year. He had another double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Ohio, his fourth of the year. Harris had 20 points against Kent State, the third time in a four-game stretch he had 20 or more points. He had 24 points against Kent State on Feb. 13. He added 19 points against Bowling Green as he was named the MAC East Player of the Week for the third time this season. He shot 54.5% from the floor and 46.3% from three in MAC play, hitting 50-of-108 from behind the arc. He is fifth in the MAC in scoring in league games, while leading the MAC in three-point field goal percentage and second in three-pointers made during conference play. Harris was named to the All-MAC Second Team during the postseason awards. He averaged just under 20.0 points per game during the MAC Tournament, including a career-high 27 points against Central Michigan. He added 22 points in the MAC semifinals against Kent State, going 5-of-6 from three. Harris was named to the All-Tournament following his play in Cleveland.

Dialing From Long Distance

The Bulls had one of their best games from behind the arc in school history in the loss at nationally-ranked Texas A&M on Dec. 21. The Bulls hit 17 three-pointers in the game, second in school history, and the most since hitting 18 against Troy State on Feb. 22, 1996 when UB went 18-for-40 in the contest.

Buffalo shot 17-of-39 from behind the arc against the Aggies as four players hit at least three triples, led by a career-high six three pointers from CJ Massinburg. Senior Wes Clark and juniors Jeremy Harris and Montell McRae each hit three. McRae was a perfect 3-of-3. The 17 three's made by the Bulls were the most by a MAC school against a Division I opponent this year. The Bulls had 12 made three pointers in the win over Bowling Green, setting a new school record for triples made in a season, besting the old mark set during the 2015-16 season. UB currently has 329 threes on the year.

Sophomore Sensation

It can be argued that sophomore Davonta Jordan is one of the most improved players in the nation from last season and that was capped off with his first career 20-point game at Delaware. Jordan averaged just 2.5 points per game last year, but this season he is averaging 6.9 points per game. Through 34 games, Jordan has 233 points, shattering the 76 he scored all of last year. He has 19 three-pointers, 17 more than last year. Jordan had 15 points in the win over Toledo, and he added eight points and four assists in the win over Akron. Jordan also leads the Bulls in assists with 134, which is fifth in the league. He is UB's active leader in career assists. He was honored for his defensive prowess by the coaches in the league as he was named to the All-MAC Defensive Team.

Leading The Charge

Head coach Nate Oats begins his third year on the Buffalo sidelines, having comprised a record of 37-30 during his first two years. He is the only coach in UB school history to record 20 wins in his first season as a head coach and his 37 wins in his first two years are the second most by a UB coach behind only Bobby Hurley, who had 42 wins over his first two years.

Oats surpassed his predecessor on Dec. 9 vs. Central Penn as he picked up his 43rd win in his 76th game as head coach. Oats recently moved past V. William Hughes (1978-82) for seventh place on the all-time wins list and he is the fourth fastest UB head coach to 50 wins and the quickest in UB's Modern Era. Oats is currently 63-38 as head coach for the Bulls. Oats is the second UB coach to be named MAC Coach of the Year, joining Reggie Witherspoon, who earned those honors in 2004.

Luck Of The Irish

Freshman Jayvon Graves comes to Buffalo from one of the most well known high schools in the country in the St.Vincent-St. Mary's out of Akron, OH, the same high school as NBA MVP and World Champion, LeBron James. Nicknamed the Fighting Irish, Graves and his high school teammates won the Ohio State Championship last season and Graves was named the Ohio State Player of the Year.

Graves recorded a career high 16 points in the win at Ball State as he went 5-for-8 from the field, including 4-of-5 from behind the arc. He added 11 points in his homecoming at Akron. Graves had 12 points in the regular season finale at Bowling Green. Graves gave the Bulls good minutes during the MAC Tournament, including eight points and three blocked shots in the semifinal win over Kent State.

Dontay's Peak

The Bulls recently got the services of reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Year back in junior Dontay Caruthers, who missed 11 games with a leg injury. Prior to the injury, Caruthers had a pair of 23-point games in wins over UAB and Niagara.

He is currently averaging 7.0 points per game as he had 19 points against Ohio on Feb. 24, his most in a game since returning from injury. He had a career-high eight assists in the quarterfinal win over Central Michigan and scored in double figure in the semifinals with 11 points against Kent State.

Get Smart

Junior Ikenna Smart made his season debut against Robert Morris after missing the first nine games of the season due to a back injury. Playing in his 67th career game, Smart recorded a new career high in scoring with 12 points as he went a perfect 6-of-6 from the field in 21 minutes of action. Smart had his first career double-double in his 78th career game, as he finished with 10 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in the win at Ohio. This will be Smart's third trip to the NCAA Tournament and this year he will get to experience it with his brother Osinachi smart, who is a redshirt freshman at the College of the Charleston, which won the CAA.

Cleveland Is The Reason

A native of Cleveland, OH Montell McRae is the new man in the middle for the Bulls. A transfer from South Plains Junior College, the same school as former UB player David Kadiri.

In the exhibition against Rhode Island, McRae had 10 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, while adding an assist, three blocks, and a steal. McRae had 10 points in the win over Jacksonville State for his first regular season double figures performance. He scored a new career high with 13 points against Central Penn. McRae went a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc against Texas A&M on Dec. 21. Playing close to his hometown of Cleveland, McRae had a big night at Akron as he finished with 11 points and five rebounds, including four on the offensive end.

University at Buffalo Athletics