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.Bucknell Bison men's basketball 2007-08 media guide . Accessed April 19, 2008. Former Bucknell star John Griffin III was appointed the program's 22nd head coach on March 21, 2023."John Griffin III ’08 Named Men’s Basketball Head Coach at Bucknell," Bucknell University Athletics, Tuesday, March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
Bucknell began varsity intercollegiate competition in men's basketball in 1896. The Bison were retroactively ranked as the top team for the 1900–01 season by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll, an unofficial, mathematical ranking system of the pre-NCAA tournament era (pre-1939); the ranking is not officially recognized by the NCAA. In the tournament era, the Bison have appeared eight times in the NCAA tournament, most recently in 2018.
Postseason 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.
NCAA tournament results The Bison have appeared in eight NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 2–8.
1987 #16 First Round #1 Georgetown L 53–75 1989 #15 First Round #2 Syracuse L 81–104 2005 #14 First RoundSecond Round #3 Kansas#6 Wisconsin W 64–63L 62–71 2006 #9 First RoundSecond Round #8 Arkansas#1 Memphis W 59–55L 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 80–862018 #14 First Round #3 Michigan State L 78–82 From 2011–2015 the round of 64 was known as the Second Round
NIT results The Bison have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) three times. Their record is 1–3. 2012 First RoundSecond Round ArizonaNevada W 65–54L 67–75 2015 First Round Temple L 67–73 2016 First Round Monmouth L 80–90
Seasons
Records
Award winners
Conference Player of the Year
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 2025 Noah Williamson Patriot League
Conference Coach of the Year 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 2025 John Griffin III Patriot League
Retired numbers The Bison have retired three jersey numbers in program history.
22 Al Leslie 1977–1981 31 Mike Muscala 2009–2013 44 Hal Danzig 1956–1959
NBA draft Bucknell has had three players drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA). Mike Muscala is the only current active Bison playing in the NBA. Al Leslie1981237Indiana PacersHighest drafted in program history Jaye Andrews19857169Philadelphia 76ers—Mike Muscala2013244Atlanta HawksOnly Bison to play in the NBA
Bisons in international leagues
Bryan Cohen (born 1989), American-Israeli basketball player John Meeks (born 1999), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League Nate Sestina (born 1997), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
References
External links