Men’s hoops made Bulls fans proud

BOISE — Was it Buffalo or Boise? The atmosphere inside Taco Bell Arena here on Saturday for the NCAA tournament second-round game between No. 13 UB and fifth-seeded Kentucky rivaled a men’s basketball home game at Alumni Arena.

Boise basketball fans, buoyed by a boisterous crowd of Buffalo supporters, were going ballistic for the Bulls throughout UB’s 95-75 loss to the Wildcats. Anytime CJ Massinburg or Wes Clark drained a 3-pointer, especially when it inched the Bulls ever closer to Kentucky, Taco Bell Arena erupted.

The loss ended the UB men’s team’s journey through the Big Dance. But, in the process, the Bulls signaled to the rest of the country that UB basketball is a freight train that’s gaining momentum. And Bulls fans far and wide couldn’t be happier to be on board.

The UB men are expected to be just as good, if not better, next season. Meanwhile, the women — who play in round two of the NCAA tournament in Tallahassee on Monday — are tearing it up.

“This program is trending in the right direction. Our women’s program just got a win today in the NCAA tournament. This whole school is trending in the right direction,” said Massinburg, a junior from Dallas.

It’s an exciting time to be a Bulls fan, 1999 UB alum Adam March said after Saturday’s game. “We’ve got all seniors coming in next year, and in college basketball when you’ve got a team full of seniors you’re going to win a lot of games,” added March, who’s had courtside season tickets at Alumni Arena for the past five years.

Buffalo finished its season with a school-record 27 wins and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. The Bulls will return 11 players next season looking to win their fourth MAC Championship in five years.

“Our guys are proving now that they know how to win. I’m so excited to see it. We’ve got a lot of good years, with some really well-coached teams now that they extended Nate Oats’ contract, coming up,” March said.

The Bulls’ performance earned them further praise from Roy Manno, who played for UB in the 1960s. “I’m so proud of our kids. They played so hard,” a beaming Manno said Saturday. He thought the difference in the game was Kentucky’s size and athleticism, and the fact that shots weren’t quite falling UB’s way like they did two days earlier against Arizona. “It’s awful tough to play two perfect games in a row,” he said.

Bulls fans across the country showed their UB pride on social media, thanking the men for a historic, record-setting season, while rooting for coach Felisha Legette-Jack and the women’s team in their upcoming game against Florida State on Monday.

“@UBmenshoops @nate_oats tough loss to Kentucky but congrats on an amazing season! You made us all proud. #UBDancing #ForeverABull” tweeted Mark Bortz, who obtained his bachelor’s and MBA from UB.

“Tough loss, but SOOO proud of @UBmenshoops !!!! You have all come a long way and I can't wait to see what next year brings! The future is bright!!! #UBuffalo #UBhornsUP #UBDancing” wrote 2008 alumna Rachel Elzufon.

UB’s win over No. 4 Arizona on Thursday sent shockwaves across the nation and made the Bulls the talk of the tournament — until, of course, the University of Maryland Baltimore County made history as the first 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed.

Clark, whose presence bolstered the team’s season when he became eligible in December due to NCAA transfer rules, said it was a great run, especially since he never got to go dancing at his previous school, Missouri.

“This was a win for me. I’ve never been to the NCAA tournament,” he said. “For me to get here and win a game, and win it with these guys, it’s just phenomenal. It’s exciting and I’m glad to be in a Buffalo jersey.”

The result against Kentucky wasn’t what the Bulls had hoped for, of course. But their run through the tournament positioned UB prominently, earning Buffalo praise on ESPN, CBS Sports and a number of major media outlets.

“Congratulations to the @UBmenshoops team and coaches on a great season. We are already excited and looking forward to next season! All of #UBuffalo is proud of you,” UB President Satish K. Tripathi posted via Twitter after the game. Tripathi and his wife, Kamlesh, were in Boise to cheer on the Bulls.

Buffalo’s upset over Arizona, and the fact that the team put a good scare into Kentucky on Saturday, announced the Bulls’ presence as a program that can play with the best teams, from the best conferences, in the country.

“It’s going to hurt for two weeks, but at the end of the day we can be proud of what we did for Buffalo,” said Massinburg.

And with all but two seniors returning (Clark and Ikenna Smart), the Bulls plan to make even more noise next season. “We get a couple weeks off and then we’re gonna get right back to work,” Massinburg said. “We say a term, ‘Making our ceiling our new floor.’ This is our ceiling. We won a game in the NCAA tournament. That’s going to be our new floor and we’ll just build off of that.”