# 2024–25 Buffalo Bulls men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Buffalo Bulls men's basketball team represented the University at Buffalo during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulls, led by second-year head coach George Halcovage III, played their home games at Alumni Arena located in Amherst, New York as members of the Mid-American Conference.

## Previous season

The Bulls finished the previous season 4–27, 2–16 in MAC play, to finish in last place. They failed to qualify for the MAC tournament.

## Offseason
### Departures

Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Kanye Jones | 0 | G | 6'5" | 190 | Junior | Orlando, Florida | Transferred to USC Upstate |
| Sy Chatman | 1 | F | 6'8" | 227 | Fifth Year | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Graduated |
| Isaiah Adams | 3 | F | 6'6" | 210 | Senior | Jacksonville, Florida | Transferred to Toledo |
| Zaakir Williamson | 5 | F | 6'7" | 230 | RS Sophomore | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Transferred to Saint Peter's |
| Shawn Fulcher | 10 | G | 6'0" | 170 | Sophomore | Brooklyn, New York | Transferred to Alabama State |
| James Graham | 12 | G/F | 6'7" | 208 | Junior | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Transferred to Grambling State |
| Jonnivius Smith | 15 | F | 6'9" | 200 | Senior | Selma, Alabama | Transferred to UTSA |

### Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Noah Batchelor | 1 | G/F | 6'8" | 210 | Junior | Frederick, Maryland | Maryland |
| Tyson Dunn | 5 | G | 6'3" | 190 | Senior | Newmarket, Ontario | Western Ontario |

### Recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight |
| Omar Migues-Hibeljic G | Quebec City, Quebec | Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Brayden Jackson G | Milton, Ontario | Fort Erie International Academy | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Ben Michaels G | Ipswich, England | Long Island Lutheran High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Eric Kenesie Jr. G | Kenosha, Wisconsin | St. Joseph Catholic Academy | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Frederiks Meinarts C/F | Riga, Latvia | IMG Academy | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 196 lb (89 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Sam Akot G/F | London, Ontario | Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Kavon Bradford G | Portland, Oregon | Western Canada Prep Academy | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Tim Oboh C | Orpington, England | The Canterbury Academy | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Buffalo 2024 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024. ||||||

## Preseason

On October 22, 2024 the MAC released the preseason coaches poll. Buffalo was picked to finish last in the MAC regular season.

### Preseason rankings

MAC preseason poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Ohio | 121 (11) |
| 2 | Akron | 106 (1) |
| 3 | Kent State | 99 |
| 4 | Toledo | 95 |
| 5 | Bowling Green | 73 |
| 6 | Miami (OH) | 72 |
| 7 | Ball State | 67 |
| 8 | Central Michigan | 55 |
| 9 | Eastern Michigan | 36 |
| 10 | Western Michigan | 33 |
| 11 | Northern Illinois | 24 |
| 12 | Buffalo | 11 |
MAC Tournament Champions: Ohio (8), Kent State (3), Toledo (1)
Source

### Preseason All-MAC

No Bulls were named to the first or second Preseason All-MAC teams.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 30, 2024* 7:00 pm | Daemen | L 61–67 | – | 21 – Dunn | 8 – Tied | 2 – Dunn | Alumni Arena (1,071) Amherst, NY |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Old Dominion MAC-SBC Challenge | W 83–82 | 1–0 | 24 – Dunn | 6 – Tied | 10 – Dunn | Chartway Arena (5,455) Norfolk, VA |
| November 8, 2024* 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | Fredonia | W 87–78 | 2–0 | 28 – Sabol | 10 – Dunn | 14 – Dunn | Alumni Arena (1,460) Amherst, NY |
| November 11, 2024* 7:00 pm, ACCNX/ESPN+ | at Notre Dame | L 77–86 | 2–1 | 18 – Sabol | 13 – Wilson | 9 – Dunn | Purcell Pavilion (4,132) South Bend, IN |
| November 14, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | Bryant | L 64–87 | 2–2 | 17 – Sabol | 6 – Batchelor | 3 – Batchelor | Alumni Arena (1,159) Amherst, NY |
| November 19, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Vermont | L 67–78 | 2–3 | 22 – Sabol | 10 – Batchelor | 3 – Wilson | Patrick Gym (2,227) Burlington, VT |
| November 22, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | Morgan State | W 82–73 | 3–3 | 22 – Dunn | 6 – Tied | 8 – Dunn | Alumni Arena (1,557) Amherst, NY |
| November 25, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | North Carolina A&T | W 82–81 | 4–3 | 22 – Sabol | 9 – Dunn | 6 – Dunn | Alumni Arena (1,181) Amherst, NY |
| December 1, 2024* 2:00 pm, BTN | at Penn State | L 64–87 | 4–4 | 19 – Sabol | 4 – Meinarts | 3 – Sabol | Bryce Jordan Center (7,214) University Park, PA |
| December 3, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | Pitt–Bradford | W 100–65 | 5–4 | 19 – Boldin Jr. | 9 – Batchelor | 4 – Tied | Alumni Arena (1,001) Amherst, NY |
| December 7, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | at St. Bonaventure | L 55–65 | 5–5 | 14 – Tied | 5 – Tied | 4 – Dunn | Reilly Center (3,955) St. Bonaventure, NY |
| December 19, 2024* 7:00 pm, SECN+/ESPN+ | at Georgia | L 49–100 | 5–6 | 9 – Dunn | 4 – Tied | 3 – Dunn | Stegeman Coliseum Athens, GA |
| December 29, 2024* 3:00 pm, ESPNU | at Temple | L 71–91 | 5–7 | 11 – Tied | 6 – Batchelor | 4 – Dunn | Liacouras Center (3,198) Philadelphia, PA |
| MAC regular season |||||||||
| January 4, 2025 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Miami (OH) | L 79–93 | 5–8 (0–1) | 25 – Sabol | 7 – McVeigh | 6 – Dunn | Millett Hall (1,047) Oxford, OH |
| January 7, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | Ohio | L 79–88 | 5–9 (0–2) | 21 – Dunn | 5 – Tied | 8 – Dunn | Alumni Arena (968) Amherst, NY |
| January 10, 2025 6:00 pm, CBSSN | Kent State | L 49–68 | 5–10 (0–3) | 16 – Sabol | 5 – Michaels | 10 – Dunn | Alumni Arena (1,448) Amherst, NY |
| January 14, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Bowling Green | L 61–79 | 5–11 (0–4) | 13 – Michaels | 8 – Michaels | 4 – Bradford | Stroh Center (1,639) Bowling Green, OH |
| January 18, 2025 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Western Michigan | W 85–76 | 6–11 (1–4) | 20 – Dunn | 12 – Batchelor | 8 – Dunn | University Arena (1,672) Kalamazoo, MI |
| January 21, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | Akron | L 58–90 | 6–12 (1–5) | 15 – Sabol | 5 – Batchelor | 5 – Dunn | Alumni Arena (1,021) Amherst, NY |
| January 25, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Eastern Michigan | L 77–90 | 6–13 (1–6) | 25 – Sabol | 9 – Batchelor | 3 – Tied | George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,760) Ypsilanti, MI |
| January 28, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | Central Michigan | W 75–69 | 7–13 (2–6) | 24 – Sabol | 7 – Batchelor | 9 – Dunn | Alumni Arena (1,211) Amherst, NY |
| February 1, 2025 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | Ball State | L 76–89 | 7–14 (2–7) | 16 – Tied | 7 – Batchelor | 6 – Dunn | Alumni Arena (2,101) Amherst, NY |
| February 4, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Toledo | L 74–87 | 7–15 (2–8) | 19 – Dunn | 8 – Sabol | 6 – Dunn | Savage Arena (4,052) Toledo, OH |
| February 8, 2025* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | Georgia State MAC-Sun Belt Challenge | L 75–80 | 7–16 | 13 – Tied | 10 – Michaels | 5 – Dunn | Alumni Arena (1,395) Amherst, NY |
| February 11, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Northern Illinois | W 73–67 | 8–16 (3–8) | 22 – Dunn | 9 – Batchelor | 4 – Dunn | Convocation Center (1,014) DeKalb, IL |
| February 15, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | Bowling Green | L 59–63 | 8–17 (3–9) | 12 – Boldin Jr. | 12 – Wilson | 4 – Bradford | Alumni Arena (1,534) Amherst, NY |
| February 18, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | Western Michigan | L 64–97 | 8–18 (3–10) | 14 – Jackson | 5 – Oboh | 4 – Bradford | Alumni Arena (1,599) Amherst, NY |
| February 22, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Ball State | L 66–80 | 8–19 (3–11) | 18 – Bradford | 10 – Batchelor | 7 – Dunn | Worthen Arena (5,276) Muncie, IN |
| February 25, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Central Michigan | L 69–73 | 8–20 (3–12) | 22 – Wilson | 7 – Batchelor | 5 – Dunn | McGuirk Arena (1,244) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| March 1, 2025 4:30 pm, ESPN+ | Toledo | W 87–74 | 9–20 (4–12) | 26 – Dunn | 6 – Wilson | 5 – Sabol | Alumni Arena (2,597) Amherst, NY |
| March 4, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | Miami (OH) | L 69–84 | 9–21 (4–13) | 16 – Dunn | 10 – Batchelor | 8 – Dunn | Alumni Arena (1,166) Amherst, NY |
| March 7, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Akron | L 70–88 | 9–22 (4–14) | 14 – Tied | 6 – McVeigh | 2 – Wilson | James A. Rhodes Arena (2,391) Akron, OH |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. |||||||||
Sources: