# Bucknell Bison men's basketball

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. John Griffin III was appointed the program's 22nd head coach on March 21, 2023.
Bucknell began varsity intercollegiate competition in men's basketball in 1896. The Bison were retroactively recognized as the pre-NCAA tournament national champion for the 1900–01 season by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. 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.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1987 | #16 | First Round | #1 Georgetown | L 53–75 |
| 1989 | #15 | First Round | #2 Syracuse | L 81–104 |
| 2005 | #14 | First Round Second Round | #3 Kansas #6 Wisconsin | W 64–63 L 62–71 |
| 2006 | #9 | First Round Second Round | #8 Arkansas #1 Memphis | W 59–55 L 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 80–86 |
| 2018 | #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.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2012 | First Round Second Round | Arizona Nevada | W 65–54 L 67–75 |
| 2015 | First Round | Temple | L 67–73 |
| 2016 | First Round | Monmouth | L 80–90 |

## Award winners
### Conference Player of the Year

| Year | Player | Conference |
| 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

| Year | Player | Conference |
| 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.
| No. | Player | Years |
| 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.
| Player | Draft | Round | Pick | Team | Notes |
| Al Leslie | 1981 | 2 | 37 | Indiana Pacers | Highest drafted in program history |
| Jaye Andrews | 1985 | 7 | 169 | Philadelphia 76ers | — |
| Mike Muscala | 2013 | 2 | 44 | Atlanta Hawks | Only 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