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.Former Bucknell star 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 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 ; 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 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 Round Second Round | #3 Kansas
| W 64-63L 62-71 |
| 2006 | #9 | First Round Second Round | #8 Arkansas
| 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 80-86 |
| 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 three times. Their record is 1–3.| 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
| 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 | Patriot League |
| 2014 | Cameron Ayers | Patriot League |
| 2017 | Nana Foulland | Patriot League |
| 2018 | Zach Thomas | Patriot League |
| 2025 | Noah Williamson | 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. Mike Muscala is the only current active Bison playing in the NBA.| 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, American-Israeli basketball player
- John Meeks, basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Nate Sestina, basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League