Although Buffalo men’s basketball fell in the first round of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament, the Bulls had a tremendous season going from a 9-22 record in the 2024-25 campaign to a 17-15 mark this year.

Junior guard Ryan Sabol, who was on least season’s team, stuck with them as they made the jump into the to make the MAC Tournament.  

“Just so proud of the guys. Players win games, and they made every play they could down 16, to come back. We talked about being all-in and having grit, and they exemplified it tonight,” head coach George Halcovage III said.  

Even the players who just transferred into the program, like Angelo Brizzi, who will only play with the Bulls this season, had a huge impact.  

“A lot of people counted us out; we just came together and fought every game. It wasn’t perfect, sometimes it was ugly. I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Brizzi said.  

Although they did not win a tournament game, the growth that the team made from last season to this one is something that the team and coaching staff can take pride in.  

“This whole entire season this group has battled and shown great resilience, and I think that we kinda got in the huddle and looked each other in the eye and just said games not over,” Sabol said. 

They may not be at the top of the MAC this season but the way they build their teams for the long run they are setting themselves up success.  

“We are just building the program back, and that takes time sometimes. In this day and age, it is all changing. We had to work at building the foundation,” Halcovage said. “We built through getting the right guys and trying to retain some guys.” 

The future is bright for the Bulls as they continue to take steps forward in the MAC to make their mark and fight for a top seed.