Bucknell Basketball: Can the Bison be “Cinderella” once again?
Bucknell is back in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and fourth under head coach Dave Paulsen as a 14 seed in the Midwest and will play Michigan State.
The Bucknell Bison once again cleaned up in the Patriot League. They won the League by three games last year and did so again this season by four. Bucknell finished the season with a 25-9 overall record and 16-2 conference record.
Bucknell started the season with four straight losses. They kicked things off with a bad loss to Monmouth followed by three power five teams. The Bison lost three more non-conference which weren’t probably ones they wanted. Those came to Saint Joseph’s, Northeastern and VCU. They probably would’ve like it better if they defeated at least one of those teams. They did pick up wins over Vermont, Richmond, La Salle and Ball State.
The Bison only won one Patriot League game until they suffered their first loss to Boston University. Bucknell was playing hurt for a while in December and to start of League play. Kimbal MacKenzie and Avi Toomer both missed time around then and were absent for the game against Terriers. Toomer averages 20 minutes per game in the 17 he’s played in and MacKenzie almost averages eight points per game.
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MacKenzie was able to return for the next game against Army and that’s when Bucknell went on an eight-game winning streak. In fact, they only lost one more game to Lehigh for the rest of the season. It was an overtime affair and their defense wasn’t the best. They allowed 92 points and lost by three.
Bucknell averages just under 73 points allowed on the season. The Bison have a nice offense that averages 81 points per game.
Zach Thomas is one of the three seniors who are leaders of this Bucknell offense. He made our Top-100 players that will decided the 2018 NCAA Tournament. He averages 20 points per game, nine rebounds and almost two three-pointers per game. Thomas stands at six-foot-seven and has been starting regularly for the Bison the past two seasons.
Bucknell’s top-three is a nice foundation to form this team around. They have a three-year starting point guard Stephen Brown. He averages almost 15 points per game, 4.3 assists and has shot 60 three-pointers. Their team is rounded out by center Nana Foulland who’s been a starter since his freshman season. He averages 15 points per game, seven boards and almost two blocks.
The Bison ended the regular season on a five-game winning streak after the Lehigh loss. Loyola played them tough in the first round, but they handled Boston U and Colgate for the Championship.
Next: Likeliest upsets in the 2018 NCAA Tournament
Bucknell lands the 14 seed and will play Michigan State for their efforts of dominating the Patriot all season. Their seed is one spot less than last season and they are playing a team that’s a favorite to get to the final four.
This is Michigan State’s best group of guys since 2016. That was the same year they lost to Middle Tennessee in the first round as a 2 seed. If you also remember way back in 2005 Bucknell pulled off one of the best upsets in Tournament history by beating 3-seed Kansas. Obviously, they know Michigan State is vulnerable to losing early by being the favorite. Bucknell should also be using 2005 as confidence that beating Michigan State is possible.