Buffalo Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Bulls

BOISE, ID - MARCH 17: Montell McRae #1 of the Buffalo Bulls reacts during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 17, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

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BOISE, ID – MARCH 17: Wes Clark #10 of the Buffalo Bulls reacts during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 17, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

After dominating the MAC last season, Buffalo Basketball looks just as strong this upcoming season. Can the Bulls make a deeper NCAA Tournament run?

There were some questions about how good Buffalo Basketball was going to be last season. The Bulls had to replace their top two scorers and had only one transfer coming into the year.

That clearly didn’t matter, with a quartet of players leading the team to an incredible 27-9 (15-3) season. There were early signs that Buffalo was going to be good, with close non-conference losses to Cincinnati and Syracuse showing their potential potency. And once MAC play began, the Bulls dominated, winning their first eight games in conference play. They ran through the conference tournament to present the MAC in the NCAA Tournament.

Buffalo was a trendy pick before the brackets were released, before many giving up on them once it showed that they would play the Arizona Wildcats, a Final Four favorite out of the South Region. But for head coach Nate Oats and the team, it turned into an opportunity to shock the world, defeating the Pac-12 champs in the first round.

The Bulls ultimately fell to Kentucky in the Round of 32 but the overall positives and boost to the program’s prestige in the short run made them a big winner. Even more importantly, they were able to retain popular coaching target Oats for at least another year.

He comes back but Missouri transfer point guard Wes Clark won’t be after graduating. He was one of four players who averaged at least 15 ppg while leading the team with 5.4 apg. Also gone of note is Ikenna Smart, who left for Wake Forest as a grad transfer.

The good news is that the Bulls bring back most of the team’s top-10 scoring offense, including a trio of high-scoring seniors. Will they be able to keep the team as the MAC favorites? Find out in the Buffalo’s season preview.