Buffalo Basketball pulled off the upset against West Virginia due to a career-high game from CJ Massinburg. This performance puts him on the national map.
In the first week of the college basketball season, many were looking for an upset special to potentially call. The most popular pick was Buffalo, who returned three 15+ ppg scorers from the team who defeated the Arizona Wildcats in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
They were taking on West Virginia, ranked No. 13 nationally in the preseason AP poll after returning the vast majority of their production as well. However, not having the starting backcourt of Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles Jr. and having to incorporate new guards at the beginning of the season made the Mountaineers riped for an upset.
It didn’t look that way for a good 20-minute span between haves once Bob Huggin’s team took control. WVU led by around double-digits for a good portion of the second half. But the Bulls stayed within striking distance, which was good enough for the star of the night to come through.
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CJ Massinburg was coming off of an 11-point game in Buffalo’s season-opening win against St. Francis. He averaged 17.0 ppg in the season prior and was part of that vaunted trio for the NCAA Tournament team. Throughout this game, he was the only consistent source of offense, especially from beyond the arc.
The senior kept the Bulls in the game and was the leader in bringing them all the way back late in the final minutes of regulation, including a deep game-tying three-pointer to force overtime. Buffalo took control in the extra period, thanks to Massinburg’s contributions. He rained in a couple more long-range shots to give them a lead that West Virginia couldn’t overcome, giving the Bulls a 99-94 overtime victory.
Massinburg finished with 43 points and 14 rebounds – both career-highs for his college career. He also was one point shy of the early season high for college basketball (Chris Clemons 44 for Campbell).
This is a monumental win for both the program and the player. As far as Buffalo is concerned, they’re likely to be ranked in next week’s AP poll. It also gives the Bulls a massive win for a potential at-large resume in case they don’t win the MAC Tournament. Few schools go into Morgantown and get a win, let alone drop nearly 100 points on them.
When it comes to Massinburg himself, this performance puts him on the national radar. That’s hard for him to do as an individual, with fellow stars Nick Perkins and Jeremy Harris also going to have their moments throughout the season. But the 6’3 guard’s profile has been raised, for both national analysts and NBA scouts looking for that next great mid-major guard. He’s a lethal scorer that when given the opportunity can fill up the stat sheet at an All-American level.
Buffalo has a couple more big games in December against both Marquette and Syracuse to become an even bigger deal. To do that Massinburg will have to have some more elite performances. He’s shown that he’s capable to do it, making the Bulls all the more dangerous if they can make the Big Dance.