We’ll be doing NCAA Tournament profiles for all automatic bid conference winners leading into the NCAA Tournament. See below for previous team profiles.

Conference/Record: Patriot League (28-5)

Location: Lewisburg, PA

Famous Alums/Attendees: Sunil Gulati, President of US Soccer, Jay Wright, Men’s Basketball Coach at Villanova, and MLB Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson.

Social Media: The official twitter account for Bucknell Men’s Basketball is @BisonSports.

Random Fun Fact: Bucknell’s football team shares their stadium with the local high school, and they won the very first Orange Bowl, defeating Miami 26-0 in 1935.

Tournament History/Most Recent: The Bison, and the Patriot League,  have had some recent successes in the NCAA Tournament. Bucknell upset #3 Kansas in 2005, and followed that up with a win over #8 Arkansas the next year. However, they lost 81-52 as to #3 Connecticut in 2011. The Patriot League’s champ last year, Lehigh, beat Duke in the 15-2 game.

Good Wins/Bad Losses: Bucknell has two solid road wins (@Purdue, @New Mexico St) and also has wins over La Salle and Kent St to their name. They lost by 2 to Missouri (25% CWP), but their bad losses include a home loss to Lehigh and road losses to Penn State and Lafayette.

Notable Player(s): This Bison are lead by two-time Patriot League Player of the Year Mike Muscala. Muscala is remarkably consistent, scoring double figures in every game but one, and recording 23 double-doubles. He isn’t much of an outside threat (only attempt 15 3′s all year), but he manages to draw nearly 7 fouls per game, and is an 82% free throw shooter for his career.

All-Important Rankings: 52 (RPI), 61 (Pomeroy), 51 (Seven Overtimes)

Outlook/Seed: Bucknell, like many of other low-majors to already secure bids, is a dangerous team with an experienced roster. They’ve played well enough to earn a bid that will give them a good chance to win another game in the tournament. Look for them to be slotted as #12 or #13 seed, and give their opponent – no matter who it is – tons of trouble.

Previous Team Profiles:

James Madison
Florida Gulf Coast
Harvard
Liberty
Creighton
Belmont