2022–23 Buffalo Bulls men's basketball team

2022–23 Buffalo Bulls men's basketball
ConferenceMid-American Conference
Record15–17 (9–9 MAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Jamie Quarles (6th season)
  • Angres Thorpe (4th season)
  • Brendan Foley (3rd season)
Home arenaAlumni Arena
Seasons
2022–23 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Toledo 16 – 2   .889 27 – 8   .771
Kent State † 15 – 3   .833 28 – 7   .800
Akron 13 – 5   .722 22 – 11   .667
Ball State 11 – 7   .611 20 – 12   .625
Ohio 10 – 8   .556 19 – 14   .576
Buffalo 9 – 9   .500 15 – 17   .469
Northern Illinois 9 – 9   .500 13 – 19   .406
Miami (OH) 6 – 12   .333 12 – 20   .375
Bowling Green 5 – 13   .278 11 – 20   .355
Eastern Michigan 5 – 13   .278 8 – 23   .258
Central Michigan 5 – 13   .278 10 – 21   .323
Western Michigan 4 – 14   .222 8 – 23   .258
† 2023 MAC tournament winner

The 2022–23 Buffalo Bulls men's basketball team represented the University at Buffalo in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulls, led by fourth-year head coach Jim Whitesell, played their home games at Alumni Arena in Amherst, New York as members of the Mid-American Conference.[1] They finished the season 15–17, 9–9 in MAC play to finish in a tie for sixth place.[2] As the No. 6 seed in the MAC tournament they lost to Akron in the quarterfinals.[3]

On March 11, 2023, the school fired head coach Jim Whitesell.[4] On March 30, the school named longtime Villanova assistant coach George Halcovage the team's new head coach.[5]

Previous season

Main article: 2021–22 Buffalo Bulls men's basketball team

The Bulls finished the 2021–22 season 19–11 and 13–6 in MAC play to finish in fifth place.[6] They lost to Akron in the first round of the MAC tournament.[7]

Offseason

Departures

Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason
Ty Perry 20 G 6'3" 210 Junior Boston, Massachusetts Transferred to New Haven
Lucas Saleh 22 F 6'7" 210 Sophomore Tiburon, California Transferred to Belmont Abbey College
Tra'Von Fagan 24 F 6'8" 211 RS-Senior Waterloo, Iowa Transferred to UMBC
Josh Mballa 34 F 6'7" 220 Junior Bordeaux, France Transferred to Mississippi
Brock Bertram 41 C 6'11" 244 Grad Student Apple Valley, Minnesota Exhausted Eligibility
Dominic Johnson 21 F 6'5" 223 Grad Student Windsor, Ontario
Jamon Bivens G 23 6'3" 190 RS-Senior Atlanta, Georgia
Keishawn Brewton 4 G 6"2" 185 RS-Senior Spartanburg, South Carolina Exhausted Eligibility
Ronaldo Segu 10 G 6'0" 165 Senior Rochester, New York

[8][9][10]

Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason
Kanye Jones 0 G 6'4" 190 Freshman Orlando, Florida Transferred from Boston College
Armoni Foster 4 G 6'5" 230 5th Meadville, Pennsylvania Transferred from Indiana (PA)
Yazid Powell 13 G 6'4" Junior Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Transferred from Harcum College
Sy Chatman 22 F 6'8" 230 Junior Minneapolis, Minnesota Transferred from Illinois State
Isaiah Adams 23 F 6'6" 210 Freshman Jacksonville, Florida Transferred from UCF
Jonnivius Smith 24 F 6'9" 200 Freshman Jacksonville, Florida Transferred from Seton Hall

[8][10]

Recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Devin Ceaser
G 		Waldorf, Maryland St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) N/A Aug 7, 2021 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Kuluel Mading
F 		High Point, North Carolina The Burlington School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Apr 16, 2021 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: NR
Isaac Jack
C 		Port Alberni, British Columbia Fort Erie International Academy 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) N/A  
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Jaden Slaughter
G 		Buffalo, New York Cheshire Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg)  
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2022–23 Buffalo Bulls men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Kanye Jones 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Boston College Orlando, FL
F 1 LaQuill Hardnett 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Cincinnati Philadelphia, PA
G 2 Kidtrell Blocker 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So Tennessee Prep Rochester, NY
G 3 Curtis Jones 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Indian Hills CC Minneapolis, MN
G 4 Armoni Foster 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) GS Indiana (PA) Meadville, PA
F 5 Zaakir Williamson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Fr Neumann Goretti HS Philadelphia, PA
G 10 Devin Ceaser 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 172 lb (78 kg) Fr St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes Waldorf, MD
F 11 Kuluel Mading 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 208 lb (94 kg) So The Burlington School High Point, NC
G 13 Yazid Powell 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Harcum College Philadelphia, PA
F 22 Sy Chatman 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 227 lb (103 kg) Sr Illinois State Minneapolis, MN
F 23 Isaiah Adam 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr UCF Jacksonville, FL
F 24 Jonnivius Smith 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Seton Hall Selma, AL
C 31 Isaac Jack 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 251 lb (114 kg) Fr Fort Erie International Academy Port Alberni, BC
G 33 Jaden Slaughter 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 202 lb (92 kg) Fr Cheshire Academy Buffalo, NY
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: January 9, 2022

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 30, 2022*
2:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		Daemen W 95–66  –
  16 – C. Jones   7 – Powell   8 – Powell  Alumni Arena (1,531)
Amherst, NY
Non-conference regular season
November 7, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Colgate W 88–87  1–0
  24 – Powell   8 – Smith   6 – C. Jones  Alumni Arena (1,841)
Amherst, NY
November 12, 2022*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		James Madison L 67–92  1–1
  13 – Jones   6 – Jones   2 – Tied  Alumni Arena (1,949)
Amherst, NY
November 15, 2022*
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		at No. 25 UConn L 64–84  1–2
  11 – Tied   6 – Powell   3 – C. Jones  XL Center (10,112)
Hartford, CT
November 18, 2022*
1:00 p.m., ESPN3 		vs. Drake
Paradise Jam Quarterfinals 		L 72–80  1–3
  26 – Hardnett   12 – Hardnett   3 – C. Jones  Sports and Fitness Center 
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
November 19, 2022*
3:15 p.m., ESPN3 		vs. Howard
Paradise Jam 		L 59–63  1–4
  22 – Jones   11 – Hardnett   2 – Tied  Sports and Fitness Center 
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
November 21, 2022*
1:00 p.m., ESPN3 		vs. George Mason
Paradise Jam 		W 82–74  2–4
  24 – Adams   6 – Tied   3 – Tied  Sports and Fitness Center 
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
November 27, 2022*
2:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		Canisius W 86–66  3–4
  22 – Jones   7 – Smith   5 – Tied  Alumni Arena (1,922)
Amherst, NY
December 3, 2022*
2:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at St. Bonaventure W 83–66  4–4
  32 – Jones   9 – Adams   4 – Powell  Reilly Center (4,633)
Olean, NY
December 6, 2022*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		St. John Fisher W 91–53  5–4
  17 – Ceaser   7 – Jones   6 – Tied  Alumni Arena (1,575)
Amherst, NY
December 10, 2022*
11:30 a.m. 		vs. Tulane
Holiday Hoopsgiving 		L 63–88  5–5
  13 – Hardnett   10 – Tied   2 – Tied  State Farm Arena 
Atlanta, GA
December 18, 2022*
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at West Virginia L 78–96  5–6
  20 – Adams   6 – Tied   4 – Jones  WVU Coliseum (10,689)
Morgantown, WV
December 21, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		SUNY Canton W 129–62  6–6
  25 – Ceaser   13 – Jack   6 – Tied  Alumni Arena (1,497)
Amherst, NY
December 30, 2022*
6:00 p.m., BTN 		at Michigan State L 68–89  6–7
  15 – Adams   8 – Smith   5 – Foster  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
MAC regular season
January 3, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Ohio W 75–72  7–7
(1–0) 		 20 – Jones   16 – Hardnett   5 – Foster  Alumni Arena (1,621)
Amherst, NY
January 7, 2023
12:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Northern Illinois W 80–62  8–7
(2–0) 		 19 – Jones   12 – Hardnett   5 – Foster  Alumni Arena (2,030)
Amherst, NY
January 10, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Miami (OH) L 80–91  8–8
(2–1) 		 20 – Powell   9 – Jones   3 – Jones  Millett Hall (921)
Oxford, OH
January 14, 2023
4:30 p.m., ESPN3 		at Central Michigan L 78–87 OT 8–9
(2–2) 		 20 – Jones   11 – Adams   6 – Foster  McGuirk Arena (1,756)
Mount Pleasant, MI
January 17, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Bowling Green W 100–71  9–9
(3–2) 		 27 – Powell   10 – Powell   8 – Jones  Alumni Arena (1,565)
Amherst, NY
January 20, 2023
8:30 p.m., CBSSN 		Toledo L 77–86  9–10
(3–3) 		 18 – Hardnett   12 – Hardnett   7 – Foster  Alumni Arena (2,009)
Amherst, NY
January 24, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Ball State W 91–65  10–10
(4–3) 		 27 – Jonee   8 – Hardnett   7 – Foster  Worthen Arena (3,943)
Muncie, IN
January 27, 2023
9:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at Kent State L 68–74  10–11
(4–4) 		 23 – Adams   12 – Hardnett   5 – Foster  MAC Center (3,021)
Kent, OH
January 31, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Akron L 64–81  10–12
(4–5) 		 19 – Jones   6 – Jones   5 – Blocker  Alumni Arena (5,001)
Amherst, NY
February 4, 2023
2:30 p.m., ESPN3 		at Western Michigan W 85–76  11–12
(5–5) 		 30 – Jones   15 – Hardnett   6 – Foster  University Arena (2,007)
Kalamazoo, MI
February 7, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Eastern Michigan W 102–97  12–12
(6–5) 		 21 – Tied   8 – Tied   11 – Foster  Alumni Arena (4,507)
Amherst, NY
February 10, 2023[11]
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Kent State L 65–72  12–13
(6–6) 		 15 – Powell   8 – Smith   8 – Jones  Alumni Arena (4,207)
Amherst, NY
February 14, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Ohio L 61–85  12–14
(6–7) 		 14 – Tied   8 – Smith   3 – Foster  Convocation Center (4,455)
Athens, OH
February 18, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN3 		at Akron L 66–86  12–15
(6–8) 		 12 – Foster   7 – Hardnett   4 – Blocker  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,068)
Akron, OH
February 21, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Central Michigan W 63–35  13–15
(7–8) 		 14 – Jones   11 – Adams   5 – Tied  Alumni Arena (4,114)
Amherst, NY
February 25, 2023
2:00 p.m., ESPN3 		at Toledo W 101–71  13–16
(7–9) 		 20 – Tied   6 – Hardnett   5 – Foster  Savage Arena (6,014)
Toledo, OH
February 28, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Northern Illinois W 85–75  14–16
(8–9) 		 21 – Jones   8 – Hardnett   4 – Jones  Convocation Center (701)
DeKalb, IL
March 3, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Miami (OH) W 68–63  15–16
(9–9) 		 16 – Adams   11 – Jack   4 – Tied  Alumni Arena (4,403)
Amherst, NY
MAC tournament
March 9, 2022
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		(6) vs. (3) Akron
Quarterfinals 		L 77–101  15–17
  25 – Powell   10 – Hardnett   2 – Tied  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (3,852)
Cleveland, OH
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[12]

References

  1. ^ "Jim Whitesell". University of Buffalo Athletics.
  2. ^ "MAC Basketball Standings - 2022-23". ESPN. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  3. ^ "Buffalo 77, Akron 101". ESPN. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  4. ^ "Buffalo fires men's basketball coach Jim Whitesell after 4 seasons". ESPNBull Run. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  5. ^ "Buffalo hires Nova assistant Halcovage as coach". ESPN.com. March 30, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  6. ^ "MAC Basketball Standings - 2021-22". ESPN. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  7. ^ "Ali scores 19 to carry Akron over Buffalo 70-68 in MAC". ESPN. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "2022-23 Men's Basketball Roster". Buffalo Athletics. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  9. ^ "2021-22 Men's Basketball Roster". Ohio Athletics. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "2022 D1 Basketball Transfers". Verbal Commits. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  11. ^ "Two MAC Men's Basketball Matchups Selected For Television".
  12. ^ "2022-23 Men's Basketball Schedule". University of Buffalo Athletics.