2013-14 Bucknell Men's Basketball Media Guide - Bucknell Athletics

A year earlier, Bucknell was the “darling of the dance.” The prestigious
private school with an enrollment of about 3,400 that stunned perennial
power Kansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The victory made national headlines as the first-ever NCAA triumph for
the Bison, or any Patriot League school for that matter. The team earned an
ESPY award in the “Best Upset” category and spent the summer reliving the
biggest win in the history of the program.
As the 2005-06 campaign started, with virtually the entire roster returning
intact, everyone wanted to know what Bucknell could do for an encore.
And despite heaping expectations, both internal and external, all the Bison
did was fashion their finest season yet.
Even with a large “bulls-eye” on its back every night, Bucknell shattered
the school victory record with a fancy 27-5 ledger, repeated as Patriot League
champion and made a return trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament
after a thrilling 59-55 win over Arkansas.
The Bison carried the sixth-best record in the nation — and the highest
graduation rate (100%) — entering the NCAA Tournament. Among its
impressive non-conference victories were road wins at then-No. 17 and
eventual Big East champion Syracuse and DePaul, as well as a home victory
over Atlantic-10 finalist Saint Joseph’s.
The Bison really made their mark in Patriot League play, becoming the
first team in the 16-year history of the conference to run the table, going a
perfect 14-0. Three more double-digit wins in the Patriot League Tournament
— capped by an impressive 74-59 win over Holy Cross — brought
them a second straight league title. Then they earned a No. 9 seed in
the NCAA Tournament, by far the highest in school and league history.
Once in the field of 65, the Bison made sure their weekend in Dallas
would be a long one. With co-captains Charles Lee and Kevin Bettencourt
combining for nine 3-pointers and 42 points, Bucknell knocked off
Southeastern Conference power Arkansas in the first round, validating
the Kansas victory.
In the round of 32, Bucknell ran into top-seeded Memphis, and the
Conference USA champ wore down the Bison with its speed, strength
and depth. Bucknell whittled a 19-point deficit down to nine in the
second half, but the Tigers just had too much down the stretch, and
the magical season that nobody wanted to end did just that on a rainy
Sunday in Dallas.
Of Bucknell’s five losses in 2005-06, three came at the hands of
No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament — Memphis, Duke and Villanova.
Northern Iowa, which topped Bucknell in double overtime in an ESPN
BracketBusters classic, earned an at-large bid out of the highly respected
Missouri Valley Conference and was also nationally ranked at times
during the season.
Speaking of national rankings, in 2005-06 Bucknell also achieved its
first-ever listing in a national poll. On Feb. 13 the Bison were ranked 24th
in both the Associated Press Poll and the ESPN/USA TODAY Coaches’ Poll.
Bucknell was also ranked 25th in the final Coaches’ Poll of the season.
While not without star power, Bucknell’s greatest asset was its depth
and its unselfish team play, particularly on defense. Armed with a tricky
matchup zone defense, the Bison entered the NCAA Tournament ranked
second nationally in scoring defense (55.3). In 32 games in 2005-06 they
allowed 60 or more points only nine times and 70 or more only five
times, while on nine occasions they kept teams under 50.