The Buffalo Bulls men's basketball team represents the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, New York, United States. The team currently competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division. Buffalo began play in 1915 and joined the MAC in 1998. They won their first MAC East Division title in 2009, and won a third MAC East Division title in 2015 along with their first outright MAC Regular-Season championship and first MAC Tournament title to earn the program's first bid to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The Bulls also have six appearances in the NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship between 1957 and 1965 and two appearances in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Their current coach is Jim Whitesell, who was hired in April of 2019 to replace Nate Oats. Home games are played at the 6,783-seat Alumni Arena, which opened in 1982. Recently, the Bulls have had a significant presence in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a summer event with a $1 million winner-take-all purse. Blue Collar U, a team consisting mainly of UB alumni, first entered TBT in 2021, reaching the semifinals. The next year, Blue Collar U returned and won the tournament, with C. J. Massinburg being named tournament MVP. Conference affiliations 1915–16 to 1942–43 – Independent 1943–44 to 1944–45 – 1945–46 to 1977–78 – Independent 1978–79 to 1987–88 – State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) 1988–89 to 1990–91 – Mid American Conference 1991–92 to 1993–94 – East Coast Conference 1994–95 to 1997–98 – Mid-Continent Conference (Mid-Con) 1998–99 to present – Mid-American Conference Postseason NCAA Division I tournament The Bulls have appeared in the NCAA Division I tournament four times. Their combined record is 2–4. NCAA Division II Tournament results The Bulls have appeared in the NCAA Division II tournament six times. Their combined record is 5–8. NIT results The Bulls have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) two times. Their record is 1–2. Alumni Arena The Buffalo Bulls play their home games at Alumni Arena, located in Amherst, New York. The arena seats 6,100 spectators and features a state of the art video-board, sound, and lighting systems. Notable former players Notable alumni include: Turner Battle: MAC Player of the Year (2005), former Bulls assistant coach Yassin Idbihi: basketball player for Bayern Munich Javon McCrea: basketball player for Medi Bayreuth