COACH: Dave Paulsen, three years at Bucknell University, first year in NCAA tournament.
HOW THEY GOT IN: Automatic bid (Patriot League tournament champion).
GO-TO GUYS: The Bison have a balanced attack, but 6-foot-11 sophomore Mike Muscala brings it all together. He led the Patriot League in blocked shots and does a little bit of everything. The MVP in the Patriot League in the regular season and league tournament, he enters the NCAA Tournament averaging 14.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, leading the Bison to a 10-game winning streak that carried them through the league tournament, where he had 18 points in the championship game win over Lafayette.
X FACTOR: Muscala is the guy who jumps off the stat sheet. Opposing coaches will also highlight guard Bryson Johnson, whose incredible range can take a lot of pressure off Muscala inside. Johnson led the Patriot League in 3-pointers made and 3-point field goal percentage. He made 96 on the year and was averaging 11.7 points per game entering the NCAA tournament.
STRENGTHS: This team hits you with balance and does a lot of things well. The Bison led the Patriot League in defense, scoring margin, field goal, 3-point field goal and free throw percentage, as well as field goal and 3-point field goal percentage defense, assist/turnover ratio and defensive rebounds. They shot 40.2 percent from 3-point range and hit almost 79 percent of their free throws. Senior point guard Darryl Shazier enters the NCAA tournament with 185 assists and almost as many steals (45) as turnovers (49).
WEAKNESSES: The Bison don't have elite-level athleticism and it shows up defensively and in other key statistical areas, such as offensive rebounds, where they were worst in the Patriot League.
