UB President Tripathi congratulates men's basketball players on historic win

University at Buffalo President Satish K. Tripathi has released the following statement on the University at Buffalo men's basketball team's first-ever invitation into the NCAA basketball tournament:

Congratulations to our UB men’s basketball team, who made history last night and are preparing to do it again! 

Last night, our Bulls defeated Central Michigan 89-84 to win the team’s first-ever Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship and advance to the NCAA basketball tournament for the first time in UB history.

I was incredibly proud to join the crowd of Bulls fans watching in Cleveland as our Bulls defeated Central Michigan 89-84 to become MAC Champions. Our Bulls played with great heart and great skill, and it was a thrilling game from start to finish, capping off an extraordinary season. This MAC Championship title is the most recent example of the exciting strides our Bulls are making as we continue to build a strong, nationally competitive Division I athletics program. The achievements of our student athletes—from the MAC Championship won by our women’s soccer team this fall to the First-Team All-America honors received by two of our track-and-field athletes at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships just this weekend—are a source of great pride to our entire UB community.

Congratulations to Director of Athletics Danny White, Coach Bobby Hurley, and the entire men’s basketball team on an outstanding season, and best wishes to our Bulls as they head to Columbus to compete against West Virginia in the Big Dance.

All of us at UB will be watching with pride, together with Bulls fans across the country. Go Bulls!