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Buffalo is for real: 5 things to know about UB Bulls' dismantling of Arizona State

Democrat and Chronicle

The Buffalo Bulls circled the wagons and you can now circle them on your NCAA Tournament bracket.

Jeremy Harris and Nick Perkins each scored 21 points and No. 6 seed Buffalo defeated No. 11 Arizona State 91-74 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in the West Region on Friday.

Here are 5 things to know about Buffalo's win:

Running with the Bulls

Buffalo entered the tournament as the No. 5 scoring team in the country and the third-fastest team the nation. And the Bulls didn't disappoint.

Buffalo had four players in double figures. In addition to the 21 from Harris and Perkins, C.J. Massinburg added 18 and Jayvon Graves scored 13. The Bulls shot 51.7 percent from the field and outrebounded Arizona State 42-26.

The win marked the 25th time this season that the Bulls have scored at least 80 points.

Only Oklahoma has scored more points than UB through the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Sooners defeated Mississippi 95-72 on Friday.

The Bulls' defense held the Sun Devils to 3 of 22 from 3-point range (13.6 percent).

More:Buffalo proves it can make deep tourney run with blowout over Arizona State

Massinburg close to No. 1

Buffalo's CJ Massinburg, bottom, looks to pass as Arizona State's Remy Martin (1) watches during the first half of a first round men's college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament Friday, March 22, 2019, in Tulsa, Okla. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

C.J. Massinburg's 18 points moved him closer to becoming UB's all-time scoring leader. The senior guard entered the game with 1,958 points and is chasing Newark graduate Javon McCrea's school record of 2,004.

He now has 1,976 and is 28 points shy of tying the program mark. Massinburg exited the game briefly when he limped off the court but returned shortly after.

Buffalo puts Grand Canyon state in another hole

It's the second straight year Buffalo sent a team from Arizona packing. Last year as the No. 13 seed the Bulls upset No. 4 Arizona, 89-68, in the first round before losing to Kentucky. Massinburg (19 points, 6 rebounds), Harris (23 points, 7 rebounds) and Perkins (13 points) starred in the win last year.

Nate Oats schools his former boss

Bobby Hurley went 42-20 in two seasons with the Bulls from 2013-2015. He led the UB to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015. One of Hurley's first moves at Buffalo was hiring Oats from a high school in Detroit. Hurley left for Arizona State in 2015-16 and said he would've taken Oats as an assistant at Arizona State if Buffalo didn't hire Oats as its head coach.

Mar 22, 2019; Tulsa, OK, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley talks with an official about a call during the second half of their game against the Buffalo Bulls in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at BOK Center. The Buffalo Bulls won 91-74. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Buffalo has gone next level under Oats, who entered March Madness 95-42 at UB and was named MAC Coach of the Year.

Oats said he didn't enjoy playing against his mentor and friend.

"It was not fun really," Oats told TNT after the game. "I'd like to see us both go into the second round... He's was really complimentary on how hard our kids played which is saying a lot. He's one of the hardest playing guys to ever play the game."

He picked the wrong team to root for

Shannon Evans played at Buffalo and Arizona State but was clearly rooting for the Sun Devils. Evans transferred to ASU when Hurley took the job and posted a video on social media looked dejected as he watched the game in an Arizona State jersey.

"It's tough right now, man," Evans said in his live video.

Evans averaged 15.4 points in leading Buffalo to the NCAA Tournament in 2015 and scored more than 1,000 in his two years at Arizona State.