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MORGANTOWN, West Virginia (AP) – Maybe the big surprise of the NCAA tournament was just the beginning for Buffalo.
CJ Massinburg earned 43 points and 14 rebounds as the Bulls knocked out another energy program Friday night, beating No. 13 West Virginia 99-94 in overtime.
Buffalo opened its eyes in March when the 13th-seeded Bulls defeated No. 4 seed Arizona 89-68 in the first round of the NCAAs. Kentucky eliminated them in their next match – but now this.
"The Arizona win is huge," said Buffalo coach Nate Oats. "You have all the spectators attending the NCAA Tournament, but we have never beaten a team on the road among the top 15 in the country."
Buffalo (1-0) dropped 15-4 to force overtime before defeating the Mountaineers 15-10 in overtime.
Jeremy Harris had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Bulls in the opening match of both teams.
"We have confidence as a team," Massinburg said. "We have confidence in ourselves, in our coaches and in our players, but we try not to get carried away by the hype, because then you put extra pressure on you that you really do not need. "
Jayvon Graves added 14 points for Buffalo and Nate Perkins scored 10 on the bench.
It was the first time that West Virginia (0-1) was losing its home opener since a 91-84 loss to the Northeast in 2003.
"They just beat us at our own game," said coach Bob Huggins. & # 39; & # 39; We usually force more turnarounds than we did. They sent us 19-11 here, and we are usually one of the leading rebound teams in the country, and they put us there. We will not win. & # 39; & # 39;
Lamont West led West Virginia with 22 points and nine rebounds. James' Beetle & # 39; & # 39; Bolden scored a career record 21 but left early with a possible cramp.
Buffalo had a 29-14 advantage in offensive rebounds.
GREAT IMAGE
Buffalo: remains on the road to face the south of Illinois, who just gave Kentucky a game at Lexington. The Bulls also have more opportunities in the big teams, with Syracuse and Marquette on the roster in December.
West Virginia: After losing the opening game, more intermediate powers like Valparaiso, West Kentucky, Monmouth, UCF and Rhode Island, as well as the major teams that are Florida and Pitt are still in the mix. # 39; horizon.
IMPLICATIONS OF SURVEY
Buffalo: could pass in the Top 25 Monday after receiving 14 votes in the pre-season poll.
West Virginia: could fall out of the standings after defeat.
ELITE COMPANY
Massinburg set a school record for points in a road match. He joined Ethan Happ (Wisconsin), John Konchar (Fort Wayne) and Quinndary Weatherspoon (Mississippi State) as the only active player in the country to have more than 1,300 career points.
AGITATION AND FLOW
Buffalo scored 23 points on 19 Montagnard business figures.
& # 39; & # 39; I said to (Massinburg) halfway through the second period: "We are not going to win this match by outperforming them. Obviously, that will not happen, "said Oats. & # 39; & # 39; Let's find another solution. We will have to win in defense and get easy buckets in transition, stopovers and offensive turnarounds. & # 39;
West Virginia scored 16 points on 11 Bulls' turnovers in its first game without former defensive stars Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles Jr.
FOLLOWING
Buffalo continues his early-season trip to southern Illinois on Monday.
West Virginia will travel south to face Monmouth in the first round of the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Thursday.
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More college basketball AP: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25
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