:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45897068/CAGlTGUUQAAR7Ky.0.0.jpg)
It's official: the Buffalo Bulls are a 12-seed in the NCAA Tournament and will play 5-seed West Virginia on Friday at a time to be determined in Columbus, Ohio. The Bulls (23-9, 12-6) finished off the season last night by knocking off Central Michigan in the MAC Tournament final.
The Bulls had an impressive season with arguments to maybe make the tournament as an at-large team, but all of that speculation was put to bed with the win over the Chippewas in Cleveland. This is Buffalo's first-ever NCAA Tournament, and a few analysts have picked them as a team that could pull off a major upset.
West Virginia ended their regular season with a 23-9 overall record and a 11-7 record in the Big 12. The Mountaineers lost in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament to Baylor.
The winner of this game moves on to play the winner of the Maryland-Valparaiso game. A benefit for the Bulls, if they make it that far, would be that the Sweet Sixteen would be played in Cleveland, where they just won the MAC Tournament. They would be playing (likely) Kentucky, so they'd need all the help they could get.