A bittersweet season

This is the first story in a series that looks back on the Bulls' season.

For the men's basketball team, 2004-05 was a season of firsts.

This year's team was the first in school history to record 20 wins in a season. They were the first to make it to the MAC final. They were the first to compete, and win a game, in a postseason tournament. They were the first to have a MAC Player of the Year.

But for coach Reggie Witherspoon and the Bulls, this progress has not totally eased the sting the team still feels after its heartbreaking last-second loss to Ohio in the MAC final, and being passed over by the selection committee of the NCAA Tournament.

The issue of whether the Bulls would, and should, make the Tournament was hotly contested among journalists, coaches and basketball fans across the country. Witherspoon pushed hard for the Bulls to make it. When they weren't selected, he had harsh words for the committee.

"By the criteria that was presented to me in September, (the selection committee) told me the things they were going to look at were the RPI and how you played in the last ten games, strength of schedule, by that criteria yeah we did (deserve an at large bid)," Witherspoon said.

When Witherspoon took this job six years ago, midway through the season, fan support was low and the team's outlook was bleak - that year, the team went 5-23 overall.

Witherspoon said he always felt that the day would come when UB had a basketball program that could compete with anybody, and a program that fans could be proud of. That the turnaround in performance occurred so quickly is something a little more surprising, he said.

"This (season) exceeded all of our expectations in terms of support, and the whole process, it was really encouraging to see." Witherspoon said.

The fans set attendance records at Alumni Arena and riding buses to cheer the team at the MAC Tournament.

"My most memorable moment would be pulling up to Gund Arena for the championship game and seeing all of the buses for UB outside." Witherspoon said.

There were many other fond memories for Witherspoon and the Bulls' fans, such as Turner Battle's last second shots to beat Penn State at the end of regulation, and Battle's lay up with no time left against Drexel to force overtime.

Few fans will forget Mark Bortz's dunk against Fairleigh Dickinson, which capped off a seven-point comeback in the last minute and sent the game to overtime, which the Bulls won.

There was UB's first nationally televised home game on ESPN 2, and the excitement of the MAC tournament, where the Bulls won two hard-fought games before falling to Ohio.

Additionally, with all the team success, there was also individual success. Battle was the Player of the Year in the MAC, while also making first team All-MAC and was named an honorable mention to the AP All-American team.

The senior guard averaged 15.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. Bortz was named the MAC's sixth man of the year, and was also the only non-starter to make the All-MAC team, as he was named an honorable mention.

The last month has been a ride that no UB fan will soon forget, from the highs of buzzer-beating wins and remarkable comebacks, to the lows of losing to Ohio in one of the final games of the season and of being left out of the NCAA tournament.

Witherspoon said he is proud of his team, which he feels is knocking on the door to the top ranks of Division I teams.

"We did a lot of great things," he said. "We were number one in the conference in offense, number three in field goal percentage, number three in rebounding; our grade would be very high, historically probably the greatest year in UB basketball."

Next: A look at the Bulls' likely starting five for next season.