Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Basketball Preseason News & Notes
10/2/2012 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 2, 2012
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The official start of the men's basketball preseason is still a few weeks away, but the Bison hoops squad has been in the news this week. SI.com college basketball writer Andy Glockner penned an interesting article on the Bucknell-Lehigh rivalry, with a focus on star players Mike Muscala and C.J. McCollum. Glockner also listed the Bucknell-Missouri game on his list of possible upsets this year.
In the article, Glockner said, "Lehigh and Bucknell almost certainly will be picked 1-2 in the league's preseason poll, and if form holds, the two will be on different sides of the league's postseason tournament bracket, meaning a possible 11th and final encounter could happen in a title-game rematch. Muscala and Bucknell hold a 5-3 lead in the head-to-head series so far, but it's the two most recent encounters -- both played within three weeks last season at Bucknell's Sojka Pavilion, both won by Lehigh -- that are sticking in the Bison's craw. [Bucknell coach Dave] Paulsen said that "there's not a day goes by" where he's not thinking about the Mountain Hawks and how to defend McCollum."
Of the Bucknell-Missouri matchup on Jan. 5, Glockner wrote, "Sandwiched in between a glamour game to UCLA and their SEC debut against Alabama comes a tester against the experienced Bison, who bring back everyone but guard Bryan Cohen from a 25-win team that won at Arizona in the NIT. With 6-11 pro prospect Mike Muscala inside, the smallish Tigers will have their hands full defensively, and Bucknell last season was the best in Division I in keeping teams off the offensive glass, so if Missouri's transfer-laden new-look roster isn't as offensively efficient as last season, this may be a game where they end up with a higher-than-average number of empty trips."
Also this week, Bucknell radio & television coordinator Doug Birdsong produced the first of four Bison Vision video features on the team's first-year players. The first segment features Michigan native Chris Hass, who talked about his transition to college basketball, and the influence his father and older sisters have had on his hoops career so far. Stay tuned for future installments later this month. Up next: Dom Hoffman.
Two weeks ago Bucknell's 2012-13 non-conference schedule was announced. The Patriot League portion of the schedule is expected to be announced this week, along with the schedule of televised games on CBS College Sports.
Season tickets for 2012-13 remain on sale. To download a season ticket application, click HERE.
