The Bulls, led by fourth-year head coach Nate Oats, played their home games at Alumni Arena in Amherst, New York as members of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference.

The Bulls posted a school-record 32 wins, including an NCAA tournament victory over former head coach Bobby Hurley and Arizona State.

Their season, which to that point was punctuated by a 13-game winning streak and MAC conference titles (regular and post-season), ended in a 78–58 loss to Texas Tech in the second round.

At season's end, Oats departed to become head coach at Alabama despite signing an extension with Buffalo a week earlier.

They defeated Central Michigan, Kent State, and Toledo to win the MAC tournament championship.