Zips vs. Bulls Prediction
The 18th-ranked Buffalo Bulls will begin their quest for a Mid-American Conference Tournament title today when they face the Akron Zips. Can Buffalo overcome being the sizeable favorites against a team playing in its home state?
Game Snapshot
697 Akron Zips vs. 698 Buffalo Bulls
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Quicken Loans Arena at 12PM ET
TV: ESPN+
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Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Bulls are a 9-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under sits at 143.5 points. As of Thursday morning, 58 percent of public bets are siding with Buffalo. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for up-to-date info.
Zips advance with win over RedHawks
Akron eased to an 80-51 win Monday night at home over Miami to improve to 17-15 on the season and move on in the MAC Tournament. The Zips led 39-24 at halftime and continued to pull away after the break. Akron shot 27-of-51 from the floor, 17-of-29 from 3-point range plus 9-of-12 at the free throw line. Loren Cristian Jackson led the Zips with 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting including 5-of-7 from 3-point range plus 4-of-5 at the free throw line. He also tallied six assists and two rebounds. Daniel Utomi contributed 20 points, two boards and two steals. Jimond Ivey added 14 points, six assists, three rebounds and two blocked shots.
Bulls win 26th straight at home
Buffalo picked up an 84-73 victory Friday night at home over Bowling Green to finish the regular season 28-3 overall and 16-2 in conference action. The Bulls led 43-30 at halftime and did not relent after the break. Buffalo shot 33-of-73 from the field, 5-of-26 from 3-point range plus 13-of-20 at the free throw line. Nick Perkins paced the Bulls with 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting including 1-of-4 from 3-point range plus 3-of-3 at the charity stripe. He also pulled down six rebounds. C.J Massinburg registered 15 points, six boards, two dimes and two steals. Jeremy Harris accounted for 14 points, five rebounds, five steals and three assists. Davonta Jordan added 10 points, four caroms and two assists off the bench.
College Basketball Betting Trends
Akron
The Zips are 16-14 ATS this season. The under is 5-4-1 in the last 10 Akron games.
Buffalo
The Bulls are 16-13-1 ATS this season. The over-under is 5-5 in the last 10 Buffalo games.
Prediction:
The Bulls haven’t been nearly as dominant on the road in terms of margin of victory, although they still get the job done more often than not. Buffalo should have a decent contingent of fans traveling for this tournament, but despite the neutral court tag this will still mostly play out like a road game as Ohio teams always have the home advantage feel in the MAC Tournament. Just how it goes. Buffalo beat Akron 76-70 on the road this season and 77-64 at home. While the Bulls are the overwhelming favorite to win the MAC Tournament, I think this will be a tough one. Look for the Zips to stay inside the number and perhaps even make it interesting late.
NCAA DAILY PREDICTION: AKRON ZIPS +9