The MAC takes center stage on Friday night as the no. 25 Buffalo Bulls visit the Toledo Rockets. Buffalo beat Toledo by 30 points earlier this season but is favored by just 2.5 points on the road Friday night.
Despite the lopsided loss to Buffalo last month, Toledo may be the second-best team in the MAC. The Rockets are riding a five-game winning streak, putting them at 8-3 in the conference and 20-4 overall. Of course, they’ll need to win the MAC Tournament to get into the Big Dance. But beating Buffalo on Friday could give them the confidence that they can do it again in the conference tournament.
As for Buffalo, they seem like a good bet to earn an at-large bid to the tournament, barring an epic collapse late in the season. The Bulls are 21-3 overall with road wins over West Virginia and Syracuse on their resume. However, they’ve lost two conference games this season, both on the road, so they can be vulnerable against some of the better teams in the MAC.
Perfect Balance
Mid-major team or not, the combination of experience, depth, and balance that Buffalo has is something few teams can replicate. The Bulls have five players who all average at least nine points and three rebounds per game. They get scoring from everywhere on the floor, but they also defend and rebound from all five positions as well.
Of course, it’s not just the starting five that does damage for the Bulls. Buffalo has seven players who can be trusted to make significant contributions. It takes more than one or two of those players having a bad game for the Bulls to lose. Whether they’re able to match up against the nation’s elite teams is a question that won’t be answered until March. But the Bulls have the depth and athleticism to make life difficult for every MAC team they face.
Lights Out
Of course, Toledo didn’t get to 20-4 by accident. The Rockets also have plenty of depth with six different players who average at least nine points per game. They also have six different players who have made at least 26 three-point shots this season, giving them a number of players who can get hot from the perimeter. While senior guard Jaelan Sanford has long been one of the top scorers in the MAC, frontcourt players Nate Navigato and Luke Knapke both shoot higher than 40% from three-point range and could pose the biggest threat to Buffalo.
When these two teams met earlier this year, the Rockets made 10 3’s on their way to scoring 80 points. They simply couldn’t stop Buffalo at the other end, who made 15 of their 30 perimeter shots, which is well above their season average. With the Rockets being at home in this game, they’ll surely be a threat to get hot from the outside and force the Bulls into another shootout.
Running of the Bulls
Toledo will surely present a challenge for Buffalo, especially with the Rockets at home. But the low works in Buffalo’s favor from a betting perspective. After all, they won by 30 points the last time these teams met. Bet on Buffalo winning and covering the spread on Friday.
