It will be a battle between Mid-American opponents when the Buffalo Bulls (14-9) welcome the Toledo Rockets (14-9) to Alumni Arena. The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 9 and will air on EFC and ES3.
The Bulls defeated Eastern Michigan 80-70 on Saturday. Lamonte Bearden led all scorers on the team with 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting. The Rockets, meanwhile, are coming off an 82-67 win against Kent State on Saturday. Nathan Boothe claimed his 11th double-double of the season with 26 points and 12 rebounds.
A focal point for Buffalo is getting to the free throw line. It ranks 25th in the nation in FTA rate (44.4), but Toledo is among the best in the nation at keeping opponents away from the charity stripe (ranking 26th by yielding a FTA rate of 27.7).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Bulls won the first game 73-68. CJ Massinburg had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 13 points, four rebounds, three assists, four steals, and three three-pointers.
The Bulls are attempting to build on their records of 14-9 Straight Up (SU) and 11-8-2 Against The Spread (ATS). The Bulls have one of the most prolific home offenses in the entire nation, averaging 82.0 points per game.
As for their opponent, Toledo has a SU record of 14-9 and an ATS record of 11-9. Toledo has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 7-3. The Rockets rank 49th in the country in scoring, averaging 78.9 points per game. The Rockets are an unselfish team with an average of 17.0 assists per game, ranking 18th in Division I. The Rockets are in for a physical game against Buffalo. The Bulls are not afraid to send opponents to the free throw line, averaging 21.7 fouls per game.
With the Bulls’ last win against Toledo, their SU record rises to 7-3 over Toledo in their most recent meetings. At 5-5, they are even ATS. Buffalo held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers two times in the last five games, while Toledo wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Buff, ATS Winner – Buff
Notes
Buffalo averages 76.5 points per game (ranked 87th). Toledo, on the other hand, allows 71.3 points per game (ranked 138th).
Buffalo scores 82.0 points per home game (ranked 46th). Toledo ranks a poor 108th in points allowed on the road, allowing 73.2 points.
Ranked 59th, the Toledo Rockets have an offensive rating of 112.2. The Buffalo Bulls rank 153rd with a defensive rating of just 102.0.
Buffalo has an average field goal percentage of 42.7%. Toledo is an even 6-6 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Buffalo Bulls average 21.0 three point attempts per game, while the Toledo Rockets attempt 22.0. When attempting 20 or more three pointers in a game, Buffalo has an outstanding record of 12-4, while Toledo is an even 8-8.
The 18th-ranked team in the category, Toledo has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.50 this season. Buffalo ranks lower at 272nd with an A/TO of .91.
Buffalo ranks 55th in offensive rebounding. When it comes to defensive rebounds, Toledo ranks 60th.
Buffalo makes an average of 7.1 steals per game. When Toledo gives up 7 or more steals, the team has an even 4-4 record.
