MAC Tournament Championship preview for No. 5 Ohio vs. No. 2 Buffalo

MACtion: College Basketball Edition will wrap up with the conference title game when the Buffalo Bulls and Ohio Bobcats meet up on Saturday, March 13.

No. 5 Ohio knocked off the top-seeded Toledo Rockets on Friday 87-80. The Bobcats built a double-digit lead in the first half and controlled the rest of the game, as the final score is a little deceiving. Jason Preston scored 27, and Ben Vander Plas added 26. The Bobcats drive the ball at the rim to score, and are the 33rd-best adjusted offense according to KenPom.com.

Buffalo needed overtime but got past the Akron Zips in the semifinal round 81-74. Leading scorer Jeenathan Williams went for 26 points in the win. The Bulls are 10th nationally in possessions per game and like to force the tempo, and are terrific on the offensive glass recovering 37.1% of their misses.

Let’s take a look at all the action from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH.

No. 5 Ohio vs. No. 2 Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Point Spread: Buffalo -2.5
Point Total: 155.5

Both of these teams score quite a few points, but the high point total is scaring us off a bit, so we’ll stick with the spread. The Bulls are averaging the most points per game in the conference this season, and they do their part on the defensive end as well. Buffalo’s defense ranks No. 1 in opponent field goal percentage as well as three-point shooting percentage. Let’s go with the Bulls to cover this short spread.

The pick: Buffalo -2.5

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