The No. 4 Arizona Wildcats (27-7) battle against the No. 13 Buffalo Bulls (26-8) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament at Taco Bell Arena. The game gets underway at 9:40 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 15, 2018.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 157 points with Arizona set as a 9-point favorite.
Buffalo Bulls vs. Arizona Wildcats Betting Prediction
In the , the Bulls beat the Toledo Rockets, 76-66. The Bulls had 9 steals and held the Rockets to an effective field goal percentage of 0.430 (below their season average of 0.555). Buffalo was led by Wes Clark, who was the game’s leading scorer with 26 points on 10-for-15 shooting.
The Wildcats were victorious over the USC Trojans in the , 75-61. The Wildcats had an extraordinary offensive rebounding percentage of 48.1 (above their season average of 32.9), while the Trojans had a free throw rate of 0.151 (below their season average of 0.217). Deandre Ayton was the game’s leading scorer with 32 points on 14-for-20 shooting.
This contest figures to be a high-scoring affair as a pair of the NCAA’s top offenses clash. Arizona currently ranks 10th with 117.7 points per 100 possessions and Buffalo is 26th (114.5).
Buffalo heads into the contest with records of 26-8 straight up (SU) and 16-13-2 against the spread (ATS). Bulls games have a tendency to go over the O/U total (61.3 percent).
Arizona has an outstanding 27-7 SU record, but they are just 14-19-1 ATS. Games featuring the Wildcats have no tendency in regards to the total, as there has been an even split between games finishing over and under.
Buffalo Bulls vs. Arizona Wildcats ATS Pick
Prediction: SU Winner – Arizona, ATS Winner – Arizona, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Buffalo ranks 34th in three pointers attempted per game (26.1) while Arizona ranks 256th (18.4).
The Wildcats rank fourth in rebounds allowed per game (29.0) while the Bulls rank 224th (36.5).
Arizona averages 4.6 blocks per game, which ranks 37th in the NCAA. Buffalo ranks 172nd in blocks allowed per game (3.8).
The Bulls rank 14th in assists per game (16.9) while the Wildcats rank 98th in assists allowed per game (12.6).
Buffalo ranks 118th in steals per game (6.4) while Arizona ranks 125th in steals allowed per game (6.2).
Bettings Trends:
The Bulls’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 16.8, up from 8.9 for the season.
During their last five games, the Wildcats have scored an average of 75.4 points per game (5.5 below their season average) and allowed an average of 63.2 points per game (8.0 below their season average).
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