Who's Playing

Buffalo @ Akron

Regular Season Records: Buffalo 19-10; Akron 21-9

What to Know

The Buffalo Bulls and the Akron Zips are set to clash at 1:30 p.m. ET March 10 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tourney. The Zips will be strutting in after a win while Buffalo will be stumbling in from a defeat.

The Bulls were within striking distance but couldn't close the gap last week as they fell 70-65 to the Kent State Golden Flashes. Despite the loss, Buffalo got a solid performance out of forward Jeenathan Williams, who had 18 points and five assists along with five rebounds.

Meanwhile, Akron escaped with a win last Friday against the Central Michigan Chippewas by the margin of a single free throw, 57-56. Guard Xavier Castaneda (17 points) was the top scorer for Akron.

Barring any buzzer beaters, Buffalo is expected to win a tight contest Thursday. Now might not be the best time to take the Bulls against the spread since they've let down bettors for the past six consecutive games.

A pair of stats to keep an eye on: Buffalo enters the game with 80.3 points per game on average, good for 10th best in college basketball. But the Zips rank 26th in college basketball when it comes to points allowed per game, with only 62.9 on average. We'll see which of these strengths -- offense or defense -- will win out.

How To Watch

  • When: Thursday at 1:30 p.m. ET
  • Where: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse -- Cleveland, Ohio
  • TV: ESPN Plus
  • Follow: CBS Sports App

Odds

The Bulls are a slight 2.5-point favorite against the Zips, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Bulls as a 2-point favorite.

Over/Under: -110

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Series History

Buffalo have won nine out of their last 15 games against Akron.

  • Jan 01, 2022 - Akron 88 vs. Buffalo 76
  • Mar 12, 2021 - Buffalo 81 vs. Akron 74
  • Mar 02, 2021 - Buffalo 80 vs. Akron 78
  • Feb 29, 2020 - Akron 86 vs. Buffalo 73
  • Jan 28, 2020 - Buffalo 77 vs. Akron 74
  • Mar 14, 2019 - Buffalo 82 vs. Akron 46
  • Feb 26, 2019 - Buffalo 77 vs. Akron 64
  • Feb 12, 2019 - Buffalo 76 vs. Akron 70
  • Feb 27, 2018 - Buffalo 80 vs. Akron 68
  • Jan 09, 2018 - Buffalo 87 vs. Akron 65
  • Feb 24, 2017 - Akron 89 vs. Buffalo 83
  • Jan 28, 2017 - Akron 91 vs. Buffalo 90
  • Mar 12, 2016 - Buffalo 64 vs. Akron 61
  • Feb 16, 2016 - Akron 80 vs. Buffalo 70
  • Jan 05, 2016 - Akron 75 vs. Buffalo 71

Injury Report for Akron

No Injury Information

Injury Report for Buffalo

  • Kuluel Mading: Game-Time Decision (Undisclosed)