Miami had a great season and was in contention for the regular season ACC crown right up until the final weekend of the season. The Hurricanes are 8-3 against this year’s field, with losses coming to Virginia twice and North Carolina, both of which earned No. 1 seeds in the Tournament.
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Buffalo Bulls +14
Miami Hurricanes -14
Over/Under: 148.5
HOW THE BUFFALO BULLS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
It was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Bulls, who made the NCAA Tournament for the first time last season. Coach Bobby Hurley bolted for Arizona State after Buffalo lost to West Virginia in the first round, taking point guard Shannon Evans with him.
The Bulls reached the NCAA Tournament by knocking off No. 1 Akron and No. 2 Ohio in the Mid-American Conference championship to earn the automatic bid. They’re no stranger to top notch competition and won’t be intimidated by facing a SEC squad.
New coach Nate Oats stacked his roster with junior college transfers Willie Connor and Blake Hamilton, a pair of athletic swingmen who can play inside and are adept at shooting the three-ball. And the three-pointer is Buffalo’s great equalizer.
Buffalo loves the three-point shot. The Bulls shot 750 threes this season and hit a decent 33.7 percent. They cruised through the MAC tournament hitting 35 of 80 triples, and need similar success to cover the double-digit spread.
HOW THE MIAMI HURRICANES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
After a two year absence from the NCAA Tournament, the Hurricanes are dancing again. And they’re using a snub from last season’s selection committee as motivation.
Miami was shut down by Virginia in the ACC semifinals, forced into what guard Sheldon McClellan called “uncharacteristic” mistakes. The good news for the Canes is that Buffalo is the exact opposite of the Cavaliers.
Even though Miami shot 54.8 percent in that game, the Cavs forced 16 turnovers turning many into quality chances at the other end. The Canes lost 73-68. There should be no concerns when facing the Bulls, who operate at a breakneck pace.
The Hurricanes are a senior-laden team and that will help them through the course of the tournament. The backcourt of Angel Rodriguez and McClellan, as well as center Tonye Jekiri navigated through a difficult ACC schedule and was in the hunt for the regular season title until the final weekend. This is a very good team.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Bulls will have plenty of inspiration heading into the tournament. Crystal Oats, the coach’s wife, has been battling lymphoma all season. The team also dealt with the loss of associate coach Jim Whitesell’s brother and the passing of freshman Nikola Rakicevic’s mother during the season. The team has grown both on the court and off because of those events and continues to do so. Buffalo started off the year at 7-6 after multiple losses in a tough non-conference slate. They played games at St. Joseph’s, Duke, Iowa State and VCU and hosted St. Bonaventure, all in the first 13 games of the season, so their record is a bit deceiving. They don’t have much depth, but sixth man C.J. Massinburg is a stud. He’s a dangerous three-point shooter and plays starter minutes. The biggest X-factor is center Ikenna Smart. His numbers aren’t eye-popping, but he will be assigned to slowing down Jekiri. If he succeeds, the Bulls chances improve.
Miami 87, Buffalo 74
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the Buffalo Bulls and Miami Hurricanes will go down Thursday, March 17, 2016 at 6:50 p.m. ET at Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The matchup will be televised live on TNT.
