The No. 11 Arizona State Sun Devils tip off against the No. 6 Buffalo Bulls in the West Region first round. Arizona State earned a 74-65 triumph Wednesday night over St. John’s to enter the tournament, while Buffalo is looking to extend its 12-game winning streak. The higher-seeded Bulls are a 5-point favorite for this contest with the total Sportsbook at 155.5 points.
Arizona State vs Buffalo Game Center
Standout Stats
- You have to go all the way back to February 1 to find the last defeat Buffalo suffered as it is 12-0 SU and 5-7 ATS in its last 12 games. Arizona State is 7-2 SU and 6-3 ATS in its last nine games, falling twice to Oregon over that span. The Bulls had an average winning margin of 15.42 through their winning streak, while the Sun Devils’ winning margin during their stretch was 10, but ASU had a tougher strength of schedule.
- The UNDER has been the smart play for both teams down the stretch with the total going UNDER in five of Buffalo’s last eight contests and in six of Arizona State’s last eight. Of the Sun Devils’ last eight games, none have gone OVER 155.5 points, while half of the Bulls’ last eight went UNDER 155.5.
- Both teams were great at piling on the points this year with Buffalo pouring in 84.8 points per game while Arizona State averaged 77.7 ppg. On the defensive side of the ball, neither team has done a tremendous job limiting points, with the Bulls allowing 71 ppg and the Sun Devils surrendering 72.8 ppg.
- Buffalo shoots more from beyond the arc than Arizona State, as the Bulls take 28.9 three-point attempts per game and the Sun Devils take 21 shots from downtown. However, Buffalo has a better overall shooting percentage, hitting 46 percent of its attempts from the floor while Arizona State shoots 44.7 percent. The Sun Devils have the slight edge in opponent overall shooting percentage, limiting their foes to 40.9 percent shooting, while the Bulls’ opponents hit 41.9 percent of their shots from the floor.
- It’s going to be an interesting and exciting battle on the glass as Buffalo ranks fourth in college hoops with 41.1 rebounds per game, but Arizona State is right behind in eighth with 40.2 boards per game. Additionally, watch for turnovers to be a big factor as the Sun Devils rank 253rd in giveaways per game, while the Bulls rank 25th in takeaways.
My Best Bet for Arizona State vs Buffalo
Buffalo -5
I expect a high-scoring duel but turnovers could be a major concern for Arizona State as giving Buffalo extra chances is a death sentence. The Bulls have a better overall shooting percentage than the Sun Devils and are nearly identical in opponent shooting percentage. I have a hard time seeing ASU slowing Buffalo down and the Sun Devils won’t be able to hang with the Bulls offensively in the end.
