Toledo can get revenge in rematch with Buffalo
The names Buffalo and Toledo do not usually register to the normal college basketball fan as being a marquee game, but these two squads are a combined 417 straight up.
Toledo is in the top 55 of Division I teams with regard to both offensive and defensive efficiency, while Buffalo is 24th in the country in points per possession on offense and 42nd on the defensive end.
The tempo in which this game is played will go a long way in deciding the outcome, both against the spread and outright. Buffalo is 15th in the country in terms of possessions per game while Toledo is 134th in that category.
The Rockets’ biggest advantage in this game is at the free-throw line. Toledo is fourth among Division I teams in free-throw shooting percentage while Buffalo is tied for 200th. Toledo also has solid size and ranks 42nd in the country in rebound rate, a category in which Buffalo checks in at No. 97. The first time these two teams played, Buffalo scored a convincing 110-80 win at home, a game in which the Bulls had 10 fewer turnovers than Toledo and shot 15-of-30 from 3point range. Since that game, the Rockets are 9-1 straight up and 8-2 against the spread. Though the first result saw Toledo crash and burn, the Rockets are out for revenge on Friday and have the versatile pieces to match up with Buffalo and keep this one close. THE PLAY: Toledo, +2¹/2. Greg Peterson handicaps college basketball in VSiN’s Point Spread Weekly. Sign up for a one-week free trial at VSiN.com/free.