Buffalo Bulls

Akron meets Buffalo in MAC quarters

Published Mar. 12, 2019 1:48 p.m. ET

No. 8 seed Akron (17-15, 9-10) vs. No. 1 seed Buffalo (28-3, 16-2)

Mid-American Conference Tourney Quarterfinals, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland; Thursday, 11 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: A spot in the MAC semifinals is up for grabs as Akron matches up against Buffalo. Buffalo won both of the regular season matchups earlier this season. The teams last played each other on Feb. 26, when the Bulls outshot Akron 42.9 percent to 39.7 percent and had eight fewer turnovers en route to a 13-point victory.

SUPER SENIORS: Buffalo has relied heavily on its seniors this year. CJ Massinburg, Nick Perkins, Jeremy Harris, Jayvon Graves and Dontay Caruthers have collectively accounted for 76 percent of the team's scoring this season and 80 percent of all Bulls points over the last five games.

JUMPING FOR JIMOND: Jimond Ivey has connected on 25.8 percent of the 151 3-pointers he's attempted and has gone 5 for 15 over the last three games. He's also converted 78.3 percent of his foul shots this season.

SLIPPING AT 72: Akron is 0-9 when it allows at least 72 points and 17-6 when it holds opponents to less than 72.

PERFECT WHEN: Buffalo is a sterling 26-0 when its defense holds opponents to a field goal percentage of 49.1 percent or less. The Bulls are 2-3 when they allow opponents to shoot any better than that.

DID YOU KNOW: The Buffalo offense is ranked fifth in the nation by scoring 85 points per game this season. Akron has only averaged 69.5 points per game, which ranks 235th.

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