Ohio vs. Buffalo Pick Center

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SPREAD

TOTAL

Ohio

+1625

+18.5
(-108)

O 154
(-102)

Buffalo

114

-3250

-18.5
(-102)

U 154
(-108)

NCAAB

FINAL (2/19/2019)

Feb 18, 2019A spirited comeback allowed No. 25 Buffalo to retain a share of first place in the Mid-American Conference. The Bulls can stay there with a win over the last-place team in the East Division.The Bulls (22-3 overall, 10-2 MAC), who are tied with Bowling Green for the top spot, host Ohio (11-13, 3-9) on Tuesday. Buffalo trailed most of the way against West Division leader Toledo on Friday before storming back for a 88-82 road win."The first timeout we had, once we got the lead, we basically said, 'If we play defense, we're not losing the game,'" Bulls coach Nate Oats told the Buffalo News. "Our offense comes and goes a little bit. Once you get the lead and you go out and get stops and rebounds, you're winning the game. That was our big talking point from there." Senior forward Nick Perkins provided the offensive spark off the bench. He tied his career high with 26 points and made three of his four 3-point shots during a crucial second-half stretch."When Nick just started hitting threes, they called a timeout and I thought they were going to adjust their ball-screen coverage," Oats said. "I didn't know how. He continued to get them. Our guards were pretty unselfish, driving in and forcing (Toledo center Luke) Knapke to stay with the guards. Nick was popping back and he was wide open, and they kept feeding him when he got hot." Perkins will become the program's all-time leader for games played on Tuesday. He tied Mitchell Watt (2008-12) and Javon McCrea (2010-14) on Friday for the program record of 128 games played.The Bulls have won three straight, defeating Central Michigan and Akron prior to the showdown against the Rockets.Ohio carries a five-game losing streak into Tuesday's contest. It lost to Central Michigan 87-80 on Saturday, with foul calls playing a large role. The Chippewas shot 35 free throws and made 28 while the Bobcats shot 13 free throws and made only four."The big disparity (Saturday) is the trips to the free-throw line," Ohio head coach Saul Phillips said in his postgame radio interview. "You can't win many games like that." A big game from redshirt freshman forward Ben Vander Plas was wasted in the process. He posted career highs by scoring 24 points and snaring 13 rebounds."He was a monster," Phillips told the Athens Messenger. "He's got a brilliant future ahead of him." The Bobcats (11-13, 3-9) trailed throughout the second half on Central Michigan's home court, though they got within one possession with less than a minute remaining."We looked as functional as we have for a long time offensively," Phillips said. "We put ourselves in position (to win), but we couldn't close the deal." Ohio has also lost to Northern Illinois, Akron, Miami (Ohio) and Eastern Michigan to fall into the cellar of the East Division.Sophomore forward Jason Carter leads the Bobcats with averages of 16.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.Buffalo and Ohio will meet again in Athens, Ohio on March 5.--Field Level Media