Who would have predicted that in Tuesday night’s battle for the state of New York, it would be the Buffalo Bulls entering as the ranked and undefeated team against Syracuse (8 p.m., ESPN2).
Buffalo (10-0) has snuck up on bookmakers, too. The Bulls are 6-2 against the spread in their past eight games. The Orange (7-3), coming off a loss to Old Dominion, are 3-6 at covering the number since blowing out Eastern Washington to begin the season.
The Bulls have been the better team in most aspects, particularly on offense. Buffalo is 21st in the country in offensive efficiency while Syracuse is 154th. The big reason the Orange have sputtered on offense is the lack of a true point guard with no one averaging two or more assists per game.
The hallmark of Syracuse is its 2-3 defense, but Buffalo is also comparable in defensive efficiency as well. Syracuse is 37th among Division I teams in points allowed per possession. Buffalo is 41st and is forcing more turnovers per game than Syracuse.
The Orange will have a tough time defending senior CJ Massinburg, who comes in averaging 17.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game and has been a big reason Buffalo has made bettors a lot of money. With the Orange not having a lot of help off the bench to offset the way Massinburg has elevated the Bulls’ starting five, it makes Buffalo the play in this spot.
The play: Buffalo, +3.