Buffalo (6-6, 4-4) vs. Ball State (6-8, 4-5)
John E. Worthen Arena, Muncie, Indiana; Tuesday, 6 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Buffalo goes for the season sweep over Ball State after winning the previous matchup in Buffalo. The teams last met on Jan. 9, when Ball State made only five 3-pointers on 17 attempts while the Bulls went 11 for 29 from deep en route to a 17-point victory.
SUPER SENIORS: Buffalo has benefited heavily from its seniors. Jeenathan Williams, Jayvon Graves, Josh Mballa and Keishawn Brewton have combined to account for 62 percent of the team’s scoring this year and 72 percent of all Bulls points over the team’s last five games.
DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTS: The Bulls have allowed just 74.9 points per game to MAC opponents thus far, an improvement from the 83.3 per game they allowed over three non-conference games.
FUELING THE OFFENSE: Ishmael El-Amin has either made or assisted on 42 percent of all Ball State field goals over the last three games. The senior guard has 17 field goals and 10 assists in those games.
SLIPPING AT 74: Ball State is 0-7 this year when it allows 74 points or more and 6-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 74.
ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Cards have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Bulls. Ball State has 41 assists on 64 field goals (64.1 percent) over its past three matchups while Buffalo has assists on 54 of 93 field goals (58.1 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The Buffalo offense has scored 81.8 points per game this season, ranking the Bulls 23rd among Division I teams. The Ball State defense has allowed 72.9 points per game to opponents (ranked 219th overall).
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