Ohio (15-7, 11-5) vs. Buffalo (16-7, 14-5)
Mid-American Conference Tourney Championship, Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Ohio and Buffalo are prepared to match up in the Championship of the MAC tournament. The teams split the regular season series at one win apiece. The teams last played on Feb. 27, when the Bulls shot 53.7 percent from the field while limiting Ohio to just 37.3 percent on their way to a 20-point victory.
STEPPING UP: Buffalo’s Josh Mballa has averaged 15.4 points and 10.9 rebounds while Jeenathan Williams has put up 17.8 points and seven rebounds. For the Bobcats, Jason Preston has averaged 14.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.5 assists while Dwight Wilson III has put up 14.8 points and 7.6 rebounds.
SPARKING THE OFFENSE: Preston has either made or assisted on 42 percent of all Ohio field goals over the last three games. The junior guard has accounted for 23 field goals and 15 assists in those games.
SCORING THRESHOLDS: Ohio is 0-5 when its offense scores 75 points or fewer. Buffalo is a perfect 14-0 when it holds opponents to 74 or fewer points and has allowed 69.6 points per game over its last five.
PERFECT WHEN: The Bulls are 14-0 when they hold opposing teams to 74 points or fewer and 2-7 when opponents exceed 74 points. The Bobcats are 13-0 when they hold opponents to 75 points or fewer and 2-7 whenever opponents exceed 75 points.
DID YOU KNOW: The Ohio offense has scored 80.7 points per game this season, ranking the Bobcats 18th among Division I teams. The Buffalo defense has allowed 72.3 points per game to opponents (ranked 218th overall).
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