The Buffalo Bulls will attempt to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history on Sunday when they meet the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Buffalo (32-3) earned the program's second ever NCAA Tournament win on Friday with a thorough victory over Arizona State. The Bulls have just four tournament appearances since returning to Div. I in 1991. Texas Tech (27-6) cruised by Northern Kentucky and is looking to surpass last year's Red Raiders squad, which reached the Elite Eight. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. ET Sunday at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. The Red Raiders are favored by four points in the latest Texas Tech vs. Buffalo odds, while the over-under for total points scored is 146.5. Before making any Texas Tech vs. Buffalo picks of your own, be sure to check out the 2019 NCAA Tournament predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has raked in the winnings for those following its picks. Over the past two years, the SportsLine Projection Model has returned over $4,000 to $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks. It also entered the postseason on a strong 11-5 run on all top-rated college basketball plays. Anyone who has followed it is way up.
Now the model has honed in on Texas Tech vs. Buffalo. We can tell you it's leaning over, and it has also found value on one side of the spread. That one is only available at SportsLine.
The model has considered that the Red Raiders have arguably the best defensive team in the country. Texas Tech is allowing just 59.2 points per game. That ranks third nationally, but when pace is factored into the equation, the Red Raiders allow just 85.7 points per 100 possessions, which leads the nation according to kenpom.com.
Teams are shooting just 36.9 percent against Texas Tech, which is second best in the country. In Friday's 72-57 win against Northern Kentucky, the Red Raiders smothered the Norse, who shot just 37.1 percent, including 22.7 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.
But just because the Red Raiders play elite defense does not guarantee they will cover the Texas Tech vs. Buffalo spread and move onto the 2019 Sweet 16.
The Bulls are one of the hottest teams in the country. The MAC regular season and tournament champs have won 13 straight games, and during the winning streak they're averaging 85.6 points while shooting 46.7 percent from the field.
This is a veteran team that has experienced success in the NCAA Tournament. Last year, Buffalo upset 4-seed Arizona in the first round and returned virtually everyone from that squad. That experience was on display on Friday when the Bulls rode a dominant rebounding performance and got out in transition to blitz Arizona State, 91-74.
So who wins Buffalo vs. Texas Tech? And which side of the spread has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Buffalo vs. Texas Tech spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that's up more than $4,000 on top-rated college basketball picks the past two seasons.
