The Buffalo Bulls and No. 6 Michigan Wolverines open the regular season Wednesday night at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Buffalo vs. Michigan odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Buffalo welcomes back three experienced players in G Ronaldo Segu and Fs Josh Mballa and JeeNathan Williams. In fact, Williams is a MAC Player of the Year candidate, and the Bulls are the favorites to win the conference.
Michigan enters the season with a Top 10 ranking, and they are also expected to do plenty of big things. C Hunter Dickinson leads the way, with F Caleb Houstan one of the more exciting newcomers for head coach Juwan Howard and the Wolverines.
Rankings courtesy of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Buffalo at Michigan odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:00 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Buffalo +700 (bet $100 to win $700) | Michigan -1200 (bet $1,200 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Buffalo +15.5 (-115) | Michigan -15.5 (-107)
- Over/Under (O/U): 150.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
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Buffalo at Michigan odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Michigan 85, Buffalo 76
Money line
Michigan (-1200) will cost you 12 times your potential return, or a profit of just $8.33 for every $100 risked. That’s just tremendous risk for not very much reward, especially against a team picked by many to finish atop its conference.
AVOID, and look to the spread.
Against the spread
We saw a very close game between a MAC team and ranked Big Ten foe Tuesday as Ohio State needed a late lay-in to beat Akron at the buzzer. Can the MAC do it again? Doubtful.
Michigan -15.5 (-107) isn’t going to lose on its home court as Dickinson and the Wolverines are going to be one of the better teams in the nation this season. But BUFFALO +15.5 (-115) is worth backing, catching nearly eight buckets. They have the potential to keep this within single digits as the returning trio of first-team MAC players give this team a look for a 22-25 win team.
Over/Under
OVER 150.5 (-108) is the lean here as Michigan figures to be a top-flight offensive team. UB rolled up 82.7 PPG last season, ranking ninth in the nation, and head coach Jim Whitesell really likes to push the tempo. The Over shouldn’t be a problem as the Bulls weren’t particularly strong on defense a season ago.
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