Buffalo Bulls vs Pittsburgh Panthers Prediction, 11/5/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Buffalo Bulls vs Pittsburgh Panthers

Date: Thursday, November 5, 2026

Location: Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Buffalo (+16.5)

Petersen Events Center is the location where the Pittsburgh Panthers (13-20 last year) will attempt to defeat the Buffalo Bulls (17-15 last season) on Thursday. Pittsburgh opens as 16.5-point favorites from oddsmakers. The over/under is 149.5.

The Buffalo Bulls played Marshall and took a loss by a score of 92-65 in their last game. In reference to personal fouls, the Bulls ended up walking away with 17 while Marshall recorded 17 personal fouls. They also converted 11 out of their 26 tries from three-point range. Marshall finished the game shooting 68.4% when shooting free throws by burying 13 of 19 shots. Additionally, Marshall snagged 37 rebounds (6 offensive, 31 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Marshall earned 17 assists and had 6 steals for the contest. In the matter of the defense, Buffalo allowed their opponent to shoot 54.0% from the floor on 34 out of 63 shooting. They also recorded 7 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing 9 turnovers and having 8 steals. With regard to pulling down rebounds, they earned 24 with 3 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Bulls made 14 of their 21 tries for a percentage of 66.7%. Buffalo walked away from the game with a 37.1% FG percentage (23 of 62) and buried 5 of 27 3-point shots.

Antoine Lorick is a guy who was important in this matchup. He finished the game at 50.0% from the floor but finished the game without a dime. He played 37 mins and collected 15 boards. He scored 28 points on 9 of 18 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Betting Picks

Buffalo enters this matchup after finishing with a win-loss mark of 17-15 last season. They had an average of 78.0 pts per game (120th in the nation) while hitting 47.3% from the floor. The Bulls connected on 38.3% on shots from distance (308 of 805) and 73.4% from the free throw line. As a team, Buffalo pulled in 31.7 boards per game and racked up 465 dimes throughout last year, which had them ranked 159th in college in terms of passing. They lost possession by turning the ball over 10.9 times per game and as a team committed 16.1 personal fouls every game.

Defensively, the Bulls were able to force their opponents into 12.1 turnovers per game and they drew 17.4 fouls. They relinquished 35.0% on shots from beyond the arc and they ranked 244th in D-1 in PPG from their opponents (76.2). The Bulls defensively allowed an opponent FG percentage of 47.5% (874 of 1,839) and they relinquished 33.3 boards per game as a team. They were ranked 315th in college in allowing assists to the opposition with 514 relinquished throughout last season.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Pittsburgh Panthers got the win with a final of 95-57 against Rider. The Panthers were able to snag 30 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards totaling 38 for this game. They turned the ball over 10 times, while earning 13 steals in the game. Rider had 21 personal fouls in this game which took the Panthers to the charity stripe for a total of 24 tries. They were able to knock down 17 of them for a rate of 70.8%. Regarding shooting from 3-point land, Pittsburgh buried 14 out of 26 tries (53.8%). When the final whistle blew, the Panthers finished shooting 32 for 65 from the floor which had them at 49.2%. The Panthers permitted Rider to knock down 18 out of 57 tries from the field which had them shooting 31.6% in the game. They wrapped up this game 29.2% from three-point range by going 7 of 24 and finished the contest at 14 out of 20 from the free throw line (70.0%). Concerning rebounds, Pittsburgh permitted Rider to snag 31 overall (10 offensive).

Chase Foster ended up having an impact for the Panthers in this matchup. He buried 7 of 12 for the contest giving him a rate of 58.3%, and accumulated 6 rebounds. He totaled 23 points in his 28 mins of playing time, but wasn't able to tally an assist.

Pittsburgh had a mark of 13-20 last year. On the offensive side of the court, the Panthers connected on 43.9% from the floor, which had them ranked 261st in the nation. Pittsburgh totaled 2,327 pts over the course of last season (70.5 per contest) and they averaged 34.5 rebounds per game. They dished out assists 13.2 times per game (230th in Division 1) and they turned it over 11.2 times per game. The Panthers were responsible for committing 16.2 fouls per contest and they shot 67.4% from the free throw line.

The Pittsburgh defense gave up 35.2% on shots from beyond the arc (262 of 744) and opponents connected on 76.9% of their shots from the charity stripe. They conceded 10.2 dimes and 32.0 boards every game, which ranked them 56th and 47th in those defensive categories. The Panthers on defense were ranked 121st in college in points allowed per game with 71.8. They forced 10.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and let teams shoot 46.1% from the field (290th in Division 1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Buffalo (+16.5)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here