Central Michigan Chippewas vs Buffalo Bulls Prediction, 2/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Central Michigan Chippewas vs Buffalo Bulls

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026

Location: Alumni Arena in Buffalo, NY

TV: ESPN+

The Buffalo Bulls (16-12) will try to defeat the Central Michigan Chippewas (9-19) at Alumni Arena on Saturday.

The Central Michigan Chippewas faced Kent State and ended up losing by a score of 83-81 in their last contest. Central Michigan wrapped up the contest having earned a 50.9% FG percentage (27 out of 53) and made 12 of their 25 shots from distance. From the charity stripe, the Chippewas made 15 of 22 attempts for a percentage of 68.2%. In terms of rebounding, they compiled a total of 24 with 8 of them being offensive. They also dished out 15 assists in this contest in addition to forcing 13 turnovers and earning 8 steals. With respect to defense, Central Michigan allowed 48.1% from the field on 26 of 54 shooting. Kent State doled out 16 assists and had 7 steals in this contest. In addition, Kent State grabbed 30 rebounds (10 offensive, 20 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Kent State walked away from this one shooting 78.6% from the charity stripe by knocking down 22 of 28 shots. They also made 9 out of their 24 shots from downtown. When discussing personal fouls, the Chippewas ended up finishing with 22 while Kent State recorded 18 personal fouls.

Phat Phat Brooks is one player who was a major contributor in the game. He finished the contest at 85.7% from the floor and also earned 7 assists. He was on the hardwood for 31 minutes and grabbed 5 rebounds. He left the arena with 20 points on 6 of 7 shooting.

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Central Michigan enters this contest with a win-loss record of 9-19 this year. They currently have an average of 73.8 points per outing (242nd in the nation) while connecting on 46.7% from the field. The Chippewas are hitting 32.5% on shots from beyond the arc (179 of 550) and 70.0% from the free throw line. As a team, Central Michigan is snagging 32.8 boards per game and has racked up 421 dimes for the campaign, which ranks 129th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn the ball over 12.5 times per game and as a unit are committing 18.1 fouls every game.

Defensively, the Chippewas have forced 12.4 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.0 fouls. They surrender 34.1% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are ranked 260th in college in PPG allowed (76.9). The Chippewas defensively are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 45.8% (745 of 1,626) and they surrender 35.7 boards per contest as a unit. They are currently ranked 299th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 430 conceded so far this year.

In their last game, the Buffalo Bulls went home defeated by a final of 99-85 against Akron. In reference to how they attacked the glass, Buffalo permitted Akron to pull down 34 in total (6 on the offensive side). They shot 42.9% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 9 of 21 and ended up shooting 26 of 29 at the free throw line (89.7%). The Bulls permitted Akron to knock down 32 of their 58 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 55.2% for the contest. When the final whistle blew, the Bulls ended up going 25 for 68 from the field which had them shooting 36.8%. In relation to shooting from distance, Buffalo knocked down 9 out of their 33 attempts (27.3%). They were able to bury 26 of those for a percentage of 78.8%. Akron was called for 21 fouls for the contest which took the Bulls to the free throw line for a total of 33 tries. They turned it over 14 times, while getting 9 steals in this game. The Bulls collected 19 defensive rebounds and 14 offensive boards totaling 33 in this contest.

Ryan Sabol ended up having an impact for the Bulls in the game. He recorded 28 points in his 36 mins on the hardwood, but wasn't able to get an assist. He buried 9 of 20 for this contest for a rate of 45.0%, and had 9 rebounds.

Buffalo has a win-loss mark of 16-12 for the year. The Bulls are responsible for committing 16.3 fouls per game and they connect on 74.2% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 14.6 times per game (129th in college) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.0 times per contest. Buffalo has accounted for 2,207 pts this year (78.8 per contest) and they grab 32.0 boards per contest. As an offensive team, the Bulls are shooting 47.1% from the floor, which ranks them 70th in college.

The Bulls defensively are ranked 240th in college in points allowed per game with 75.9. They are forcing 12.3 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 47.1% from the floor (323rd in D-1). The Buffalo defense allows 34.6% on 3-point attempts (237 of 684) and opponents are knocking down 73.3% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 15.9 assists and 33.3 rebounds per game, ranking them 329th and 109th in the nation.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Buffalo

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