The #13 seed Buffalo Bulls will square of with 5^th seeded Kentucky Wildcats in a second round NCAA Tournament South Region matchup on Saturday. The scheduled open tip from the Taco Bell Arena in Boise, Idaho is slated for 5:15 PM ET.

Currently (3/16), the NCAA Tournament betting odds at 5Dimes indicates that Kentucky is a 6.0-point favorite and there’s a posted total of 158.0

First Round Action

There were a lot of so-called experts that were stunned by Buffalo’s 89-68 blowout win on Thursday over #4 seed Arizona. However, don’t count me as one of them. If you read my published article titled “Dangerous Pair of Mid-Majors”, I indicated that Buffalo was one of those 2 teams to keep an eye on. Although, it would be a blatant lie for me to say I expected the 8.0-point underdog Bulls to blow out then 15^th ranked Arizona. That margin of victory was a surprise to even the most ardent of Buffalo Bulls fans. Nevertheless, Buffalo was clearly the better team than Arizona was, and there was absolutely nothing fluky about that result.

Kentucky didn’t have as easy a time in advancing. They did manage to hold off #12 seed Davidson 78-73, and barely covered in doing so as a 4.5-point favorite. Kentucky held a very good shooting Davidson team to 39.3 shooting and had a decisive 36-28 rebounding edge. Kentucky is now 8-1 SU&ATS during its previous 9 games, and 8 of those contests went over the total.

Running of the Bulls

Heading into the NCAA Tournament, Buffalo had no signature non-conference wins. Nevertheless, they lost to 6^th ranked Cincinnati by just 6 on a neutral floor and were beaten at Syracuse by only 7. The Bulls also faced NCAA Tournament teams South Dakota State, St. Bonaventure, and Texas A&M during their non-conference regular season schedule. None of those contests took place on their home floor.

It must be noted, Buffalo was without the services of guard Wes Clark for their first 10 games. Clark is a senior transfer from Missouri and didn’t become eligible until 12/19. Clark has played in 25 games this season while averaging 15.0 and 5.4 assists per contest. He came up especially huge against Arizona by going for 25 points and adding 7 assists. As matter of fact, Buffalo’s trio of guards that include Clark, Jeremy Harris, and C.J. Massingburg combined to score 67 points in Thursday’s win.

After starting this season 7-5, Buffalo has gone 20-3 during its last 23 games. Their 3 defeats during that time frame all came by 3 points or less. Buffalo is averaging a robust 84.9 points scored per game and that’s good for 6^th nationally. The Bulls are one of those rare mid-majors which possess quality depth. When coalescing that deep bench with an up-tempo style, Buffalo has become adept at wearing teams down during the later stages of games.

Young Wildcats Peaking at the Right Time

During a 12 day stretch which began on 2/6, Kentucky lost 4 consecutive games. That marked the longest losing streak Kentucky had endured in head coach John Calipari’s tenure in Lexington. Nonetheless, the Wildcats have since rebounded to win and cover 8 of their last 9 games. Like many of Calipari’s teams during this “one and done” era of Kentucky basketball, they’re peaking at the most opportune time.

Kentucky has really locked down defensively of late. During its last 4 games, the Wildcats have held opponents to a paltry 35.3% shooting. Conversely, they’ve shot 50% or better in 5 of their previous 7 games.

Final Take and Pick

As we witnessed in their game against Arizona, the moment isn’t too big for this gritty and vert talented Buffalo team. After all, this is their 3^rd NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 4 years. It wouldn’t shock me at all to see Buffalo pull off another shocking upset. Still, I’ll take the points as an additional bonus when making one of my NCAA Tournament picks.

Pick: Buffalo +6.0

Ross Benjamin is a top sports analyst and one of the sports industry's most respected handicappers. Follow him on Twitter: @RossBenjamin1 or visit his website at RBWins.com