The Central Michigan Chippewas (8-7) and the Mid-American’s top-ranked offense welcome the Akron Zips (13-2) and the 12th-ranked defense in the conference. Action starts at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Jan. 12 and will air on ES3.
The Chippewas come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, beating Bowling Green 79-67 on Saturday. Braylon Rayson was the game’s high scorer with 27 points on 9-for-13 shooting. The Zips, meanwhile, are coming off a 62-53 win over Western Michigan on Friday. Antino Jackson was the team’s top scorer, registering 15 points on 5-for-11 shooting.
Isaiah Johnson has upped his play over the last five games for the Zips, averaging 16.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.6 blocks.
This showdown pits one of the nation’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Central Michigan currently ranks 28th in offensive efficiency and Akron is 16th in defensive efficiency.
Akron takes on Central Michigan as a three-point favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is 145 points. The Chippewas come into this game 8-7 Straight Up (SU) and 2-5-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Chippewas, sporting the 48th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in Division I (1.32), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team.
On the other side, the Zips have records of 6-3 ATS and 13-2 SU. Akron performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 4-1 record. Akron is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, making 11.0 shots from three-point range per game. Akron is one of the better rebounding teams in Division I. The Zips average 41.2 rebounds per game, making them the 34th-best team in the country for that category. The Akron defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .377 shooting from the field to its opponents.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between Central Michigan and Akron. Their previous game was a Zips victory, moving their SU record against Central Michigan to 9-1 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. The Zips also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 8-2. Akron held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice, while Central Michigan was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Akron, ATS Winner – Akron, O/U – Over
Notes
Central Michigan is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home.
Central Michigan is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Akron.
Central Michigan is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Akron.
Central Michigan is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Akron.
The Central Michigan Chippewas average 77.9 points per game, ranking 90th in the nation. The Akron Zips rank 26th in points allowed with 63.8.
Akron scores 73.5 points per away game (ranked 89th). Central Michigan ranks a poor 278th in points allowed at home, allowing 73.1 points.
Ranked 92nd, the Akron Zips have an offensive rating of 110.0. The Central Michigan Chippewas rank 318th with a defensive rating of just 110.7.
Central Michigan has an average field goal percentage of 44.9%. Akron is undefeated (4-0) when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Central Michigan Chippewas and the Akron Zips both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Central Michigan is 129th and 46th in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Akron is 275th and 127th in these categories.
Central Michigan ranks 48th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.32, while Akron ranks 80th with an A/TO of 1.24.
Central Michigan ranks 181st in offensive rebounds, while Akron ranks 30th in defensive rebounds.
The Central Michigan Chippewas make an average of 4.9 steals per game. When the Akron Zips allow 4 or more steals, they are a superb 8-2.
