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The Mid-American’s top team will be on the road when the Akron Zips (21-6) head to John D. Millett Hall to face off against the Miami (OH) RedHawks (9-18). The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 23 and can be seen on ES3.
The RedHawks lost to Ohio 76-64 on Saturday. Dion Wade finished with 16 points to lead the team. The Zips, meanwhile, are coming off an 85-76 loss against Kent State on Friday. Isaiah Johnson had a game-high 24 points.
Johnson has been hot for the Zips, averaging 16.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks over the past five games.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Zips won the first game 75-46. Despite the loss, Geovonie McKnight had a standout performance with 18 points, three rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block.
The RedHawks enter the game with records of 9-18 Straight Up (SU) and 9-15 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their past 10 games, the Miami (OH) offense has been playing lights out, averaging 80.6 points per game, well over their season average of 62.1.
In the other locker room, the Zips have 21-6 SU and 12-9-1 ATS records. Most recently, Akron is a meager 3-7 ATS over the last 10 games. During the last 10 games, they averaged 56.7 PPG, below their 77.6 PPG season average. Akron is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, making 11.0 shots from three-point range per game. The Zips are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 48th in Division I at 1.31. Switching gears to the Akron defense, teams don’t seem to hit many three-pointers against the Zips, who are 30th in the country in terms of three-point field goals allowed at 153 this season.
In their previous meeting this season, Akron beat Miami (OH), bringing its SU record in their most recent games to 7-3. With a 6-4 record, the RedHawks have the advantage ATS. Akron held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once, while Miami (OH) was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Akron, ATS Winner – Akron
Notes
Miami (OH) averages 62.1 points per game, placing the team just 257th in the nation. Akron ranks 82nd in points allowed, giving up 68.5 points per game.
Akron averages 75.2 points per away game (ranked 56th). Miami (OH) allows 64.9 points per home game (ranked 71st).
Ranked 52nd, the Akron Zips have an offensive rating of 112.6. The Miami (OH) RedHawks rank 237th with a defensive rating of just 105.9.
Miami (OH) has an average field goal percentage of 40.0%. Akron is a winning 14-5 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, Miami (OH) attempts 17.0 three pointers and Akron attempts 29.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Miami (OH) RedHawks have a 2-8 record while the Akron Zips have an outstanding 20-6 record.
Akron ranks 48th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.31. Miami (OH) is ranked lower at 341st with an A/TO of .74.
Miami (OH) ranks 211th in offensive rebounds, while Akron ranks 77th in defensive rebounds.
Miami (OH) ranks 18th in forced turnovers with an average rate of 22.2%. Akron has a 3-2 record when it suffers a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
