The Mid-American’s top team will be at home when the Akron Zips (20-5) welcome the Buffalo Bulls (14-11) to James A. Rhodes Arena. Action gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 16.
The Zips are hoping for a better outcome after their 80-79 loss to Northern Illinois on Saturday. Josh Williams was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points. The Bulls, meanwhile, are coming off an ugly 94-75 loss to Ohio on Friday. CJ Massinburg had a game-high 36 points.
Over the last five games, Williams has taken his game to another level for the Zips, averaging 16.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 4.0 three-pointers. On the other side, the Bulls have been led by Massinburg. He has upped his play, averaging 17.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.4 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 2.4 three-pointers in the same time frame.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Zips won the first game 75-71. Despite the loss, Willie Conner was a top performer in the game with 16 points, seven rebounds, one assist, one steal, and two three-pointers.
The Zips enter the game with records of 20-5 Straight Up (SU) and 11-8-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Akron is excellent from the perimeter with 291 three-pointers made (11.0 per game), the fourth-most in the country. Akron is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.32. Turning to the defensive side, teams routinely struggle to score points against the Zips, who allow only 62.9 points per home game. The Zips have limited opponents’ efforts from beyond the arc, allowing 5.0 three-pointers made per game. Buffalo has a habit of getting in foul trouble (21.6 fouls per game), so expect the Zips to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
On the other side, the Bulls head into the game with records of 11-10-2 ATS and 14-11 SU.
Akron won the last meeting this season between these two teams, but Buffalo still leads the head-to-head record over their most recent games, 6-4 SU. Furthermore, Buffalo holds the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Akron held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Buffalo never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Akron, ATS Winner – Akron
Notes
Akron averages 77.6 points per game (ranked 72nd). Buffalo, on the other hand, allows 74.5 points per game (ranked 194th).
Akron scores 79.8 points per home game (ranked 83rd). Buffalo ranks a poor 189th in points allowed on the road, allowing 77.9 points.
In its last game, Buffalo lost by a margin of 19 points. Akron is 4-1 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Buffalo has a 3-7 record in blowouts.
The Akron Zips have a defensive rating of 98.1 (ranked 63rd), while the Buffalo Bulls have an offensive rating of 105.3 (ranked 187th).
Buffalo has an average field goal percentage of 42.9%. Akron is a stellar 10-2 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Akron Zips rank lower for their field goal percentage (194th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (44th), but the Buffalo Bulls have a better FG% ranking (236th) than eFG% ranking (244th).
Akron ranks 79th in assists, registering 15.1 per game. Buffalo performs worse at 208th with 13.0 assists per game.
Akron, the 97th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.1 per game. Buffalo does worse, ranked 148th with 3.6.
Akron ranks 188th in offensive rebounds, while Buffalo ranks 94th in defensive rebounds.
Buffalo makes an average of 7.2 steals per game. Akron has a winning 8-4 record when it allows at least 7 steals.
