The Eastern Michigan Eagles will be at James A. Rhodes H&PE Building to take on the Akron Zips in a Mid-American matchup. The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Jan. 19.
The Zips lost to Toledo 78-64 on Friday. Isaiah Johnson was the team’s high scorer, contributing 16 points. The Eagles are coming off an 84-79 loss at the hands of Bowling Green on Saturday. James Thompson IV had a solid game, recording his 10th double-double of the season with 21 points and 14 rebounds.
Thompson IV has been on fire over the last five games for the Eagles, averaging 18.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.8 steals, and 1.0 block.
Akron, a six-point favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Eastern Michigan. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is 145 points. The Zips enter the game with records of 13-4 Straight Up (SU) and 6-5 Against The Spread (ATS). Akron is excellent from the perimeter with 186 three-pointers made (10.0 per game), the ninth-most in the country. Akron has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where it racks up an average of 40.5 rebounds per game. Turning to the defensive side, teams routinely struggle to score points against the Zips, who allow only 58.9 points per home game. Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Zips, who allow a field goal percentage of only .391.
On the other side, the Eagles head into the game with records of 4-6 ATS and 10-7 SU. When it comes to stealing the ball, the Eagles are one of the best in the nation with an average of 10.5 steals per game.
Akron and Eastern Michigan will be facing off in their first head-to-head contest of the season. When they last met the Eagles were winners, but Akron still leads the head-to-head record, 7-3 SU, over their most recent matchups. At 5-5, they are even ATS. Akron had the advantage in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) once over the last five matchups. Eastern Michigan has never had the edge in all three categories.
Predictions: SU Winner – Akron, ATS Winner – Akron, O/U – Over
Notes
Akron is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games.
Akron is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Akron is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Eastern Michigan.
Akron is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Eastern Michigan.
The Eastern Michigan Eagles average 78.3 points per game, ranking 79th in the nation. The Akron Zips rank 63rd in points allowed with 66.3.
The Akron Zips rank 98th for their offensive rating of 109.5. The Eastern Michigan Eagles have a defensive rating of 98.0 (ranked 90th).
The Eastern Michigan Eagles average 73.4 possessions per game and 1.066 points per possession. The Akron Zips earn fewer possessions with 69.2, but they score more points with 1.095.
Akron has an average effective field goal percentage of 51.2%. Eastern Michigan is a poor 2-5 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Akron Zips average 29.0 three point attempts per game, while the Eastern Michigan Eagles attempt 19.0. When attempting 20 or more three pointers in a game, Akron has a dazzling record of 12-4, while Eastern Michigan is an even 4-4.
Akron, the 40th-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 40.5 rebounds per game. Eastern Michigan does worse, ranked 144th with 37.4.
Eastern Michigan ranks 119th in offensive rebounds, while Akron ranks at 32nd in defensive rebounds.
Eastern Michigan is one of the best in the country in forcing turnovers, with opponents averaging a TO% of 23.7% (ranked 12th). Akron is an even 1-1 SU when it has a TO% of 23.7% or greater.
