The Ohio Bobcats (19-9) head to Akron to play the Zips (22-7) in a matchup that pits the Mid-American’s fourth-ranked offense against the ninth-ranked defense. The game begins at 8:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Mar. 1 and can be seen on ES3.
The Zips had no trouble getting past Bowling Green 89-54 on Friday. Reggie McAdams was the game’s leading scorer with 29 points on 10-for-13 shooting. The Bobcats are coming off a 103-96 win over Buffalo on Saturday. Jaaron Simmons led the game in scoring with 31 points on 8-for-17 shooting.
Over the last five games, Isaiah Johnson has taken his game to another level for the Zips. During that stretch, he has averaged 16.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.0 blocks. On the other side, the Bobcats have their own duo that have been hot in that span. Antonio Campbell has averaged 22.4 points, 12.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.8 blocks, and 2.6 three-pointers, while Simmons has put up 19.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.0 steal, and 2.0 three-pointers.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Zips winning the first matchup 80-68. Josh Williams was a top performer in the victory with 20 points, three rebounds, one assist, three steals, and four three-pointers.
The Zips have gone 22-7 Straight Up (SU) and 13-10-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 8-2 ATS over their last 10 games. Akron is excellent from the perimeter with 342 three-pointers made (11.0 per game), the third-most in the country. The Akron defense has done poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 74.4 points per game, well above their season average of 68.3.
On the other side, the Bobcats head into the game with records of 16-8 ATS and 19-9 SU. The Bobcats are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with a .750 free throw percentage that ranks 23rd in Division I.
The Zips’ win over Ohio in their last game brought their SU record to 7-3 over Ohio in their most recent games. Additionally, Akron holds the advantage ATS with a record of 8-2. Akron held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Ohio never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Akron, ATS Winner – Akron
Notes
Akron averages 77.5 points per game (ranked 65th). Ohio, on the other hand, allows 74.2 points per game (ranked 192nd).
Akron scores 80.5 points per home game (ranked 61st). Ohio ranks a poor 215th in points allowed on the road, allowing 79.2 points.
In its last game, Akron won by a margin of 35 points. Ohio is 6-1 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Akron has a 5-1 record in blowouts.
The Ohio Bobcats rank 44th for their offensive rating of 113.1. The Akron Zips have a defensive rating of 99.0 (ranked 62nd).
Ohio has an average field goal percentage of 47.6%. Akron is a solid 4-2 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Akron Zips and the Ohio Bobcats both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Akron is 186th and 40th in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Ohio is 31st and 19th in these categories.
Akron ranks 89th in assists, registering 14.8 per game. Ohio performs worse at 135th with 13.9 assists per game.
Akron, the 86th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.2 per game. Ohio does worse, ranked 139th with 3.7.
Ohio ranks 317th in offensive rebounds, while Akron ranks at 70th in defensive rebounds.
On average, Akron forces a turnover rate of 17.0%. When Ohio turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 11-7 record.
