If it wasn’t going to be Miami (Ohio) that won the MAC this year, Akron was certainly in a good position to do so. And the Zips took advantage when the RedHawks lost in the conference tournament.
With John Groce as its head coach, Akron battled in the MAC Tournament and won the league championship over Toledo 79-76. The Zips now have a No. 12 seed and will play fifth-seeded Texas Tech in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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While Akron has won its last 10 games and is 29-5 overall, Texas Tech is 22-10 after losing its last three games. That includes in the Big 12 quarterfinals against Iowa State.
Will the Red Raiders manage to bounce back, or will Akron pull off a 5/12 upset?
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Texas Tech vs. Akron Odds
Akron is a +7.5 college basketball betting odds underdog against Texas Tech, with the Over/Under being 156.5 points as of this writing.
The moneyline for Texas Tech is -325, while it’s +260 for Akron.
Texas Tech vs. Akron On TV
The matchup between Texas Tech and Akron will be televised on truTV. The game will tip off at 12:40 p.m. ET on Friday, March 20.
The contest is taking place at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida.
Texas Tech vs. Akron Prediction
I predict Akron will win and therefore cover the 7.5-point spread. I also project the game will go Over 156.5 total points.
I expect the Zips will be capable of making plenty of shots in this matchup, just like they have all season. They’re seventh in the country in scoring with 88.4 points per game and are eighth with an effective field goal percentage of 58.8%. They also move the ball without giving it up too much, as they’re 17th in assist-to-turnover ratio at plus-1.69.
Tavari Johnson leads Akron with 20.1 points and five assists per game while shooting 51.2% from the field and 37.3% from 3-point range. Amani Lyles, who makes 55.7% of his shots and 37.5% of his 3s, has a team-high eight rebounds per game and scores 14.6 PPG.
Also for Akron, Shammah Scott is scoring 12.7 points per game while shooting 42.2% from beyond the 3-point arc. Evan Mahaffey averages 10.2 points while leading Akron in steals (1.7 per game) and blocks (0.8 per contest).
Meanwhile, Texas Tech is 139th in the nation in scoring defense with 72.6 points per game allowed. I don’t think this is a good matchup for the Red Raiders.
Will Akron make a Sweet 16 run? I’m not sure. But I do believe the Zips can earn the upset here.
