Central Michigan Chippewas vs Akron Zips Prediction, 1/21/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Central Michigan Chippewas vs Akron Zips

Date: Thursday, January 21, 2021

Location: James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, OH

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Central Michigan (+9.5)

The Akron Zips (6-3) play the Central Michigan Chippewas (6-8) at James A. Rhodes Arena on Thursday. The spread on this game has Akron as 9.5-point favorites. The total is set at 154.5.

Central Michigan steps onto the hardwood with a win-loss record of 6-8 on the campaign. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.7 times per game and as a team they commit 17.6 personal fouls per game. As a team, Central Michigan is pulling down 39.4 boards per game and has accounted for 165 dimes on the year, which is 142nd in college basketball in terms of passing. The Chippewas are shooting 33.8% on 3-pointers (92 of 272) and 63.6% from the free throw line. They have an average of 79.7 points per contest (51st in the nation) while shooting 45.1% from the floor. When they are on the defensive end, the Chippewas are forcing their opponents into 14.9 turnovers per game and they draw 20.4 personal fouls. They rank 326th in college basketball in giving up assists with 212 surrendered this season. The Chippewas defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 44.0% (396 of 901) and they concede 39.0 boards per game as a basketball team. They relinquish 32.2% on 3-point attempts and they are 310th in Division 1 in points per game allowed (77.5).

The Central Michigan Chippewas played the Toledo Rockets and took a loss by a score of 89-72 in their last game. Central Michigan finished the contest having earned a 38.7% field goal percentage (29 of 75) and knocked down 4 out of their 25 shots from distance. From the free throw line, the Chippewas knocked down 10 of their 12 tries for a percentage of 83.3%. When it comes to grabbing rebounds, they earned 40 with 18 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 11 assists in this contest while having 6 steals and 2 blocks. In terms of defending, Central Michigan allowed 38.7% from the field on 29 out of 75 shooting. Toledo distributed 21 assists and had 8 steals in this matchup. On top of that, the Rockets pulled down 33 rebounds (10 offensive, 23 defensive) and had 2 blocks. Toledo finished 73.7% from the free throw line by burying 14 of their 19 shots. They buried 9 of their 29 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Travon Broadway is one player who was a major factor in the matchup. He finished with 27 points on 10 out of 18 shooting. He was on the court for 36 mins and totaled 7 rebounds. shot 55.6% from the field and recorded 2 assists. An additional guy that came through in this contest for the Chippewas was Meikkel Murray. He grabbed 10 rebounds and also accounted for 3 assists. He finished 60.0% from the floor in the matchup by connecting on 9-of-15 (20 points). When the final whistle blew, Murray saw the court for 33 min.

Akron has a win-loss record of 6-3 on the campaign. As an offense, the Zips are hitting on 45.5% from the field, which has them ranked 126th in college hoops. Akron has scored 708 points this year (78.7 per game) and they collect 41.3 boards per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 14.4 times per contest (114th in the country) and they turn the ball over 13.3 times per game. The Zips are responsible for committing 18.1 fouls per game and they shoot 79.3% from the charity stripe. The Zips on the defensive end are ranked 184th in D-1 in PPG given up with 70.4. They are forcing their opponents into 11.0 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 42.4% from the floor (148th in college hoops). The Akron defense gives up 29.1% from downtown (59 of 203) and opponents are converting on 65.1% of their foul shots. They give up 12.7 dimes and 34.9 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks them 163rd and 163rd in college hoops.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Akron Zips walked away with a victory by a final of 69-57 when they played the Bowling Green Falcons. The Zips were able to collect 34 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 44 for this contest. They rejected 7 shots while getting 5 steals for the game. The Falcons earned 18 personal fouls for the contest which took the Zips to the charity stripe for a total of 19 tries. They were able to make 17 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 89.5%. Regarding shots from beyond the arc, Akron knocked down 8 out of 24 attempts (33.3%). When the game finished, the Zips went 22 for 59 from the field which gave them a percentage of 37.3%. The Zips allowed the Falcons to knock down 23 of 69 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 33.3% in this matchup. They finished 28.6% from distance by going 8 out of 28 and finished the game at 3 out of 5 from the free throw line (60.0%). In relation to rebounding, Akron allowed Bowling Green to pull down 35 in total (11 on the offensive side).

Bryan Trimble was important for the Zips in this matchup. He knocked down 7 out of 13 for the contest for a rate of 53.8%, which earned him 18 points. collected 4 rebounds in his 34 mins played and tallied 2 assists for this contest. One more player that was pivotal for Akron was Loren Cristian Jackson. He finished with 16 points in 36 minutes on the court via 4 of 12 shooting for this game. Jackson walked away from this one going 33.3% from the field and also totaling 6 assists and 6 total rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Central Michigan (+9.5)

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