Buffalo Bulls vs Akron Zips Prediction, 2/18/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Buffalo Bulls vs Akron Zips

Date: Saturday, February 18, 2023

Location: James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, OH

TV: ESPN+

James A. Rhodes Arena is the site where the Akron Zips (18-8) will attempt to beat the Buffalo Bulls (12-14) on Saturday.

The Buffalo Bulls faced off with Ohio and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 85-61 in their last contest. When discussing personal fouls, the Bulls walked away with 23 while Ohio recorded 18 personal fouls. They also made 7 of 19 attempts from beyond the arc. Ohio shot 72.0% when shooting free throws by converting 18 of 25 attempts. Additionally, Ohio totaled 41 boards (9 offensive, 32 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Ohio recorded 12 dimes and had 8 steals for the contest. With respect to the defense, Buffalo let their opponent shoot 46.9% from the field on 30 out of 64 shooting. They also recorded 6 dimes for the contest in addition to forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In terms of grabbing boards, they compiled a total of 36 with 10 of them being of the offensive sort. At the free throw line, the Bulls converted 14 of their 19 tries for a percentage of 73.7%. Buffalo ended the contest with a 34.4% field goal percentage (22 out of 64) and knocked down 3 out of their 25 three-point attempts.

Jonnivius Smith is one player who was a major factor for the matchup. He ended up walking away with 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting. He was on the court for 24 mins and also grabbed 8 rebounds. He ended up going 75.0% from the floor but finished the game without a dime.

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Buffalo comes into this matchup with a mark of 12-14 this season. They average 78.9 points per outing (31st in college basketball) while hitting 46.0% from the field. The Bulls are shooting 32.7% on shots beyond the perimeter (184 of 563) and 69.5% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Buffalo is pulling down 38.2 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 397 assists for the season, which has them ranked 58th in the country in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 14.7 times per contest and as a group they commit 19.0 personal fouls per contest.

On the defensive end of the court, the Bulls are forcing 14.5 turnovers per game and they draw 17.4 fouls. They surrender 34.3% on 3-pointers and they are ranked 350th in college hoops in PPG allowed (77.8). The Bulls defense is allowing a FG percentage of 44.5% (711 of 1,599) and they concede 35.6 rebounds per contest as a team. They rank 290th in D-1 in allowing assists with 378 surrendered for the year.

The last time they took the court, the Akron Zips got the victory with a final of 78-51 against Eastern Michigan. When it comes to cleaning the glass, Akron permitted Eastern Michigan to pull down 23 in total (3 on the offensive glass). They finished 6.7% from 3-point land by shooting 1 of 15 and ended up shooting 12 of 14 from the free throw line (85.7%). The Zips allowed Eastern Michigan to make 19 out of 49 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 38.8% for the game. When the game finished, the Zips went 28 for 65 from the field which gave them a rate of 43.1%. With regard to 3-pointers, Akron buried 10 of 30 tries (33.3%). They were able to make 12 of the free throws for a rate of 70.6%. Eastern Michigan had 17 personal fouls for the contest which took the Zips to the free throw line for a total of 17 attempts. They turned the ball over 8 times, while earning 4 steals for the game. The Zips were able to snag 27 defensive rebounds and 15 offensive boards for a total of 42 for the game.

Enrique Freeman ended up being a factor for the Zips for the matchup. He buried 9 of 12 for the matchup for a rate of 75.0%, and had 15 rebounds. He had 22 points in his 25 mins on the court and earned 1 assist for the matchup.

Akron has a record of 18-8 on the season. As an offensive unit, the Zips are shooting 43.5% from the field, which ranks them 250th in the nation. Akron has accounted for 1,888 points so far this season (72.6 per contest) and they collect 36.2 boards per contest. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 13.2 times per game (178th in the country) and they turn the ball over 11.3 times per game. The Zips are committing 15.7 fouls every game and they hit 72.1% from the charity stripe.

The Akron defense allows 33.5% from downtown (167 of 499) and opponents are making 72.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 11.4 assists and 32.6 boards per contest, which ranks them 86th and 93rd in those categories on the defensive end. The Zips are ranked 39th in college basketball in PPG given up with 64.1. They are forcing 12.8 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 42.2% from the floor (105th in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Akron

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