Buffalo Bulls vs Akron Zips Prediction, 3/9/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Buffalo Bulls vs Akron Zips

Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023

Location: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH

TV: ESPN+

Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is the location where the Akron Zips (21-10) will take on the Buffalo Bulls (15-16) on Thursday.

The Buffalo Bulls played Miami and earned the victory with a final of 68-63 in their last contest. In regard to personal fouls, the Bulls ended up with 13 while Miami totaled 16 personal fouls. They also buried 5 out of their 16 shots from 3-point land. Miami ended up shooting 76.9% at the charity stripe by knocking down 10 of their 13 attempts. Furthermore, Miami grabbed 20 boards (1 offensive, 19 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Miami doled out 12 assists and had 5 steals in this matchup. In reference to defending, Buffalo allowed 47.1% from the field on 24 of 51 shooting. They also dished out 12 dimes for the contest in addition to forcing 10 turnovers and getting 7 steals. In reference to pulling down rebounds, they compiled 37 with 12 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Bulls converted 16 of 19 tries for a percentage of 84.2%. Buffalo walked away from the contest with a 39.0% field goal percentage (23 out of 59) and made 6 out of their 18 3-pointers.

Isaiah Adams is someone who was a major factor in the game. He totaled 16 points on 6 of 14 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 37 mins and also pulled down 5 rebounds. He finished the game at 42.9% from the floor and also totaled 1 assist.

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Buffalo comes into this matchup with a record of 15-16 for the season. They turn it over 14.2 times per contest and as a team are committing 18.7 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Buffalo is pulling in 37.9 rebounds per game and has accounted for 465 dimes on the season, which is 73rd in the country in terms of passing. The Bulls are shooting 32.4% on 3-pointers (218 of 673) and 70.2% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 77.5 points per game (51st in D-1) while going 45.5% from the field.

On the defensive end of the court, the Bulls have forced 14.0 turnovers every game while drawing 17.0 personal fouls. They are 303rd in college hoops in allowing assists with 451 conceded for the year. The Bulls defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 44.9% (845 of 1,881) and they concede 35.1 rebounds per game as a unit. They give up 34.4% on shots from distance and they rank 342nd in college basketball in opponents PPG (76.9).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Akron Zips took a defeat with a final score of 89-84 against Kent State. In the matter of rebounding, Akron permitted Kent State to grab 33 in all (7 on the offensive glass). They shot 36.8% from three-point range via 7 out of 19 and finished the contest at 22 out of 25 at the free throw line (88.0%). The Zips permitted Kent State to bury 30 of their 58 tries from the field which had them shooting 51.7% in this contest. In all, the Zips ended up going 25 out of 57 from the field which gave them a rate of 43.9%. When talking about shooting from beyond the arc, Akron converted 8 out of their 27 attempts (29.6%). They were able to knock down 26 of the free throw tries for a rate of 81.3%. Kent State was called for 25 personal fouls for the game which got the Zips to the free throw line for a total of 32 shots. They turned the ball over 12 times, while earning 7 steals for this game. The Zips pulled down 20 defensive boards and 5 offensive boards for a total of 25 in the matchup.

Sammy Hunter pitched in for the Zips in this contest. He accumulated 26 points in his 38 mins of playing time, but finished this game without an assist. He knocked down 7 of 13 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 53.8%, and added 2 rebounds.

Akron has a win-loss mark of 21-10 for the year. When it comes to executing on offense, the Zips are connecting on 43.9% from the floor, which is 226th in college hoops. Akron has 2,289 points so far this year (73.8 per game) and they average 35.6 boards per contest. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 13.4 times per contest (161st in D-1) and they turn the ball over 11.0 times per contest. The Zips commit 15.6 personal fouls per game and they hit 73.1% from the free throw line.

The Akron defense allows 34.5% on shots from behind the 3-point line (214 of 620) and their opponents are knocking down 73.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They surrender 11.5 dimes and 32.5 rebounds every game, which is 93rd and 86th in the nation. The Zips on defense are ranked 69th in college basketball in PPG given up with 66.2. They are forcing their opponents into 12.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 43.1% from the field (139th in college basketball).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Akron

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