Western Michigan Broncos vs Akron Zips Prediction, 2/25/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Western Michigan Broncos vs Akron Zips

Date: Saturday, February 25, 2023

Location: James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, OH

TV: ESPN+

The Akron Zips (19-9) will go up against the Western Michigan Broncos (7-21) at James A. Rhodes Arena on Saturday.

The Western Michigan Broncos took the court against Eastern Michigan and ended up losing by a score of 66-59 in their last game. Western Michigan ended the contest with a 39.7% FG percentage (23 out of 58) and converted 8 of 28 shots from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, the Broncos converted 5 of 9 shots for a percentage of 55.6%. When talking about rebounding, they collected 30 with 11 of them being offensive. They also recorded 10 assists for the matchup while forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and getting 2 steals. When talking about defending, Western Michigan allowed the other team to shoot 44.2% from the field on 23 of 52 shooting. Eastern Michigan totaled 7 assists and had 3 steals for this contest. On top of that, Eastern Michigan snagged 29 boards (6 offensive, 23 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Eastern Michigan walked away from this one shooting 94.1% from the free throw line by knocking down 16 of 17 shots. They made 4 of 15 tries from distance. When talking about personal fouls, the Broncos ended up with 16 while Eastern Michigan accumulated 14 personal fouls.

Lamar Norman is someone who played a role in this matchup. He finished the contest at 38.9% from the field and distributed 2 assists. He played 38 mins and also grabbed 2 rebounds. He accounted for 18 points on 7 of 18 shooting.

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Western Michigan enters this one with a record of 7-21 for the year. They are turning it over 13.0 times per contest and as a basketball team are committing 16.8 personal fouls every game. As a team, Western Michigan is collecting 37.0 rebounds per game and has racked up 355 assists this season, which has them ranked 229th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Broncos are shooting 32.9% on shots from 3-point land (218 of 663) and 71.2% from the charity stripe. They average 70.0 pts per game (221st in college basketball) while shooting 43.5% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Broncos have forced 10.0 turnovers per contest while drawing 16.2 personal fouls. They are giving up 35.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 296th in college basketball in PPG from their opponents (74.0). The Broncos defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 46.0% (745 of 1,619) and they surrender 32.5 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are ranked 270th in the nation in allowing assists to their opponents with 397 surrendered on the year.

The last time they took the court, the Akron Zips went home defeated by a final of 84-63 when they faced Toledo. When discussing team rebounding, Akron allowed Toledo to pull down 32 in total (7 on the offensive side). They finished 50.0% from three-point range by shooting 10 out of 20 and walked away from this one shooting 10 out of 13 from the charity stripe (76.9%). The Zips permitted Toledo to make 32 of 61 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 52.5% in the game. Overall, the Zips went 26 for 59 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 44.1%. Concerning shots from beyond the arc, Akron knocked down 4 out of their 21 tries (19.0%). They were able to convert 7 of the free throws for a percentage of 50.0%. Toledo had 17 fouls for this contest which took the Zips to the free throw line for a total of 14 shots. They also coughed up the ball 10 times, while earning 3 steals in the matchup. The Zips corralled 23 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards totaling 32 in this contest.

Enrique Freeman ended up being important for the Zips in this game. He scored 18 points in his 33 mins on the court, but went home with no dimes. He made 7 out of 9 in the game for a rate of 77.8%, and tallied 9 rebounds.

Akron has a win-loss mark of 19-9 this season. The Zips are committing 15.5 fouls per contest and they connect on 72.2% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 13.1 times per contest (177th in college hoops) and they turn it over 11.2 times per contest. Akron has accounted for 2,037 points for the season (72.8 per contest) and they grab 36.2 rebounds per game. As an offensive team, the Zips are connecting on 43.6% from the floor, which ranks them 242nd in D-1.

The Akron defense concedes 34.1% on shots from behind the 3-point line (183 of 537) and opponents are converting on 72.2% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 11.5 dimes and 32.5 rebounds every game, which ranks them 94th and 88th in the nation. The Zips on the defensive end are ranked 49th in D-1 in PPG given up with 64.9. They are able to force 12.6 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 42.7% from the floor (121st in D-1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Western Michigan

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