Akron Zips vs Buffalo Bulls Prediction, 2/17/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Akron Zips vs Buffalo Bulls

Date: Saturday, February 17, 2024

Location: Alumni Arena in Buffalo, NY

TV: ESPN+

The Buffalo Bulls (3-21) host the Akron Zips (18-6) at Alumni Arena on Saturday.

The Akron Zips stepped onto the hardwood against James Madison and took a loss by a final of 73-59 in their last game. Concerning fouls, the Zips ended up with 14 and James Madison recorded 17 fouls. They buried 7 of their 19 tries from downtown. James Madison finished the game at 66.7% when shooting free throws by burying 10 of 15 attempts. Additionally, James Madison totaled 32 rebounds (8 offensive, 24 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. James Madison distributed 17 dimes and had 7 steals for the matchup. Regarding defending, Akron allowed 50.9% from the floor on 28 of 55 shooting. They also distributed 6 assists in the game in addition to creating 10 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In relation to hauling in boards, they earned 28 with 11 of them being of the offensive sort. At the charity stripe, the Zips made 16 of their 20 shots for a rate of 80.0%. Akron wrapped up the contest with a 33.9% FG percentage (19 of 56) and converted 5 out of their 29 three-point shots.

Greg Tribble is a guy who had an impact for the contest. He scored 20 points on 8 out of 14 shooting. He was on the court for 32 minutes and totaled 1 rebound. He finished the game shooting 57.1% from the floor and also recorded 1 assist.

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Akron will enter this matchup with a win-loss mark of 18-6 on the campaign. They turn it over 11.3 times per game and as a team are committing 16.2 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Akron is pulling in 36.8 boards per game and has 324 assists for the year, which has them ranked 181st in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Zips are connecting on 34.1% on three-point attempts (205 of 602) and 73.7% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 75.2 points per outing (147th in college hoops) while hitting 45.8% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Zips are forcing 12.3 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.2 fouls. They surrender 30.4% on three-point shots and they are 22nd in college hoops in points per game allowed (64.6). The Zips are allowing a FG percentage of 42.6% (573 of 1,346) and they relinquish 31.5 boards per game as a unit. They are 69th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 278 surrendered for the campaign.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Buffalo Bulls took a loss by a score of 72-68 when they faced Northern Illinois. The Bulls were able to collect 23 defensive boards and 3 offensive boards totaling 26 in the matchup. They also coughed it up 10 times, while recording 4 steals in the matchup. Northern Illinois had 14 fouls for this contest which took the Bulls to the charity stripe for a total of 22 tries. They were able to convert 9 of the free throws for a percentage of 40.9%. In terms of three-point attempts, Buffalo converted 7 of their 22 attempts (31.8%). When the game finished, the Bulls ended up shooting 26 for 53 from the field which gave them a percentage of 49.1%. The Bulls allowed Northern Illinois to convert 24 of their 55 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 43.6% for the game. They finished shooting 53.3% from distance by connecting on 8 of 15 and ended up going 16 of 29 from the free throw line (55.2%). In the matter of cleaning the glass, Buffalo permitted Northern Illinois to snag 33 in total (9 offensive).

Sy Chatman was important for the Bulls in the matchup. He made 6 of 9 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 66.7%, and accumulated 2 rebounds. He racked up 18 points in his 34 minutes on the court and accounted for 1 assist in the game.

Buffalo has a win-loss record of 3-21 for the season. As an offensive unit, the Bulls are hitting on 41.5% from the field, which is ranked 323rd in the nation. Buffalo has scored 1,619 points so far this year (67.5 per game) and they pull down 35.1 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 12.7 times per game (229th in the country) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 14.5 times per contest. The Bulls are committing 15.4 personal fouls every game and they connect on 69.7% from the charity stripe.

The Buffalo defense surrenders 36.1% on shots from beyond the perimeter (191 of 529) and their opposition knocks down 70.8% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have surrendered 16.1 dimes and 36.7 boards every game, which ranks them 351st and 282nd in college basketball. The Bulls are ranked 348th in D-1 in PPG given up with 80.0. They are forcing their opponents into 10.7 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 48.2% from the floor (355th in college basketball).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Akron

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