Akron Zips vs Western Michigan Broncos Prediction, 3/8/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Akron Zips vs Western Michigan Broncos

Date: Friday, March 8, 2024

Location: University Arena (MI) in Kalamazoo, MI

TV: ESPN+

University Arena (MI) is the location where the Western Michigan Broncos (11-19) will try to defeat the Akron Zips (21-9) on Friday.

The Akron Zips faced Eastern Michigan and went home with a loss by a final score of 61-60 in their last game. Akron wrapped up the contest having earned a 47.8% FG percentage (22 out of 46) and buried 4 of their 20 3-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Zips converted 12 of their 17 attempts for a rate of 70.6%. Regarding rebounding, they compiled 28 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 13 assists in this matchup as well as forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and earning 6 steals. When it comes to defense, Akron allowed 43.3% from the field on 26 of 60 shooting. Eastern Michigan recorded 9 dimes and had 6 steals for the game. Furthermore, Eastern Michigan pulled down 34 rebounds (15 offensive, 19 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Eastern Michigan finished shooting 55.6% from the free throw line by making 5 of their 9 shots. They made 4 of 15 shots from beyond the arc. When discussing fouls, the Zips walked away with 11 while Eastern Michigan recorded 17 fouls.

Enrique Freeman is a guy who played a role for the matchup. He shot 62.5% from the field and also dished out 3 dimes. He played for 37 minutes played and pulled down 13 rebounds. He ended up walking away with 15 points on 5 out of 8 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks Today

Akron will enter this matchup with a win-loss mark of 21-9 this season. They are averaging 74.4 pts per contest (156th in the country) while going 45.7% from the field. The Zips are shooting 33.3% on three-point attempts (246 of 739) and 72.5% from the free throw line. As a unit, Akron is pulling in 36.8 rebounds per game and has accounted for 399 dimes so far this year, which is 176th in the nation in terms of passing. They cough up possession 11.3 times per contest and as a basketball team they are committing 16.2 fouls per contest.

Defensively, the Zips are forcing their opponents into 11.8 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.4 fouls. They are conceding 30.5% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 22nd in college basketball in points per game from their opponents (65.4). The Zips defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 42.8% (726 of 1,696) and they concede 32.0 boards per contest as a team. They currently rank 85th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 351 relinquished this season.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Western Michigan Broncos went home defeated by a final of 73-65 when they faced Bowling Green. The Broncos were able to collect 21 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 29 in this game. They turned it over 11 times, while getting 3 steals in this contest. Bowling Green was called for 11 personal fouls for the game which got the Broncos to the charity stripe for a total of 13 tries. They were able to convert 9 of those for a rate of 69.2%. Regarding shooting from beyond the arc, Western Michigan buried 6 out of 21 tries (28.6%). Overall, the Broncos went 25 for 58 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 43.1%. The Broncos permitted Bowling Green to knock down 28 of their 60 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 46.7% for the game. They finished shooting 29.4% from 3-point land by connecting on 5 out of 17 and ended up shooting 12 of 16 at the free throw line (75.0%). Regarding how they rebounded, Western Michigan allowed Bowling Green to collect 33 overall (9 on the offensive side).

Seth Hubbard was important for the Broncos in this matchup. He buried 4 out of 14 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 28.6%, but wrapped this game up without a rebound. He earned 12 points in his 29 mins on the court and had 1 assist for this game.

Western Michigan has a win-loss mark of 11-19 on the year. The Broncos commit 17.3 fouls per game while shooting 62.3% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 13.4 times per contest (159th in D-1) and they are turning it over 13.4 times per game. Western Michigan has 2,136 points on the season (71.2 per game) and they average 37.7 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Broncos are shooting 43.4% from the floor, which ranks them 258th in the country.

The Broncos on the defensive end are ranked 251st in the nation in points given up per game with 74.3. They are able to force 11.3 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.3% from the field (220th in D-1). The Western Michigan defense concedes 34.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter (233 of 685) and their opponents are making 72.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They have allowed 13.6 assists and 35.1 rebounds per contest, ranking them 249th and 203rd in those categories.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Akron

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here