Eastern Michigan Eagles vs Akron Zips Prediction, 3/5/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Eastern Michigan Eagles vs Akron Zips

Date: Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Location: James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, OH

TV: ESPN+

The Eastern Michigan Eagles (12-17) are traveling to James A. Rhodes Arena on Tuesday where they will go up against the Akron Zips (21-8).

The Eastern Michigan Eagles stepped onto the hardwood against Miami and took a loss by a score of 52-37 in their last contest. Eastern Michigan walked away from the contest with a 32.0% field goal percentage (16 out of 50) and converted 3 out of their 19 shots from distance. From the free throw line, the Eagles knocked down 2 of their 3 attempts for a rate of 66.7%. In relation to hauling in rebounds, they earned 34 with 6 of them being offensive. They also dished out 6 dimes for the contest as well as forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In reference to defense, Eastern Michigan let their opponent shoot 36.8% from the field on 21 out of 57 shooting. Miami doled out 10 assists and had 13 steals in this matchup. On top of that, Miami grabbed 29 rebounds (4 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't have a block. Miami finished shooting 83.3% at the charity stripe by burying 5 of 6 tries. They also converted 5 of 24 tries from beyond the arc. In reference to fouls, the Eagles ended up finishing with 10 while Miami finished the game with 8 fouls.

Jalin Billingsley is one player who was a major contributor in this game. He ended up walking away with 13 points on 5 out of 13 shooting. He played for 37 minutes and collected 10 rebounds. He finished 38.5% from the floor but didn't record an assist.

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Eastern Michigan will play this contest with a record of 12-17 for the year. They are averaging 66.3 points per contest (332nd in college hoops) while shooting 43.2% from the field. The Eagles are shooting 30.8% on shots beyond the perimeter (169 of 548) and 67.1% from the free throw line. As a unit, Eastern Michigan is collecting 34.4 boards per game and has accumulated 300 assists so far this season, which is 348th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 11.9 times per contest and as a team are committing 16.3 fouls per contest.

On the defensive end, the Eagles are able to force 10.6 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 15.1 personal fouls. They are relinquishing 32.2% on three-point shots while they are 231st in college basketball in points per game allowed (73.3). The Eagles defense is giving up a FG percentage of 45.6% (775 of 1,698) and they relinquish 35.9 boards per contest as a group. They are currently ranked 215th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 391 relinquished this year.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Akron Zips walked away with a victory by a final of 80-73 against Northern Illinois. In regard to attacking the glass, Akron allowed Northern Illinois to pull down 27 in total (5 offensive). They wrapped up this game 35.7% from beyond the arc by hitting 10 out of 28 and finished the contest at 13 out of 23 at the free throw line (56.5%). The Zips allowed Northern Illinois to knock down 25 of 54 attempts from the field which left them shooting 46.3% in this matchup. When the final whistle was blown, the Zips ended up shooting 24 out of 56 from the floor which had them shooting 42.9%. Concerning shooting from distance, Akron made 9 out of 29 attempts (31.0%). They were able to knock down 23 of them for a percentage of 74.2%. Northern Illinois committed 24 fouls for this contest which took the Zips to the free throw line for a total of 31 tries. They turned it over 8 times, while earning 3 steals for this game. The Zips were able to pull down 22 defensive boards and 13 offensive boards for a total of 35 for the game.

Enrique Freeman ended up being important for the Zips for this game. He converted 6 of 8 in the game giving him a field goal percentage of 75.0%, and had 11 rebounds. He totaled 22 points in his 37 minutes on the court, but wasn't able to earn an assist.

Akron has a win-loss record of 21-8 for the season. On the offensive side of the court, the Zips are connecting on 45.7% from the field, which ranks 117th in college basketball. Akron has accumulated 2,171 pts for the campaign (74.9 per game) and they grab 37.0 boards per contest. They are earning an assist 13.3 times per contest (163rd in the country) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 11.1 times per contest. The Zips commit 16.4 fouls per contest while shooting 72.6% from the free throw line.

The Akron defense gives up 30.6% from downtown (189 of 618) and their opponents are knocking down 67.9% of their free throw attempts. They have surrendered 11.8 assists and 31.9 boards every game, which is 96th and 35th in college hoops. The Zips on the defensive end are ranked 26th in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 65.6. They are forcing 11.8 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.8% from the field (127th in Division 1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Akron

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