Western Michigan Broncos vs Akron Zips Prediction, 1/16/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Western Michigan Broncos vs Akron Zips

Date: Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Location: James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, OH

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Western Michigan (+14)

The Western Michigan Broncos (7-9) are headed to James A. Rhodes Arena on Tuesday where they will take on the Akron Zips (12-4). Western Michigan opens this contest as 14-point dogs. The over/under is 145.

The Western Michigan Broncos faced Ohio and notched a win by a score of 81-79 in their last contest. Western Michigan ended the game with a 46.4% FG percentage (26 of 56) and knocked down 8 of their 19 shots from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, the Broncos converted 21 of 29 attempts for a rate of 72.4%. In relation to rebounding, they earned 43 with 12 of them being offensive. They also doled out 16 assists for this contest while forcing the other team into 5 turnovers and earning 1 steal. When talking about defense, Western Michigan allowed 43.3% from the field on 26 out of 60 shooting. Ohio totaled 11 dimes and had 3 steals in this matchup. Furthermore, Ohio collected 25 boards (8 offensive, 17 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Ohio finished the contest at 72.4% from the charity stripe by making 21 of 29 shots. They made 6 of 21 tries from three-point range. When it comes to personal fouls, the Broncos ended up with 23 while Ohio accounted for 23 personal fouls.

Seth Hubbard is a player who was a factor in this matchup. He accounted for 15 points on 5 of 15 shooting. He played for 33 mins played and also snagged 8 rebounds. He finished the game at 33.3% from the field but wasn't able to get a dime.

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Western Michigan heads into this game with a win-loss record of 7-9 for the year. They are losing possession via turnover 13.3 times per contest and as a unit are committing 17.5 personal fouls every game. As a unit, Western Michigan is pulling in 38.1 boards per game and has accounted for 227 dimes on the campaign, which is 174th in college basketball in terms of passing the rock. The Broncos are shooting 35.3% on shots from downtown (128 of 363) and 61.8% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 74.9 points per outing (177th in D-1) while shooting 45.6% from the field.

On defense, the Broncos are forcing 11.4 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.9 fouls. They are currently ranked 278th in Division 1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 237 relinquished so far this year. The Broncos defensively are allowing a FG percentage of 44.9% (437 of 974) and they concede 34.8 boards per game as a team. They give up 35.6% on shots from distance and they rank 298th in college basketball in points per game allowed (76.2).

When they last played, the Akron Zips went home victorious with a score of 76-59 when they played Buffalo. The Zips pulled down 24 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive boards totaling 30 for the matchup. They also gave up possession of the ball 5 times, while recording 7 steals for the game. Buffalo was called for 11 personal fouls in the game which got the Zips to the charity stripe for 12 shots. They were able to bury 9 of those for a rate of 75.0%. With regard to shooting from beyond the arc, Akron knocked down 5 out of 22 tries (22.7%). Overall, the Zips ended up shooting 31 for 65 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.7%. The Zips permitted Buffalo to make 22 of 60 attempts from the field which had them sitting at 36.7% in the matchup. They went 20.0% from distance by shooting 6 of 30 and finished the game at 9 out of 14 from the charity stripe (64.3%). Regarding how they cleaned up the glass, Akron allowed Buffalo to pull down 33 in total (7 offensive).

Enrique Freeman ended up being a factor for the Zips for this game. He accumulated 21 points in his 33 minutes of playing time and accumulated 1 assist for the contest. He made 9 out of 10 in the matchup giving him a rate of 90.0%, and had 15 rebounds.

Akron has a win-loss mark of 12-4 on the year. The Zips are committing 15.9 personal fouls every game and they shoot 71.6% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 14.9 times per contest (102nd in the country) and they are giving up possession 11.9 times per game. Akron has tallied 1,234 pts for the campaign (77.1 per game) and they pull down 36.4 boards per contest. As an offensive team, the Zips are shooting 47.1% from the field, which is ranked 64th in college basketball.

The Akron defense allows 31.5% on 3-point shots (106 of 337) and their opposition knocks down 65.8% of their foul shots. They surrender 12.1 assists and 31.9 boards every game, which ranks 130th and 44th in those defensive categories. The Zips are ranked 56th in Division 1 in PPG given up with 65.6. They are forcing 13.3 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.8% from the floor (162nd in the nation).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Western Michigan (+14)

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