The Akron Zips will travel to the Convocation Center (MI) to take on the Eastern Michigan Eagles this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.
The Akron Zips lost their 3rd straight game and dropped to 16-9 on the season after being defeated by the Northern Illinois Huskies, 66-63, this past Thursday. Akron struggled defensively in the 2nd half against Northern Illinois and could not fight back after the Huskies took a 63-59 lead with :42 seconds left in regulation. Akron shot 45.5% from the field & 26.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Northern Illinois to shoot 47.2% from the field & 36.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Zips was Ali Ali who had 20 points, 2 rebounds, & 1 assist.
On the season, Akron is averaging 70.3 ppg on 45.5% shooting from the field. The Zips are averaging 7.8 three-pointers per game on 34.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Akron has been led by Ali Ali (13.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.6 apg), Enrique Freeman (13.1 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.2 bpg), Xavier Castaneda (12.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.5 apg), & Bryan Trimble Jr. (10.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg).
Defensively, Akron is holding their opponents to an average of 62.9 ppg on 42.1% shooting from the field. The Zips have a rebound margin of 4.8 and a turnover margin of -0.1.
The Eastern Michigan Eagles dropped to 9-17 on the season after being defeated by the Buffalo Bulls, 83-69, this past Thursday. Eastern Michigan had no answers for the Buffalo high-powered offensive attack and could not fight back after the Bulls took a 74-60 lead with 4:40 left in regulation. Eastern Michigan shot 40.9% from the field & 25.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Buffalo to shoot 49.2% from the field & 55.5% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Eagles was Josh Mballa who had a double-double with 19 points, 13 rebounds, & 1 block.
On the season, Eastern Michigan is averaging 70.5 ppg on 43.1% shooting from the field. The Eagles are averaging 6.3 three-pointers per game on 31.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Eastern Michigan has been led by Noah Farrakhan (15.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.3 spg), Bryce McBride (11.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.0 spg), Monty Scott (10.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.2 spg), & Nate Scott (9.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.4 apg).
Defensively, Eastern Michigan is allowing their opponents to average 76.7 ppg on 44.7% shooting from the field. The Eagles have a rebound margin of -4.7 and a turnover margin of -0.8.
The Zips are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Saturday games, however, are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400. The Eagles are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record & 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games.
Akron has been solid on the defensively end this season, however, the Zips have struggled as of late with upset losses against Western Michigan & Northern Illinois and hasn’t had much success on the offensive end as of late, averaging just 61.3 ppg during their 3-game losing streak. Eastern Michigan has lost 6 of their last 7 games and has struggled defensively this season, however, this is a team that has had some success on their own court, posting a 7-5 home record. Eastern Michigan gave Akron all they could handle in a 46-44 loss at Akron earlier this season and as I think the Zips offense will continue to struggle in this one, I think Eastern Michigan does enough with the points to get us a cover. Good Luck!