Akron Zips vs. Ohio Bobcats Picks, Predictions, Odds

Dave Schwab Sports Betting Expert

5 minute read

Friday night’s college basketball’s betting action gets underway with a Mid-American matchup between the Akron Zips and the Ohio Bobcats. Tip-off from Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio is set for 6 p.m. (ET).

Score Prediction

Ohio 69, Akron 61

Best Bet

Ohio -7 (-110)

AKRON ZIPS vs. OHIO BOBCATS PREDICTIONS

The Zips come into Friday’s game at 11-6 straight-up in conference play and three games behind Ohio in the MAC standings. One of those losses was a six-point setback against the Bobcats as two-point home favorites in early January. More recently, Akron is coming off back-to-back victories against Eastern Michigan on the road and Bowling Green at home.

Ohio is tied with Toledo for first place in the MAC at 14-3 SU. Bouncing back from a stunning loss to Kent State last Friday night, the Bobcats rolled over Central Michigan by 26 points on Tuesday night. The only other two losses in conference play came against Toledo in this season’s home-and-home series.

This is a big game for both teams heading into the final few games of the regular season. My lean is towards Ohio covering at home to keep pace for the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament. The Bobcats have proven to be one of the best teams in the MAC this season and that should remain evident in this game.

AKRON ZIPS vs. OHIO BOBCATS BETTING ODDS

Akron +7 (-110)
Ohio -7 (-110)
Over 131 (-110)
Under 131 (-110)

More Odds | Futures Odds

AKRON ZIPS vs. OHIO BOBCATS BETTING RESOURCES

Matchup: MAC
Date: Friday, February 25, 2022
Venue: Convocation Center
Location: Athens, Ohio
TV-Time: ESPN+ - 6:00 p.m. ET

AKRON ZIPS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

SU: 18-9
ATS: 12-13
O/U: 12-13

Akron has been on a roller-coaster ride both SU and against the spread in the month of February. Over the eight-game span, it has gone 5-3 SU in a stretch that includes a three-game losing streak. The Zips are 4-4 ATS over that same span and during that run they failed to cover in four-straight games. The total has stayed UNDER in five of those eight contests.

This lineup goes four deep with players scoring in double figures. Forward Ali Ali has led the way with 13.8 points per game with forward Enrique Freeman a close second with a 13.1-point scoring average.

You can also add guard Xavier Castaneda to the list with 12.6 PPG while shooting 40% from the field and 38.2% from three-point range. Freeman leads the team in rebounds (11.2) to average a double-double. Ali is adding a team-high 2.7 assists per game. Akron is shooting 45.9% from the field as a team. This drops to 35% from outside the three-point line. The Zips are averaging 70.6 points and 35.8 rebounds a game. They have been holding opposing teams to 62.6 points a game.

OHIO BOBCATS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

SU: 23-5
ATS: 13-15
O/U: 14-13-1

Betting on the Bobcats this season has been an adventure at times with an 8-9 record ATS in conference play. Yet, they have been able to cover in three of their last four matchups. Ohio has now covered in its last three games closing as a favorite. The total has stayed UNDER in four of its last six contests.

Forward Ben Vander Plas posted a rare triple-double in Tuesday’s 76-50 romp over Central Michigan with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He is third on the team in scoring with 13.6 points and first in rebounds with 6.9 a game. Guard Mark Sears has been Ohio’s top scorer this season with 19.3 PPG. He his shooting 45.6% from the field and 41.9% from three-point range. Forward Jason Carter is another key contributor on an offense with 13.9 points and 6.5 rebounds.

The Bobcats are scoring an average of 74.5 points with 34.3 rebounds a game. They are hitting 43.6% of their shots from the field and 33.8% from three point range. Defensively, Ohio is allowing an average of 66.4 points a game.

**Ohio has covered the spread in three of its last four games. (AP)**

INSIDE THE STATS - AKRON ZIPS

Record: 18-9
PS/G: 70.6 (195th)
PA/G: 62.6 (26th)
ORtg: 109.1 (47th)
DRtg: 96.6 (104th)

INSIDE THE STATS - OHIO BOBCATS

Record: 23-5
PS/G: 74.5 (97th)
PA/G: 66.4 (98th)
ORtg: 107.5 (75th)
DRtg: 95.9 (80th)

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

AKR: Ali Ali - F (13.8 ppg)
AKR: Enrique Freeman - F (13.1 ppg, 11.2 rpg)
OHIO: Mark Sears - G (19.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
OHIO: Ben Vander Plas - F (13.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg)

AKRON ZIPS VS. OHIO BOBCATS BETTING CONCLUSION

Going back to Ohio’s earlier 69-63 victory over Akron on the road, the total in that game stayed UNDER the closing 132.5-point line. You can expect to see another low-scoring battle this Friday night.

This series has remained tight in recent years at 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings. Ohio gets the edge ATS at 7-3 and the results on the total are also even at 5-5. One betting trend of note is the Bobcats’ 5-1 record ATS over the last six games between these two in-state rivals. Look for that trend to hold true on Friday night in Athens with Ohio covering the number again.

AKRON ZIPS VS. OHIO BOBCATS BETTING TRENDS

Ohio has covered three of its last four games.
Ohio has gone UNDER the point total in three of its last four games.
Ohio has covered the spread in four of its last five home games when facing Akron.

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Dave Schwab

Dave Schwab has been covering the sports betting industry for the past 12 years as the main focus of his specialty marketing company for online content. This endeavor followed a previous career in the field of sales and marketing in the wholesaling sector.Most of his weekly pieces focus on the rapidly expanding legal US sports betting industry. However, he still does extensive work covering betting angles that can provide a competitive edge to avid players. Dave believes that it is always a challenge to take past results and current form to try and correctly determine a future result. Sports brings out the unpredictability in what should be a fairly predictable outcome based on the stats, facts and recent trends in a particular matchup. More from Dave Schwab