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The Akron Zips will welcome the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks to town for an exciting conference matchup in the MAAC. With both teams struggling to defend the three, what can we expect in tonight’s game? Below, we’ll take a look at the early NCAAB odds and the best sportsbook to bet with today.
Miami (Ohio) RedHawks vs. Akron Zips
Friday, February 4, 2022 – 6:30 PM EST at James A. Rhodes Arena
The Miami (Ohio) RedHawks will travel to Akron to take on the Akron Zips at 6:30 PM EST on the CBS Sports Network. Currently, Miami (Ohio) has been one of the worst defenses in college basketball. The RedHawks have allowed 86, 82, 81, 85, 78 in their last five conference games. The RedHawks have also contributed at least 63 points in each one of those games.
Tonight, at home, Akron should have a field day offensively. Miami (Ohio) is 319th in defensive efficiency via KenPom and is allowing a 53.6 percent effective field goal percentage this season, which is also 319th in the league.
Opponents are hitting 39.1 percent of threes against the RedHawks this season and 50 percent from inside. Miami (Ohio) isn't going to force many turnovers and is allowing opponents to earn close to 30 percent offensive rebounds this season.
The RedHawks have been good at limiting fouls but Akron is used to getting to the line at a very high rate. The expectation is that Akron gets to the line more often than not, especially if the game gets chippy and potentially out of hand because of Akron's scoring ability.
Meanwhile, Miami (Ohio) should stick around enough to help get this over. The RedHawks are still 116th in the nation in offensive efficiency despite rarely getting to the line. However, when Miami (Ohio) gets to the line, it's good news, as the RedHawks shoot 79.8 percent from the foul line.
Miami (Ohio) also won't turn the ball over, averaging just 14.4% of turnovers on the season. That's the 9th best in the country. The RedHawks are also hitting 33.4 percent from downtown and 50.2 percent from inside the arc.
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Just like Akron, Miami (Ohio) will never shy away from a three-point shot and Akron, on the other hand, is allowing teams to shoot 35.2 percent from deep. Although Akron is the better offense and overall the better team, Miami (Ohio) has the experience and won’t go away so easily in this game, even if the RedHawks get down early.
Neither team has much height and that’s mainly why both teams shoot so many threes. They play a bit smaller and are able to space the floor well enough to get open looks.
Prediction
In this game, we'll get so many quality looks from three. It's all about execution tonight! Both teams are shooting better than the average college basketball team this season. Both defenses are below average defending the three and are below average at forcing turnovers.
Therefore, I'll ride over 137 (-115) in this game. I wouldn't be surprised if both teams ended up over 70 points in this game and believe Akron has the ability to get into the 80's tonight. They've been an inconsistent team as of late, but this matchup absolutely screams over for Akron.
NCAAB Pick: Over 137 (-115) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
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