Good report from Scores and Odds Prediction website.
https://winnersandwhiners.com/games/ncaa...ction_page
Akron is coming off of a disappointing 63-49 blowout loss on the road at Eastern Michigan. Eric Parrish scored a team-high 18 points, while Malcolm Duvivier finished with 12 points to help pace the Zips on offense, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a dismal 7-for-29 shooting performance from three-point range.
Line: Akron -3.5
Total: 142
Huskies fresh off blowout loss to Buffalo
The Huskies dropped their last conference game on Tuesday, falling on the road to Buffalo 95-67. Eugene German finished with a team-high 17 points to lead three Huskies’ players in double-figures on the night, but it wasn’t enough to stop a hot-shooting Buffalo team. The Bulls shot 70.3 percent from inside the arc(26-for-37) and 35.5 percent from deep (11-for-31) against the Huskies’ defense en route to a 28-point victory.
Northern Illinois has really struggled to defend teams inside the arc this season, especially during conference play. MAC opponents are shooting 57.0 percent from two-point range against Northern Illinois’ defense this year.
Offensively, the Huskies are scoring just 98.0 points per 100 possessions against MAC opponents, while shooting just 30.3 percent from three-point range through five conference games.
Zips struggling in conference play
Akron enters the weekend having lost seven of their last eight games against DI opponents. The Zips have been struggling on both ends of the floor during conference play. John Groce’s squad is being outscored by 14.1 points per 100 possessions against MAC opponents so far this year.
The Zips are scoring just 98.7 points per 100 possessions, while allowing 112.8 points per 100 possessions during conference play. Opposing teams own an effective field goal percentage of 55.5 percent against Akron’s defense, while allowing their opponents to get to the line at a near-historic rate. Teams own a staggering 48.5 percent free throw rate (12th in the MAC) against the Zips’ defense.
The Zips haven’t been much more efficient on the offensive end either. As a team, the Zips have shot 45.1 percent from the field (11th in the MAC) and 33.1 percent from beyond the arc (9th in the MAC) during the conference season.
Daniel Utomi leads the team in scoring at 15.5 points per game, while Duvivier chips in 13.9 points a night for the Zips.
Trends
Northern Illinois
•Huskies are 1-4 ATS (Against the Spread) in their last 5 Saturday games.
•Huskies are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 road games.
Akron
•Zips are 2-0-2 ATS in their last 4 games after scoring less than 50 points in their previous game.
•Zips are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
The Zips have really struggled to get anything going on either end of the floor since conference play started at the beginning of the New Year. Akron ranks near the bottom of the conference in several major categories on both the offensive and defensive end, however, Northern Illinois only has one road win on the entire year (Chicago State). Something’s got to give in this matchup. The Zips shoot a lot more three-pointers and they shoot 76.1 percent from the free throw line as a team, which has me leaning towards Akron covering the spread at home in this MAC matchup on Saturday afternoon.
Pick: Akron Zips
