Who’s playing
Ohio Bobcats @ Akron Zips
Current records: Ohio 10-6, Akron 11-5
How to watch
What you need to know
We have another exciting Mid American matchup on the schedule as the Ohio Bobcats and Akron Zips are set to face off Friday at 6 p.m. ET at James A. Rhodes Arena. Each of these teams will be fighting to maintain a winning streak as the Bobcats come in with six and the Zips with four.
Last Tuesday, Ohio didn’t have too much trouble against Ball State as they won 86-71.
Ohio’s success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Aidan Hadaway led the charge by scoring 5 of 9 en route to 15 points plus five rebounds. Additionally, Hadaway also posted a 60% three-point shooting accuracy, which is the highest he’s posted since March 2024. Shereef Mitchell was another key player, going 5 for 7 on the way towards 12 points plus four interceptions.
Meanwhile, Akron beat Toledo 85-78 on Tuesday.
Akron relied on the efforts of Nate Johnson, who nearly had a double-double with 28 points and nine rebounds, and Amani Lyles, who went 7-for-9 en route to 16 points plus five rebounds. and two blocks. Lyles is heading in the right direction considering he has improved his point production for four straight games.
Akron broke the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. This strong performance was nothing new for the team: they have now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in six consecutive games.
Ohio’s win was its 15th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed its record to 10-6. As for Akron, they’ve been on a roll lately: they’ve won five of their last six meetings, which has been a nice improvement to their 11-5 record this season.
A high-performance offense is likely on the agenda, as both teams are among the highest-scoring teams in the league. Ohio has had no problem running up the score this season, averaging 81.1 points per game. However, it’s not like Akron struggled in this department, as its average was 82.2. With both teams so easily able to rack up points, the only question that remains is who can run up the score.
Ohio will hope to defy the odds on Friday as experts believe they are headed for a loss. Bettors picking them against the spread have some confidence (to put it mildly) as the team is sitting on a six-game losing streak when playing on the road.
Odds
Akron is a 3.5-point favorite against Ohio, according to the latest college basketball odds.
Oddsmakers had a good idea of ​​the line for this one, as the game opened with the Zips as 2.5-point favorites.
The over/under is 159 points.
See college basketball picks for every game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get Picks Now.
History of the series
Akron has won 6 of its last 10 games against Ohio.
- March 15, 2024 – Akron 65 vs. Ohio 62
- February 27, 2024 – Ohio 74 vs. Akron 67
- January 23, 2024 – Akron 67 vs. Ohio 58
- February 10, 2023 – Ohio 90 vs. Akron 81
- January 28, 2023 – Akron 83 vs. Ohio 77
- February 25, 2022 – Akron 91 vs. Ohio 83
- January 4, 2022 – Ohio 69 vs. Akron 63
- February 23, 2021 – Ohio 90 vs. Akron 73
- December 22, 2020 – Akron 90 vs. Ohio 70
- March 3, 2020 – Akron 74 vs. Ohio 67
