The Akron Zips (1-0, 0-0 MAC) will be going for their second consecutive win when they face the Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-0, 0-0 SEC) on Friday night. The Zips are coming off an 81-80 win over South Dakota State as 3.5-point favorites. The Bulldogs are coming off a 63-44 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Cristi as 15-point favorites.
Akron is 2-0 in two games against Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs got their season off to a good start with a 19-point win over the Islanders. Even though they won the game, they didn’t play very well offensively and will need to do a better job if they want to beat the Zips and pick up their second win of the season.
Mississippi State scored 63 points in its first game. They made 42.4 percent of their field goals and 24 percent of their three-pointers.
Tolu Smith led the way for the Bulldogs with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists. Shakeel Moore finished with 11 points and four rebounds, while D.J. Jeffries added seven points and five rebounds.
Mississippi State played well defensively, giving up 44 points in the win. They will need a similar effort if they want to get the win.