Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Wildcard Edition
The (11-6 SU, 5-10 ATS) Akron Zips and (7-10 SU, 8-7 ATS) Central Michigan Chippewas will take the court on Tuesday at McGuirk Arena. The Zips, 1-3 on the road, beat Eastern Michigan 104-67 on Friday. The Chippewas, 5-2 at home, beat Buffalo 87-78 in overtime on Saturday.
Akron beat Central Michigan twice last season and has won five straight in the series. The Zips hold a 33-13 advantage since 1949-50.
Tip-off from Mount Pleasant, MI, is at 7:00 p.m. ET.
At 3-1, Akron is tied for second place in the Mid-American Conference. The Zips went 8-5 in non-conference play but didn't earn any statement victories.
8-2 in its past ten, Akron continued its strong play with a dominating victory over EMU in its latest game. The Zips broke the 100-point barrier for the first time this season on 54.0 percent shooting. Akron led by 20 at halftime and broke out with 58 second-half points to earn a 37-point win. The Zips outrebounded the Eagles by 20 and recorded 22 assists on 34 made field goals.
Six Zips score double digits as Akron @ZipsMBB dominates Eastern Michigan 104-67 on @ESPNU #1Akron??#GoZips
Recap ?? https://t.co/LRPGXgs3eg pic.twitter.com/6B5yDmRnhN
— Akron Zips MBB (@ZipsMBB) January 14, 2023
Akron scores 71.7 points per game with a 42.4 field goal percentage. It hits 33.6 percent of its three-point shots and converts 71.6 percent of its free throws. The Zips average 34.1 rebounds and boast a plus-five rebounding margin.
Senior guard Xavier Castaneda leads Akron with 19.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. The Zips also depend on solid play from junior forward Enrique Freeman (15.1 PPG and 10.8 RPG) and senior guard Trendon Hankerson (9.1 PPG and 4.5 RPG). Three other Zips average nearly seven points per game, as well.
Akron surrenders 63.1 points (34th-fewest) on 41.3 percent shooting, including 33.3 percent from behind the arc. The Zips are 151st in schedule-adjusted offensive efficiency and 103rd in schedule-adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom. Their assist-per-turnover ratio (1.02) is ranked 143rd in D-1.