The Akron Zips (21-9, 12-15-1 ATS, 14-14 O/U) battle the Kent State Golden Flashes (24-6, 18-10 ATS, 9-18 O/U) in a MAC showdown on Friday evening. The Zips recorded a home victory against Ball State on Tuesday. The Golden Flashes defeated Ohio in their previous bout. Akron recorded a 67-55 home win against Kent State in the first meeting.
The Akron Zips enter the regular-season finale with a 13-4 MAC record. Akron was dealt a blowout road loss by Toledo last weekend and has rebounded by defeating Western Michigan followed by a narrow 87-83 home win against Ball State on Tuesday in a bout that had Akron favored by nine points. The Zips are the #3 seed in the MAC but can possibly finish 2nd. They have covered the spread in three of their last four road games.
Xavier Castaneda continues to dazzle. The senior guard has scored at least 23 points in three of his last four games including 30 against Buffalo. He is sporting an average of 21.8 PPG on the season. Enrique Freeman scored 19 points in the meeting against Kent State. The junior forward has several double-doubles and has recorded an average of 16.2 PPG and 11.1 RPG. Trendon Hankerson has scored nine or fewer points in four straight clashes. The senior guard has posted an average of 9 PPG on 37% shooting.
REB+??PTS…EF?? #1Akron ?? #GoZips
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— Akron Zips MBB (@ZipsMBB) March 1, 2023
The Zips are marked 105th in DI in Ken Pomeroy’s ratings and are 5-5 on the road after losing against Toledo in their previous road bout. Akron has eclipsed 80 points in three of their last four games and is averaging 73.5 points on the year, ranking them 130th. They are conceding an average of 65.5 points, placing them 60th.
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