The Akron Zips (13-6, 5-1) will host the Miami (OH) Redhawks (7-12, 1-5) in a MAC matchup Tuesday night. In the Coaches Preseason Poll Akron was predicted to finish third in the conference, and Miami was slated to finish 11th amongst 12 teams, and that prediction has been close to accurate so far.
After going 6-7 in non-conference play, the Redhawks hav dropped five of their six games in the MAC. They dropped games to Central Michigan (68-56) and Kent State (69-66) before beating Buffalo (91-80) on Jan. 10. The Redhawks are now on a three game losing streak after falling to Ball State (75-61), Northern Illinois (81-77), and Bowling Green (83-73).
Final score from the Stroh Center. We travel to take on Akron this Tuesday, Jan. 24. #RiseUpRedHawks pic.twitter.com/9gtmnrjHIr
— Miami Men's Basketball (@MiamiOH_BBall) January 22, 2023
Miami is 306th in the KenPom ratings. They are 189th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 349th in adjusted defensive efficiency. The team's greatest strength is its 78.8% free-throw percentage which is the eighth-best in the country. Mekhi Lairy, a 5'8 senior who leads the team with 17.2 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.4 steals, followed by 6'5 junior Morgan Safford who is averaging 15.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
The Redhawks have failed to cover in their last three losses, dropping them to 6-10 ATS, and the over/under is 10-6 in their games.