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It is Friday night hoops MACtion as Toledo and Akron face off. It is time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Toledo-Akron prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Toledo enters the game at 14-7 on the year and 8-1 in conference playing, tying them for first in the MAC. After starting the season 3-4, they have picked it up since then. They were solid in early conference play, winning their first five. They would then fall to Central Michigan by three. Since then, thye have won three straight, all of them by ten or more points.
Meanwhile, Akron comes in at 16-5 on the year, and also 8-1 in the MAC. Like Toledo, it was a slower start to the season, starting 4-3, but since then, they have lost just twice. the only conference loss of the season comes at the hands of Miami (OH), where thye fell on the road by two. In the game, Akron rebounded to beat Eastern Michigan by 33. Still, they have dodged two other MAC teams so far, not facing Toledo or Central Michigan yet this year.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Toledo-Akron Odds
Toledo: +4.5 (-102)
Moneyline: +172
Akron: -4.5 (-120)
Moneyline: -205
Over: 147.5 (-110)
Under: 147.5 (-110)
How to Watch Toledo vs. Akron
Time: 9:00 PM ET/ 6:00 PM PT
TV: ESPN2
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Toledo Will Cover The Spread/Win
Article Continues Below
Toledo comes into the game sitting 134th in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings this year. They are 65th in adjusted offensive efficiency this year and 160th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Toledo is 42nd in the nation in points per game this year, while sitting 71st in effective field goal percentage this year. Toledo is led by Ra'Heim Moss this year. He comes into this game with 16.3 points per game this year, while also shooting 47.3 percent. Further, Dante Maddox Jr. has been solid. He has 15.5 points per game this year while shooting over 42 percent from three this year. Further, Toledo has two other players averaging over 12 points per game this year, and both shooting over 32 percent from three.
Toledo is 256th in rebounding this year, but they are also 69th in the nation in opponent rebounds this year. Tyler Cochran leads the way here. He comes in with 6.6 rebounds per game on the season, while also being one of the players over 12 points per game. He has 12.7 points per game this year while shooting 51.2 percent from the field. Moss is second on the team in rebounds as well, with 5.5 rebounds per game.
Toledo sits 248th in the nation in opponent points per game, while sitting 340th in the nation in opponent effective field goal percentage. Tyler Cochran has been solid on the defensive end of the floor as well. He has 2.1 steals per game this year, while Dante Maddox and Ra'Heim Moss both come in with over 1.4 steals per game this year.
Why Akron Will Cover The Spread/Win
Akron is 97th in the nation in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings this year while sitting 1032 in adjusted offensive efficiency and 97th in adjusted defensive efficiency this year. Akron sits 159th in the nation in points per game this year, while sitting 59th in the nation in effective field goal percentage this year. Enrique Freeman is the leader of the offense this year. He comes in with 18.5 points per game while shooting 59.2 percent from the field this year. Meanwhile, Ali Ali comes in with 15.5 points per game in his nine games this year. Further, he is shooting 45.9 percent from the field this year. Ali is also second on the team this year in assists, sitting with 2.6 assists per game this year.
Akron is 195th in rebounds this year but sits 74th in the nation in defensive rebounding percentage this year. Here, Freeman has been great as well. He comes into the game with 12.8 rebounds per game on the season. He has over one-third of all team rebounds this year. Second on the team in rebounds is Ali Ali who has just 3.6 per game, while Nate Johnson has 3.3 rebounds per game.
Akron is 40th in the nation in opponent points per game this year, while sitting 18th in the nation in rebounds allowed this year. Freeman is a big part of this, as he has dominated the boards this year. Further, he has 1.5 blocks per game and .0 steals per game. In a game where one player can take over, Freeman is that type of player, if he can keep his turnovers down. Freeman does have 2.4 turnovers per game this year.
Final Toledo-Akron Prediction & Pick
The difference in this game will be the Akron defense. They have been one of the best in the MAC all year, and continue to improve. Further, while Toledo has limited opponent rebounds, Akron has been better at that. A huge part of that is Enrique Freeman. Freeman should be able to dominate this game and that will give Akron a win.
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Final Toledo-Akron Prediction & Pick: Akron -4.5 (-120)
