The Bowling Green Falcons take on the Akron Zips. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Bowling Green Akron prediction and pick. Find how to watch Bowling Green Akron.

Bowling Green has a 10-3 record, Akron a 9-4 record through 13 games. Based on that simple collection of facts, you might think this game sets up as an evenly-matched event. Yet, the betting markets don't think so. Akron is a solid favorite over Bowling Green in this early-season Mid-American Conference matchup.

Let's dig into the details.

Bowling Green has lost to Oakland, Bellarmine, and Western Kentucky. Akron has lost to Utah State, Drake, UNLV, and Saint Bonaventure. You can see that Akron's losses are of a higher quality than Bowling Green's. Utah State is a Mountain West contender. Drake is a Missouri Valley Conference contender. UNLV is a Mountain West team with more talent than the teams Bowling Green has lost to. UNLV beat Creighton by 15 points earlier this season. Saint Bonaventure is a decent team in the Atlantic 10.

When we look at Bowling Green's losses, the Falcons' defeats at the hands of Oakland and Bellarmine look particularly bad. Oakland is 8-8, Bellarmine 4-12. The Western Kentucky loss is aging well — WKU is 11-3 — but that loss to Bellarmine in particular does not reflect well on Bowling Green. This might offer some perspective on the lines below, and why they are what they are.

Here are the Bowling Green-Akron College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: Bowling Green-Akron Odds

Bowling Green Falcons: +9.5 (-102)

Akron Zips: -9.5 (-120)

Over: 142.5 (-110)

Under: 142.5 (-110)

How To Watch Bowling Green vs Akron

Time: 9:00 pm ET / 6:00 pm PT

TV: ESPN Plus

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Bowling Green Could Cover the Spread

The Bowling Green schedule has been easier than Akron's schedule, but has it been that much easier to warrant Akron covering a spread of nearly 10 points? Akron's losses to UNLV and Saint Bonaventure aren't that impressive. UNLV has been a wildly inconsistent team, and Saint Bonaventure is part of an Atlantic 10 Conference which is unlikely to create an at-large team in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. It's true that Akron's losses to Utah State and Drake are to teams which have a better-than-even chance of making the NCAA Tournament (at least in the case of Utah State), but those other losses to UNLV and Saint Bonaventure are not looking all that great right now.

The beginning of conference play also means that the underdogs in these backyard battles have a little more enthusiasm than they will later in the season. In late February, the teams in the middle or lower tiers of a conference, beaten down by a lot of losses, get discouraged and lose heart in the face of superior opposition. At the start of conference play, the slate is still relatively clean for these teams. Bowling Green is seen as a clearly inferior team compared to Akron, but the Falcons are 1-0 in MAC play, and they are going to take the court with confidence in this game. One month from now, it might not have been the same.

Why Akron Could Cover the Spread

The Zips' tougher schedule should benefit them against a Bowling Green team which was fortunate to beat Eastern Michigan in overtime earlier this week. Bowling Green did not offer a convincing performance in that game. Akron, at home, will clobber Bowling Green if the Falcons play anywhere close to how they played against Eastern Michigan.

Final Bowling Green-Akron Prediction & Pick

The instinct here is to lean to Akron, but early-season conference play can throw some curveballs. Maybe make a small play on Akron but be ready to hedge.

Final Bowling Green-Akron Prediction & Pick: Akron -9.5