This is not my content but posting in support of AA
Akron (-1): I get no pleasure in being critical of other teams but I might as well be honest in these write ups and tell it like it is. On that note I now point out that despite that 12-2 record I consider Central Michigan to be complete frauds. Yes they are 12-2 but before I get going I’ll have to point out they’ve done it against the 348th toughest schedule in the nation. They’ve only played one good opponent all year and that was TCU in a game where not so surprisingly they were blown out by 27 points. Outside of that the best team they’ve played in their other 13 games is Miami (OH) who is roughly a top 170 team. They are ho-hum offensively and even worse defensively. As a team they check in 207th in defensive efficiency and much of that is due to the fact they get beat up inside. They are a very small team so it isn’t surprising they’ve had trouble defending the paint. Another huge issue that could play a role in what figures to be a close game tonight is their horrid FT shooting. As a team the Chippewas shoot only 63.5% from the line which is 322nd in the country. Roundtree is respectable at 72% but other than him every other key contributor is in the 50’s or 60’s percentage wise from the foul line. Lastly it’s worth noting how they get next to nothing at all from their bench. The Chipps are 343rd in the nation in overall bench minutes and foul trouble of any kind to a few of their key guys would really make life difficult. Switching over to Akron we have a team that’s flat out just better. They have a better roster, better team, and should finish higher in the MAC than Central Michigan. Offensively they are still finding themselves a bit, but defensively they are already playing at a high level. They’ll do their best to slow the tempo in this game which is exactly the kind of style Central Michigan tries to avoid. I really see this as a challenge for the CMU offense to score in the half court against this Zips defense. Akron is 23rd in the nation in effective FG% defense and they don’t give up too many open looks. They force you into long possessions that usually end up in a contested and low percentage shot. I also love the fact they’ve already shown they can hang with very good competition as they lost at Nevada by only 6, and lost on a neutral court to Clemson by only 3. At the end of the day my numbers say Akron is a clearly better team and even on the road that laying only 1 is short. I made this line -3.5 for the Zips and I’ll happily take them in what is damn near a PK spot.