The Arizona Wildcats will be making their fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament when they take on the 13 seed Akron Zips. Arizona enters the tournament as a 4 seed after falling in the Big 12 championship game. The Wildcats have had an up and down season, but went on a 13-1 run during the middle of the season when they were looking like one of the best teams in the country.
They are led by their high powered offense averaging 81.7 points per game that is headlined by Caleb Love. Arizona has a pair of former prominent March Madness figures in Love who averaged 18.8 ppg for North Carolina in their run to the national championship in 2022, and Trey Townsend who was the best player on an Oakland team that upset Kentucky last season.
Akron earned an automatic bid as winners of the MAC tournament thanks to a big second half comeback in the championship game, and are making consecutive appearances in March Madness for the first time in school history. The Zips are also known for their offensive prowess as they like to get up and down the court and shoot the three ball.
They normally run a ten man rotation but two names to know is the Johnson duo of Nate and Tavari who are both in their third season at Akron and one of them has led the team in scoring in 20 games this season. When looking at mid-majors in March coaching is a big deal, and Akron has an experienced one in John Groce who has been to the tournament five other times and led the 13 seed Ohio Bobcats to the Sweet 16 in 2012 thanks to an upset over Michigan.
The winner of this one will advance to the second round where they will meet with the winner of Oregon and Liberty.
How to watch Akron vs. Arizona
- Date: Friday, March 21
- Time: 7:35 p.m. ET
- Venue: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA
- How to Watch (TV): truTV
- Streaming: fubo TV
- Akron record: 28-6 (17-1)
- Arizona record: 22-12 (14-6)
Akron vs. Arizona odds, spread and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline
- Akron +740
- Arizona -1250
Spread
- Akron +14.5 (-118)
- Arizona -14.5 (-104)
Total
- 166.5 (over -110/under -110)
Akron injury report
- N/A
Arizona injury report
- Motiejus Krivas, C: Out (lower leg)
Arizona and Akron series history
- First-ever meeting
Akron vs. Arizona prediction
This game will be fast, fun, and feature a lot of points. Akron and Arizona both rank in the top 60 of KenPom’s adjusted tempo and top 20 in points per game. Both teams are not known for their defensive prowess but they surely know how to put the ball in the hoop.
A key aspect of this game to keep an eye on is the size differential. Akron is a small team with seven of the guys in their 10 man rotation standing at 6’3” or below and their tallest player being 6’8” in James Okonkwo who on average is on the court for less than half of the game. The Wildcats have the size and length advantage, but the question is will they be forced to play small and struggle at it.
In the end, with a game that I expect to be fast paced and high scoring I just do not see Akron being able to keep up. The size will be too much and look for Caleb Love to fill it up along with athletic 7-footer Henri Veesaar to have a big game and send Arizona into the next round.
Prediction: Arizona 82, Akron 70