UCLA vs Akron Predictions and Betting Preview
Sportsmemo handicapper JM Sports gives his UCLA vs Akron predictions and betting preview for the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 17. At the time of posting, the Bruins are a 13.5-point favorite against the Zips, with the total sitting at 128 points.
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Thursday, March 17 | NCAA Tournament Betting Notes |
---|---|
Point Spread: | UCLA Bruins -13.5 vs Akron Zips |
Total: | 128 Points |
Game Time: | Approx. 9:50pm ET / 6:50pm PT |
Arena: | Moda Center in Portland, OR |
TV: | TBS |
UCLA vs Akron Predictions Analysis
The MAC Champion, Akron, is ready to take on UCLA in their first March Madness appearance since 2013, yet they have never made it beyond the 1st round.
Akron has a fire lit under them though heading into this game, after a controversial end to the MAC tournament, as a result of a social media video posted by Kent State, that ended in 4 players getting suspended for at least the 1st half of the championship game.
Yet, regardless, Akron ended up winning that game by 20 points and taking the crown and the automatic bid to the tournament. Now the 22-9 Zips are set to take on the 25-7 Bruins after their loss to Arizona in the Pac-12 tournament.
Ali Ali Aiding Akron
Akron comes into this tournament with the automatic bid to the tournament, led by Ali Ali, who was seemingly the main focus in the aforementioned video posted by Kent State and now he gets the last laugh as they head to the dance.
Ali Ali has played in 87% of Akron’s minutes this season, being one of the most utilized players in the entirety of division-1 ball.
He also finds himself as one of the best 3PT shooters in the nation, and without a question one of the best in the MAC, cashing in on nearly 41% of his 3PT attempts this season.
Ali Ali and Akron have put together a 22-9 record on the season, including 17-14 against the spread, and they are 12-6 on the road this season.
Away from their home court they have put up 70.7 PPG, while their defense has held the opposition to less then 63 points on the road in their journey to 12-6.
Akron has played this entire season looking like the underdog, but they started off on a good note, losing to Ohio State who has found their way to 7th seed by just one point to open the season.
They have posted a 3-2 record against teams that rank in the top-100 offensively, cashing in on 2 wins against Buffalo and a big win against #1 seed Toledo in the MAC tournament, but this is just their 2nd game of the season against teams that rank in the top-100 defensively, with the only previous match-up coming against Fordham in the 2nd game of the season.
Not to mention, that Fordham’s defense doesn’t come close to comparing to the capability of this UCLA team.
UCLA Poised For a Final Four Return
UCLA has to have their sites set on a rematch vs. Arizona, even if that would only be possible in the Championship game on April 4th. They look to improve their 25-7 record on the season as they take on the MAC champions, on top of their 10-5 record on the road this season.
They also ended the season on a 4-1 run, with the only loss coming to Arizona, and in that stretch, they have posted nearly 80 PPG against a difficult stretch of opponents. UCLA has possessed a top-20 offense and defense against the 36th hardest schedule in the nation.
They have been one of the best teams in terms of ball-handling, ranking 5th in turnover percentage lost, and they are 74th in effective FG% allowed.
They have used their height to their advantage and most of their losses have come against top-caliber opponents, losing just three games against teams outside the KenPom top-45. On top of that, two of those three losses that came to opponents outside the top-45, came in overtime, losing to Oregon in OT, prior to a loss to Arizona State in 3OT.
They have played an impressive schedule this season, resulting in an impressive record, but they have an even more impressive history recently in March Madness, posting a 6-0 record against the spread over the last two seasons, putting up 75.8 PPG and allowing just 68 PPG to the opponents in the big dance.
They have covered 7 of the last 10 games overall and they are 8-5-1 against the spread as a double digit favorite this season.
They are also 8-2 straight up in the last 10 games and 13-1 straight up as a double digit favorite on the season.
While rest hasn’t always been a huge factor in the winners of these tournament games, for UCLA and coach Cronin, rest has been a helpful aspect as they are 16-5 against the spread under Cronin when playing just their 3rd game in a week.
In those games, they are outscoring opponents by nearly 12 points, putting up 75.2 PPG and allowing just 63.6 in those 21 games!
UCLA vs Akron Prediction
Strength of schedule again plays a big part in this tournament action. Akron may be one of the hottest teams coming into this tournament, but the difficulty of their schedule and opponents doesn’t compare to the Pac-12 schedule that UCLA has played.
Behind Ali Ali, Akron is absolutely capable of putting together an impressive outing, but is it enough to take down the 4th seed team in Eastern Conference bracket.
In the last 5 years, in the 1st round of the NCAA tournament, when two “good” teams face-off (60-80% win percentage) those games have gone under the total 60 out of 86 times, while it has gone under in 68 out of 98 opportunities in all 1st round tournament games in the last five seasons.
Akron is 25-51 over/under against up-tempo teams (62+ shots/game) since 1997, while UCLA is 15-39 over/under against slow-tempo teams (putting up 53 or less shots/game) since 1997. On top of that, coach Cronin is 30-61 over/under on the road in non-conference games dating back to 1997.
Prediction: Opinion : Akron +13.5 & Under 128.5
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UCLA vs Akron GoldSheet Preview
College Basketball Stat Sheet
GoldSheet prepares a daily college basketball stat sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Thursday’s sheet, with notes on the UCLA vs Akron contest.
NCAAB Odds Screen
Sportsmemo’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the college basketball point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of the NCAA Tournament games, including this UCLA vs Akron showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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