Akron Zips vs Ball State Cardinals Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Akron Zips vs Ball State Cardinals

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Worthen Arena in Muncie, IN

TV: ESPN+

The Akron Zips (21-5) are traveling to Worthen Arena on Saturday where they will try to beat the Ball State Cardinals (8-18).

The Akron Zips stepped onto the hardwood against Western Michigan and walked away with a win by a score of 90-73 in their last contest. Akron ended the contest with a 50.0% field goal percentage (33 of 66) and knocked down 12 of 28 3-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Zips buried 12 of 16 attempts for a rate of 75.0%. In relation to hauling in rebounds, they compiled 38 with 13 of them being offensive. They also dished out 17 assists for this game while forcing the other team into 9 turnovers and earning 6 steals. With regard to defense, Akron allowed 44.1% from the field on 26 of 59 shooting. Western Michigan distributed 12 dimes and had 1 steal in this contest. Moreover, Western Michigan snagged 22 rebounds (5 offensive, 17 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Western Michigan finished 76.9% when shooting free throws by burying 10 of 13 attempts. They knocked down 11 of their 27 shots from beyond the arc. When talking about fouls, the Zips ended up with 16 and Western Michigan racked up 15 fouls.

Tavari Johnson is a player who was a factor for the matchup. He finished the game at 40.0% from the field and also dished out 6 dimes. He was on the court for 30 mins played but ended the game without a board. He accounted for 17 points on 6 of 15 shooting.

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Akron comes into this game with a win-loss record of 21-5 this season. They turn it over 10.7 times per game and as a group are committing 16.0 personal fouls every game. As a unit, Akron is pulling down 37.9 rebounds per contest and has totaled 497 dimes on the season, which is 11th in college hoops in terms of passing. The Zips are shooting 37.4% from downtown (284 of 759) and 77.3% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 89.9 points per game (8th in the country) while hitting 50.4% from the floor.

Defensively, the Zips are forcing their opponents into 13.8 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 15.5 fouls. They currently rank 163rd in college hoops in allowing assists to their opponents with 351 conceded on the campaign. The Zips are giving up a field goal percentage of 42.6% (680 of 1,595) and they concede 33.4 rebounds per game as a team. They give up 34.9% on 3-pointers while they are 219th in college hoops in points per game allowed (74.8).

The last time they took the court, the Ball State Cardinals took a loss by a final score of 69-57 when they played Ohio. The Cardinals earned 23 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards for a total of 33 for the contest. They also gave up possession 9 times, while getting 6 steals in the matchup. Ohio committed 12 personal fouls in this contest which got the Cardinals to the free throw line for 14 shots. They were able to knock down 8 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 57.1%. Regarding three-point attempts, Ball State made 5 out of their 18 attempts (27.8%). Overall, the Cardinals shot 22 for 54 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 40.7%. The Cardinals allowed Ohio to make 22 of 52 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 42.3% in the matchup. They finished the game shooting 38.1% from distance by going 8 of 21 and finished the contest at 17 out of 21 at the charity stripe (81.0%). In relation to rebounding, Ball State permitted Ohio to get 30 overall (6 on the offensive side).

Devon Barnes ended up having an impact for the Cardinals for the game. He knocked down 7 of 11 in this game for a field goal rate of 63.6%, and earned 1 rebound. He accumulated 17 points in his 19 minutes on the court and totaled 2 assists for this game.

Ball State has a record of 8-18 so far this season. In terms of offensive execution, the Cardinals are shooting 41.2% from the floor, which is 344th in the nation. Ball State has totaled 1,716 points for the year (66.0 per contest) and they average 31.7 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 12.0 times per contest (316th in the country) and they turn the ball over 10.7 times per game. The Cardinals commit 15.7 fouls per game and they go 69.4% from the free throw line.

The Ball State defense allows 34.2% on 3-pointers (202 of 590) and their opponents are connecting on 76.8% of their free throw attempts. They concede 13.2 assists and 35.7 rebounds every game, which is ranked 166th and 255th in the nation. The Cardinals on the defensive end are ranked 82nd in D-1 in PPG surrendered with 70.0. They are able to force 12.9 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.3% from the field (256th in the country).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Akron

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