Akron Zips vs Buffalo Bulls Prediction, 1/20/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Akron Zips vs Buffalo Bulls

Date: Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Location: Alumni Arena in Buffalo, NY

TV: ESPN+

Alumni Arena is where the Buffalo Bulls (13-5) will go up against the Akron Zips (14-4) on Tuesday.

The Akron Zips stepped onto the hardwood against Western Michigan and went home with a win by a final score of 104-89 in their last game. Akron finished having earned a 56.7% field goal percentage (38 of 67) and knocked down 20 of 35 three-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Zips converted 8 of their 9 attempts for a rate of 88.9%. With regard to rebounding, they compiled 29 with 11 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 23 assists in the matchup as well as forcing 11 turnovers and earning 8 steals. When it comes to defense, Akron allowed the other team to go 55.7% from the field on 34 out of 61 shooting. Western Michigan recorded 17 dimes and had 2 steals in this contest. In addition, Western Michigan snagged 23 rebounds (8 offensive, 15 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Western Michigan walked away from this one shooting 64.3% from the free throw line by converting 9 of 14 shots. They also knocked down 12 of their 26 shots from 3-point range. In reference to personal fouls, the Zips ended up finishing with 13 and Western Michigan totaled 15 personal fouls.

Tavari Johnson is a guy who played a role in this contest. He shot 57.1% from the field and totaled 8 assists. He was on the court for 36 minutes and snagged 4 rebounds. He accounted for 32 points on 12 out of 21 shooting.

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Akron comes into this matchup with a win-loss record of 14-4 so far this year. They are turning it over 10.6 times per contest and as a team they commit 16.1 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Akron is pulling down 37.9 boards per game and is sitting with 368 assists for the campaign, which is 6th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. The Zips are hitting 38.5% on shots from distance (202 of 524) and 76.8% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 93.6 points per contest (3rd in college) while connecting on 52.2% from the floor.

When they are on the defensive end, the Zips have forced 14.3 turnovers per game and they draw 15.2 fouls. They give up 34.5% from beyond the arc and they rank 262nd in college hoops in PPG allowed (76.5). The Zips are giving up a field goal percentage of 43.1% (479 of 1,111) and they relinquish 32.8 boards per contest as a squad. They rank 205th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 249 surrendered on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the Buffalo Bulls took a defeat with a final score of 105-102 when they played Miami. Regarding how they rebounded, Buffalo permitted Miami to get 29 in total (4 on the offensive side). They wrapped up this game 44.8% from three-point range by shooting 13 out of 29 and ended up shooting 16 of 26 at the free throw line (61.5%). The Bulls allowed Miami to convert 38 out of 66 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 57.6% in this game. When all was said and done, the Bulls went 35 out of 65 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 53.8%. When it comes to shooting from beyond the arc, Buffalo made 13 of 26 tries (50.0%). They were able to convert 19 of the free throw tries for a rate of 82.6%. Miami earned 18 fouls in this game which got the Bulls to the charity stripe for 23 shots. They also turned the ball over 14 times, while getting 7 steals for the game. The Bulls snagged 26 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive rebounds totaling 32 for the game.

Angelo Brizzi was important for the Bulls for this game. He knocked down 9 out of 12 in the game for a field goal rate of 75.0%, and added 3 rebounds. He tallied 24 points in his 33 mins of playing time and earned 2 assists for this contest.

Buffalo has a mark of 13-5 this season. The Bulls have committed 16.6 fouls per contest and they shoot 74.4% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 14.7 times per game (155th in college) and they are turning it over 10.3 times per contest. Buffalo has totaled 1,461 pts on the year (81.2 per game) and they pull in 32.2 rebounds per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Bulls are shooting 48.5% from the floor, which ranks them 44th in the country.

The Bulls defensively are ranked 212th in Division 1 in points allowed per game with 74.5. They are able to force 12.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 45.9% from the floor (296th in D-1). The Buffalo defense allows 33.4% on shots from beyond the perimeter (150 of 449) and their opponents are making 74.7% of their free throw attempts. They have allowed 15.5 dimes and 32.6 total boards per game, which is ranked 307th and 78th in college.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Akron

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