Akron Zips vs Ohio Bobcats Prediction, 1/23/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Akron Zips vs Ohio Bobcats

Date: Friday, January 23, 2026

Location: Convocation Center in Athens, OH

TV: ESPNU

The Akron Zips (14-4) are traveling to Convocation Center on Friday where they will try to beat the Ohio Bobcats (10-9).

The Akron Zips played Buffalo and went home with a win by a final score of 82-63 in their last contest. In the matter of personal fouls, the Zips finished with 14 while Buffalo had 17 personal fouls. They also converted 8 out of their 32 shots from distance. Buffalo finished 69.2% from the free throw line by making 9 of their 13 tries. In addition, Buffalo totaled 36 boards (14 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't have a block. Buffalo doled out 15 assists and had 6 steals for the game. In the matter of defense, Akron allowed their opponent to shoot 35.4% from the floor on 23 out of 65 shooting. They also recorded 21 assists for this game in addition to forcing 13 turnovers and earning 8 steals. When discussing grabbing rebounds, they compiled 38 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. From the charity stripe, the Zips made 14 of 19 shots for a rate of 73.7%. Akron walked away from the contest having earned a 46.6% field goal percentage (27 out of 58) and buried 14 of 35 shots from 3-point land.

Amani Lyles is one guy who was a factor for the game. He shot 50.0% from the field and also earned 4 assists. He was on the hardwood for 26 mins and grabbed 15 rebounds. He walked away with 18 points on 6 of 12 shooting.

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Akron will enter this contest with a win-loss mark of 14-4 this year. They average 93.6 points per game (3rd in D-1) while hitting 52.2% from the floor. The Zips are shooting 38.5% on shots beyond the perimeter (202 of 524) and 76.8% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Akron is collecting 37.9 boards per contest and has accumulated 368 dimes this season, which has them ranked 6th in college in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 10.6 times per contest and as a team they are committing 16.1 fouls per game.

On the defensive end of the court, the Zips are forcing 14.3 turnovers per contest while drawing 15.2 personal fouls. They rank 205th in college hoops in giving up assists with 249 surrendered on the year. The Zips defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 43.1% (479 of 1,111) and they surrender 32.8 boards per contest as a team. They relinquish 34.5% on shots from distance and they are ranked 262nd in college in points per game allowed (76.5).

In their last game, the Ohio Bobcats walked away with a victory by a final of 80-77 when they faced Northern Illinois. The Bobcats collected 19 defensive boards and 7 offensive boards for a total of 26 in the matchup. They coughed up the ball 13 times, while getting 4 steals for the contest. Northern Illinois was called for 22 fouls for the matchup which took the Bobcats to the free throw line for a total of 25 shots. They were able to make 18 of the free throws for a rate of 72.0%. In relation to shooting from downtown, Ohio converted 8 of their 19 tries (42.1%). At the conclusion of this game, the Bobcats ended up going 27 out of 54 from the floor which gave them a rate of 50.0%. The Bobcats allowed Northern Illinois to knock down 24 of their 53 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 45.3% in the matchup. They went 45.0% from distance by shooting 9 of 20 and finished the game at 20 out of 27 at the free throw line (74.1%). In relation to how they attacked the glass, Ohio allowed Northern Illinois to snag 28 in total (9 on the offensive glass).

Jackson Paveletzke ended up being a major contributor for the Bobcats in this matchup. He made 7 of 12 for the contest for a field goal percentage of 58.3%, and added 3 rebounds. He scored 23 points in his 38 minutes on the hardwood and accounted for 4 dimes for this game.

Ohio has a record of 10-9 on the campaign. As an offense, the Bobcats are shooting 47.6% from the floor, which is 68th in the nation. Ohio has accounted for 1,483 points for the campaign (78.1 per contest) and they snag 34.4 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 13.7 times per game (226th in the country) and they lose possession via turnover 12.3 times per contest. The Bobcats are committing 17.0 fouls per game while shooting 68.3% from the charity stripe.

The Bobcats on the defensive end are ranked 278th in D-1 in points given up per game with 77.2. They are forcing their opponents into 12.7 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.2% from the field (264th in college hoops). The Ohio defense concedes 34.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter (146 of 419) and their opponents are converting on 73.8% of their foul shots. They surrender 13.7 dimes and 35.4 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 215th and 229th in the country.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Akron

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