Akron Zips vs Western Michigan Broncos Prediction, 2/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Akron Zips vs Western Michigan Broncos

Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Location: University Arena in Kalamazoo, MI

TV: ESPN+

University Arena is the location where the Western Michigan Broncos (9-16) will meet the Akron Zips (20-5) on Tuesday.

The Akron Zips faced off with UMass and earned the victory with a final of 99-92 in their last game. When it comes to fouls, the Zips ended up walking away with 20 and UMass totaled 29 fouls. They knocked down 11 of their 24 attempts from beyond the arc. UMass finished 64.7% at the charity stripe by making 11 of their 17 shots. Moreover, UMass had 22 boards (3 offensive, 19 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. UMass recorded 19 dimes and had 5 steals for this contest. When discussing defending, Akron allowed 57.4% from the floor on 35 out of 61 shooting. They also recorded 16 assists in the game as well as forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and having 7 steals. When discussing hauling in rebounds, they earned a total of 30 with 7 of them being of the offensive sort. From the free throw line, the Zips made 38 of their 43 shots for a rate of 88.4%. Akron finished having earned a 46.3% FG percentage (25 of 54) and made 11 of their 30 3-point attempts.

Tavari Johnson is a player who was a major factor in this contest. He walked away with 23 points on 7 of 16 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 36 mins and snagged 2 rebounds. He ended up shooting 43.8% from the field and dished out 4 dimes.

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Akron enters this one with a record of 20-5 for the year. They turn it over 10.9 times per game and as a team they commit 16.0 personal fouls every game. As a team, Akron is pulling down 37.7 rebounds per game and has accumulated 480 assists on the campaign, which ranks 16th in the country in terms of passing. The Zips are connecting on 37.2% on 3-point shots (272 of 731) and 77.4% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 89.9 pts per contest (8th in Division 1) while going 50.4% from the field.

Defensively, the Zips are able to force 14.0 turnovers per game while drawing 15.6 personal fouls. They are ranked 155th in college in allowing assists to the opposition with 339 conceded this year. The Zips defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 42.6% (654 of 1,536) and they relinquish 33.6 boards per game as a squad. They are giving up 34.6% on 3-point attempts and they are 219th in college hoops in PPG allowed (74.9).

The last time they took the court, the Western Michigan Broncos took home the win by a final score of 76-62 against Eastern Michigan. When it comes to how they rebounded, Western Michigan permitted Eastern Michigan to pull down 28 in total (6 offensive). They finished shooting 42.9% from beyond the arc by shooting 9 of 21 and ended up going 5 out of 9 at the charity stripe (55.6%). The Broncos permitted Eastern Michigan to knock down 24 of 59 attempts from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 40.7% in the game. Overall, the Broncos went 24 out of 61 from the field which had them shooting 39.3%. In the matter of 3-pointers, Western Michigan knocked down 9 of 16 attempts (56.3%). They were able to knock down 19 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 82.6%. Eastern Michigan committed 18 personal fouls in the game which got the Broncos to the free throw line for 23 attempts. They also turned it over 4 times, while getting 4 steals in the matchup. The Broncos recorded 30 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive boards for a total of 43 in this contest.

Brady Swartz ended up being a factor for the Broncos in this matchup. He had 16 points in his 36 minutes on the court, but wasn't able to get an assist. He made 6 out of 12 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and accounted for 7 rebounds.

Western Michigan has a mark of 9-16 for the season. The Broncos are committing 18.6 fouls every game while shooting 72.9% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 13.2 times per game (244th in college) and they are losing possession via turnover 12.4 times per game. Western Michigan has accounted for 1,871 pts on the season (74.8 per game) and they grab 36.9 rebounds per game. When it comes to offense, the Broncos are shooting 44.4% from the floor, which is 239th in the country.

The Broncos on the defensive side of the court are 319th in college in PPG given up with 79.3. They are forcing 10.0 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.8% from the field (279th in college hoops). The Western Michigan defense allows 35.3% on 3-point attempts (240 of 679) and their opposition knocks down 70.6% of their free throw shots. They allow 15.4 dimes and 34.5 boards per game, which has them ranked 312th and 186th in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Western Michigan

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