Buffalo Bulls vs Akron Zips Prediction, 3/12/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Buffalo Bulls vs Akron Zips

Date: Thursday, March 12, 2026

Location: Rocket Arena in Cleveland, OH

TV: ESPN+

The Akron Zips (26-5) will try to beat the Buffalo Bulls (17-14) at Rocket Arena on Thursday in the MAC Tournament.

The Buffalo Bulls played Toledo and took a loss by a score of 99-78 in their last contest. In reference to fouls, the Bulls walked away with 10 while Toledo accounted for 11 fouls. They also made 12 of their 24 tries from 3-point land. Toledo finished the contest at 73.3% when shooting free throws by converting 11 of their 15 tries. Moreover, Toledo had 27 boards (9 offensive, 18 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Toledo earned 27 assists and had 9 steals in this contest. Pertaining to defense, Buffalo allowed their opponent to shoot 60.3% from the field on 38 of 63 shooting. They also distributed 11 assists in the game as well as forcing the opposition into 6 turnovers and having 5 steals. When discussing rebounding, they collected 29 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. From the free throw line, the Bulls buried 6 of their 9 shots for a rate of 66.7%. Buffalo ended the contest having earned a 53.4% field goal percentage (31 of 58) and converted 10 out of their 25 3-point attempts.

Ryan Sabol is one guy who was a major contributor in this game. He shot 45.5% from the field and also dished out 2 assists. He saw the court for 40 mins and also snagged 5 boards. He walked away with 26 points on 10 of 22 shooting.

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Buffalo will take the court with a record of 17-14 this year. They currently have an average of 78.3 points per outing (118th in D-1) while connecting on 47.3% from the field. The Bulls are hitting 38.3% on shots beyond the perimeter (298 of 778) and 74.1% from the free throw line. As a team, Buffalo is grabbing 31.6 rebounds per game and has totaled 452 dimes on the season, which is 149th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 10.8 times per game and as a squad they commit 16.1 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on the defensive end, the Bulls are able to force 12.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 17.5 personal fouls. They give up 35.0% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 241st in Division 1 in points per game allowed (76.3). The Bulls defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 47.6% (847 of 1,780) and they concede 33.3 rebounds per contest as a squad. They rank 327th in college hoops in giving up assists with 502 conceded on the season.

When they last played, the Akron Zips went home victorious with a score of 94-55 against Northern Illinois. Regarding how they rebounded, Akron permitted Northern Illinois to pull down 21 in total (4 offensive). They went 19.2% from behind the 3-point line by going 5 out of 26 and ended up going 6 out of 12 from the free throw line (50.0%). The Zips allowed Northern Illinois to convert 22 of 58 tries from the field which had them at 37.9% in the game. When all was said and done, the Zips finished 34 out of 57 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 59.6%. With regard to shooting from distance, Akron converted 18 out of their 27 tries (66.7%). They were able to knock down 8 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 66.7%. Northern Illinois committed 11 fouls for this game which got the Zips to the free throw line for a total of 12 attempts. They turned it over 12 times, while getting 9 steals for the contest. The Zips pulled down 31 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 38 in this contest.

Bowen Hardman ended up having an impact for the Zips in this matchup. He made 7 out of 8 for this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 87.5%, and had 1 rebound. He had 20 points in his 20 mins on the court and tallied 2 dimes for this game.

Akron has a mark of 26-5 this season. The Zips commit 15.7 personal fouls every game and they shoot 77.1% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 19.0 times per game (4th in D-1) and they turn the ball over 11.1 times per game. Akron has scored 2,777 points for the campaign (89.6 per contest) and they grab 38.2 boards per contest. When it comes to executing on offense, the Zips are hitting on 50.7% from the floor, which is ranked 9th in D-1.

The Akron defense allows 34.9% on three-point shots (292 of 836) and their opponents are connecting on 72.5% of their free throw attempts. They have surrendered 13.3 assists and 32.7 rebounds per game, which is 181st and 78th in D-1. The Zips on the defensive end are ranked 181st in college in points given up per game with 73.7. They are able to force 13.8 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 42.2% from the field (67th in the country).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Akron

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