Central Michigan Chippewas vs Akron Zips Prediction, 1/6/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Central Michigan Chippewas vs Akron Zips

Date: Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Location: James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, OH

TV: ESPN+

James A. Rhodes Arena is where the Akron Zips (10-4) will take on the Central Michigan Chippewas (4-11) on Tuesday.

The Central Michigan Chippewas took the court against Toledo and ended up losing by a score of 78-75 in their last contest. In relation to fouls, the Chippewas walked away with 22 and Toledo accounted for 12 fouls. They also converted 4 of their 12 attempts from beyond the perimeter. Toledo walked away from this one shooting 81.3% at the free throw line by burying 26 of their 32 attempts. Moreover, Toledo grabbed 36 rebounds (11 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Toledo recorded 13 assists and had 4 steals for this game. In relation to defense, Central Michigan allowed their opponent to shoot 40.0% from the field on 24 out of 60 shooting. They also recorded 12 dimes in this contest as well as forcing 7 turnovers and earning 4 steals. In the matter of grabbing rebounds, they compiled 22 with 2 of them being offensive. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Chippewas converted 9 of their 12 tries for a percentage of 75.0%. Central Michigan walked away from the game with a 48.3% field goal percentage (29 out of 60) and converted 8 of their 19 three-point shots.

Phat Phat Brooks is a player who had an impact in the matchup. He ended up with 17 points on 6 out of 13 shooting. He played for 25 minutes played and totaled 2 boards. He went 46.2% from the field and totaled 2 assists.

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Central Michigan comes into this matchup with a record of 4-11 so far this season. They are averaging 72.1 pts per contest (293rd in the country) on 45.3% from the field. The Chippewas are shooting 28.1% on 3-pointers (85 of 302) and 71.5% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Central Michigan is pulling down 33.9 rebounds per game and has accounted for 234 dimes for the season, which ranks 106th in D-1 in terms of passing. They cough up possession 12.5 times per game and as a team they commit 18.7 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Chippewas are able to force 12.0 turnovers per game while drawing 16.5 fouls. They give up 33.1% on 3-point attempts and they are 298th in the country in points per game from their opponents (78.1). The Chippewas are giving up a shooting percentage of 45.9% (401 of 874) and they concede 36.9 rebounds per game as a group. They are ranked 336th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 248 relinquished so far this season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Akron Zips took a loss by a final score of 76-73 against Miami. In regard to cleaning the glass, Akron permitted Miami to snag 32 overall (9 on the offensive side). They shot 31.4% from 3-point land by connecting on 11 of 35 and ended up shooting 25 out of 30 from the free throw line (83.3%). The Zips permitted Miami to bury 20 of their 53 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 37.7% in this matchup. Overall, the Zips shot 28 for 64 from the field which had them shooting 43.8%. When discussing 3-pointers, Akron converted 8 of their 32 tries (25.0%). They were able to knock down 9 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 90.0%. Miami had 12 fouls in this matchup which took the Zips to the charity stripe for a total of 10 shots. They turned it over 15 times, while earning 11 steals in the matchup. The Zips recorded 25 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 35 for this game.

Tavari Johnson ended up being important for the Zips in this matchup. He earned 22 points in his 36 minutes on the hardwood and had 4 dimes in this contest. He knocked down 8 out of 18 in this game for a field goal rate of 44.4%, and had 1 rebound.

Akron has a win-loss record of 10-4 so far this year. When it comes to offensive execution, the Zips are connecting on 52.6% from the field, which ranks 6th in the nation. Akron has scored 1,335 pts for the season (95.4 per game) and they collect 38.9 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 20.6 times per game (6th in the country) and they cough up possession 10.1 times per contest. The Zips are responsible for committing 16.1 fouls per contest and they connect on 76.0% from the charity stripe.

The Akron defense surrenders 34.5% on shots from beyond the arc (143 of 415) and their opponents are making 73.9% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 14.4 dimes and 33.9 rebounds per contest, which ranks them 261st and 151st in those categories on the defensive end. The Zips on defense are ranked 267th in D-1 in PPG given up with 76.8. They are able to force 14.6 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 41.9% from the floor (99th in college).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Central Michigan

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