Toledo Rockets vs Akron Zips Prediction, 3/14/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Toledo Rockets vs Akron Zips

Date: Saturday, March 14, 2026

Location: Rocket Arena in Cleveland, OH

TV: ESPN2

Odds/Point Spread: Akron (-8)

The Toledo Rockets (18-14) are headed to Rocket Arena on Saturday where they will attempt to beat the Akron Zips (27-5) in the MAC Tournament Final. Toledo opens this contest as 8-point underdogs. The over/under has been set at 163.5.

The Toledo Rockets stepped onto the hardwood against Bowling Green and took home the win by a score of 77-76 in their last game. With respect to fouls, the Rockets ended up finishing with 14 while Bowling Green recorded 14 fouls. They made 5 of their 17 attempts from beyond the arc. Bowling Green ended up shooting 57.9% at the free throw line by knocking down 11 of their 19 tries. Furthermore, Bowling Green grabbed 25 boards (6 offensive, 19 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Bowling Green earned 15 dimes and had 8 steals for the game. With respect to defense, Toledo allowed the other team to shoot 52.6% from the floor on 30 of 57 shooting. They also recorded 11 dimes in the matchup while forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and getting 7 steals. In regard to grabbing boards, they compiled 30 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. At the free throw line, the Rockets knocked down 7 of 13 attempts for a rate of 53.8%. Toledo finished with a 50.8% field goal percentage (31 out of 61) and made 8 out of their 16 three-point attempts.

Leroy Blyden Jr. is a guy who was a major factor for the matchup. He finished the contest at 80.0% from the floor and totaled 2 assists. He saw the court for 33 minutes and also snagged 6 rebounds. He finished with 23 points on 8 out of 10 shooting.

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Toledo enters this one with a record of 18-14 this season. They are turning it over 10.1 times per game and as a team are committing 14.8 fouls every game. As a unit, Toledo is collecting 34.1 boards per contest and has earned 510 dimes this year, which is 73rd in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. The Rockets are shooting 36.4% on shots from 3-point land (229 of 629) and 76.3% from the free throw line. They are averaging 81.3 points per contest (63rd in D-1) while shooting 48.7% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Rockets are forcing 12.7 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.6 fouls. They give up 34.5% on shots from distance while they are 257th in college in points per game allowed (76.8). The Rockets defense is giving up a FG percentage of 47.1% (920 of 1,953) and they surrender 34.8 boards per game as a unit. They are 286th in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 476 conceded on the year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Akron Zips walked away with a victory by a final of 73-70 when they played Buffalo. When discussing how they attacked the glass, Akron allowed Buffalo to grab 28 in all (3 on the offensive side). They finished the game shooting 37.0% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 10 of 27 and ended up shooting 10 out of 20 at the free throw line (50.0%). The Zips allowed Buffalo to bury 25 out of their 54 tries from the floor which had them sitting at 46.3% in this contest. When this game wrapped up, the Zips went 27 for 59 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.8%. When discussing shots from beyond the perimeter, Akron converted 8 of 24 tries (33.3%). They were able to convert 11 of them for a rate of 61.1%. Buffalo earned 17 fouls for the contest which got the Zips to the free throw line for 18 tries. They also gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while earning 9 steals for the contest. The Zips pulled down 26 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 36 in the matchup.

Tavari Johnson was important for the Zips for the game. He knocked down 8 out of 16 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and accumulated 2 rebounds. He recorded 25 points in his 38 mins on the court and had 2 dimes for the matchup.

Akron has a mark of 27-5 so far this year. The Zips are responsible for committing 15.8 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 76.6% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 18.8 times per game (6th in college hoops) and they are giving up possession 11.1 times per contest. Akron has scored 2,850 points for the campaign (89.1 per contest) and they grab 38.1 rebounds per contest. As an offensive unit, the Zips are shooting 50.6% from the field, which is 9th in the nation.

The Akron defense gives up 35.0% on three-point shots (302 of 863) and their opponents are making 71.7% of their shots from the free throw line. They have allowed 13.3 dimes and 32.7 boards per contest, which is 179th and 78th in the nation. The Zips on the defensive end are ranked 175th in Division 1 in points given up per game with 73.6. They are able to force 13.8 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 42.4% from the floor (77th in college hoops).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Akron (-8)

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