Western Michigan Broncos vs Akron Zips Prediction, 1/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Western Michigan Broncos vs Akron Zips

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026

Location: James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, OH

TV: ESPN+

The Akron Zips (13-4) are hosting the Western Michigan Broncos (7-10) at James A. Rhodes Arena on Saturday.

The Western Michigan Broncos took the court against UMass and went home with a loss by a final score of 85-82 in their last contest. Western Michigan ended the game having earned a 47.5% field goal percentage (29 of 61) and converted 12 of their 31 3-pointers. At the charity stripe, the Broncos made 12 of 16 shots for a rate of 75.0%. When discussing rebounding, they earned 33 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 18 dimes in the game while forcing 10 turnovers and having 6 steals. When it comes to the defense, Western Michigan allowed the other team to shoot 47.5% from the field on 29 out of 61 shooting. UMass distributed 17 dimes and had 8 steals for the contest. In addition, UMass totaled 30 rebounds (9 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't have a block. UMass ended up going 80.0% when shooting free throws by knocking down 16 of their 20 attempts. They also made 11 of 29 tries from long range. With respect to personal fouls, the Broncos ended up walking away with 18 and UMass racked up 16 personal fouls.

Justice Williams is a guy who was a major factor in this game. He finished shooting 76.9% from the field and dished out 3 assists. He was on the court for 30 minutes and pulled down 5 rebounds. He racked up 29 points on 10 out of 13 shooting.

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Western Michigan will take the court with a record of 7-10 for the season. They are losing possession via turnover 13.6 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 19.7 fouls every game. As a unit, Western Michigan is collecting 37.9 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 242 assists for the campaign, which is 212th in college hoops in terms of passing. The Broncos are connecting on 33.9% on shots from 3-point land (120 of 354) and 73.9% from the charity stripe. They average 76.4 points per contest (199th in the country) while shooting 45.4% from the field.

Defensively, the Broncos are able to force 10.8 turnovers per game while drawing 17.5 fouls. They are ranked 278th in the country in allowing assists to the opposition with 258 surrendered on the campaign. The Broncos defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 44.4% (452 of 1,019) and they relinquish 34.7 rebounds per game as a team. They relinquish 32.6% on three-point shots while they are 307th in college hoops in PPG allowed (78.6).

In their last game, the Akron Zips got the win with a final of 87-77 when they played Ball State. The Zips pulled down 22 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 29 for the contest. They also gave up possession of the ball 8 times, while getting 7 steals in this contest. Ball State earned 14 personal fouls for the contest which got the Zips to the charity stripe for 16 tries. They were able to knock down 14 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 87.5%. Concerning 3-point shots, Akron made 13 out of 35 tries (37.1%). Overall, the Zips went 30 out of 63 from the field which gave them a percentage of 47.6%. The Zips allowed Ball State to convert 27 of 56 tries from the floor which left them with a rate of 48.2% in the matchup. They went 32.0% from distance by going 8 of 25 and ended up going 15 of 19 from the free throw line (78.9%). When it comes to attacking the glass, Akron permitted Ball State to grab 27 in total (5 on the offensive side).

Tavari Johnson pitched in for the Zips for the matchup. He racked up 22 points in his 37 minutes on the hardwood and accounted for 7 assists in the matchup. He buried 9 of 20 for the game giving him a rate of 45.0%, and had 2 rebounds.

Akron has a win-loss record of 13-4 for the year. The Zips have committed 16.2 personal fouls every game while shooting 76.4% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 20.3 times per contest (4th in the nation) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 10.8 times per contest. Akron has scored 1,581 points this season (93.0 per contest) and they grab 38.3 rebounds per contest. As an offensive unit, the Zips are hitting on 52.0% from the floor, which has them ranked 6th in D-1.

The Akron defense surrenders 33.9% on shots from distance (162 of 478) and their opponents are connecting on 74.4% of their free throw shots. They give up 13.6 assists and 33.1 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks them 210th and 100th in those categories on the defensive end. The Zips on the defensive end are ranked 245th in the country in PPG allowed with 75.8. They are forcing their opponents into 14.5 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 42.4% from the field (123rd in the nation).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Akron

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