Who’s Playing
Akron Zips @ Yale Bulldogs
Current Records: Akron 6-3, Yale 5-5
How To Watch
What to Know
The Yale Bulldogs and the Akron Zips will compete for holiday cheer at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday at Don Haskins Center. The Bulldogs are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 82.1 points per game this season.
Yale took a loss when they played away from home on December 2nd, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed two weeks ago. They took down Vermont 65-50.
Meanwhile, Akron unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Sunday. They suffered a grim 100-81 defeat to Milwaukee.
Despite their loss, Akron saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Tavari Johnson, who scored 22 points in addition to two steals, was perhaps the best of all. Nate Johnson was another key player, earning 19 points plus six rebounds and two steals.
Yale pushed their record up to 5-5 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. As for Akron, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-3.
Friday’s match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Yale has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 38.5% of their threes per game. However, it’s not like Akron struggles in that department as they’ve drained 36.8% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Yale is hoping to beat the odds on Friday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. For those looking to play the spread, keep Yale in mind: they have a solid 6-3 record against the spread this season.
Odds
Akron is a 3.5-point favorite against Yale, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The line has drifted a bit towards the Zips, as the game opened with the Zips as a 1.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 155.5 points.
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