Miami (Ohio) vs. Akron Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for MAC Championship Final

Akron and Miami have been the two best teams in the Mid-American Conference all season long, and now the two will face each other in the tournament final.

Akron dominated the conference all season long, going 17-1, including a dominant 102-75 win against Miami on January 25. Will we see another comfortable victory for Akron in the final, or does Miami have a chance to pull off the upset?

Let’s find out what the oddsmakers.

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

Moneyline

Total

Miami (Ohio)

Peter Suder: Peter Suder was the biggest bright spot for Miami when these two teams faced off in the regular season. He went 8-of-12 from the field for 18 points while also recording two steals. The Redhawks should consider leaning on him on Sunday.

Akron

Nate Johnson: Not only is Nate Johnson Akron’s leading scorer, averaging 13.2 points per game, but he’s also one of their better defensive players, averaging 1.8 steals per game. He recorded 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and four steals in the regular season game against the Redhawks.

Despite the difference in record and the comfortable win by Akron when these teams met in the regular season, i think this game is going to be surprisingly close. A lot of the metrics between these two teams are similar, and the RedHawks edge out Akron in effective field goal percentage, 55.3% to 55.2%.

One thing Miami can do to not only cover this spread but potentially pull off the upset is force turnovers. The Zips are 160th in college basketball in turnovers per possession, coughing it up 16.5% of the time they have the ball. Now, they face a Miami team that ranks 49th in opponent turnovers per game at 13.6.

If the Redhawks can match the shooting of the Zips and also win the turnover battle, they’ll be in this game until the end.

Pick: Miami +5.5 (-110) via FanDuel Sportsbook

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