Akron Zips vs Texas Tech Red Raiders Prediction, Odds and Picks for Friday, 03/20/26

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After a long and eventful regular season and the beautiful chaos of Championship Week, the best time of year is finally here. March Madness has arrived and with it comes a plethora of games for us to dig into over the course of a couple of action-packed days. One of the first games on Friday’s slate features a team that profiles as a March sleeper in the Akron Zips, and there is an opportunity for the champions of the MAC to make a splash against a Big 12 opponent.

Akron has been in this spot before, as this is the third straight year that John Groce’s side has made the Big Dance, and they should be able to learn from their previous experiences in this setting. Led by Tavari Johnson and Shammah Scott in the backcourt, the Zips have veteran leaders all over the floor and an offense that has the capability to do major damage both from the perimeter and in the paint. Akron boasts one of the most efficient mid-major offenses inside of 15 feet, and the Zips can also knock down outside shots at nearly a 40% clip. Furthermore, Akron should be able to create second-chance opportunities with its prowess on the glass, while Texas Tech has taken a massive hit in the rebounding department over the last month (288th in defensive rebounding rate). On the other side, it’s also worth mentioning that while Texas Tech has played admirably without the services of JT Toppin (out for the season with a torn ACL), the Red Raiders have now become incredibly reliant on their backcourt play and outside shooters. To their credit, Grant McCasland’s team has shot the lights out from beyond the arc in recent weeks, but that just signals to me that regression is certainly coming due for a team that is top 10 in both 3-point rate and 3-point percentage over the last month. If Texas Tech has a less than stellar day from deep, that creates a real opportunity for Akron to keep things very close and potentially spring the upset. 

Akron vs Texas Tech prediction: Akron +8.5 available at time of publishing. Playable to +7.5