Akron vs Ohio State Picks and Predictions: Opening Night Barnburner

It’s the start of the college basketball betting season, and there’s no better time of the year if you’re a hoops fan. What’s even better is we’ll have actual fans in the stands after the pandemic made that impossible in 2020.

The Akron Zips will get their first taste of road play when they take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio State is projected to finish in the top four of the Big Ten this year when Akron is slated to finish in the middle of the Mid-American. With expectations high for the Buckeyes, can they cover a hefty spread in the first game of the season? 

Here’s our picks and predictions on the Akron vs. Ohio State basketball game for November 9. 

Akron vs Ohio State odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

Ohio State opened as a 17.5-point favorite and currently sits as a 16.5-favorite at most books. The total has also shifted from 146 down to 144.5. However, if you’re looking for the under, there are sportsbooks still hanging a 145.5 number.  Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.

Akron vs Ohio State predictions

• Akron +16.5 (-110)
• Over 144.5 (-110)
• Best bet: Akron Over 63.5 team total (-115)

Predictions made on 11/09/2021 at 9:20 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Akron vs Ohio State game info

• Location: Value City Arena, Columbus, OH
• Date: Tuesday, November 9, 2021
• Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN2

Akron at Ohio State betting preview

Injuries

Akron: None reported.
Ohio State: Justice Sueing F (Probable), Seth Towns F (Out), Kyle Young F (Questionable).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.

Betting trend to know

Zips are 4-0 ATS in their last four games as an underdog of 13 points or greater. Find more NCAA betting trends for Akron vs. Ohio State.

Akron vs Ohio State picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Spread analysis

I’m a guy who loves going off stats, so we have to go off assumptions as the season debuts tonight. We can look at last year’s numbers and try to figure out what makes sense, but at the end of the day, there’s just not much concrete data to back anything. 

Again, we’ll try our best to break this game as best as possible. 

Ohio State is a Top-25 team in college basketball. They’ll bring back a bunch of key returners but will lose three integral pieces between Duane Washington, CJ Walker, and Musa Jallow.

The losses aren’t so bad with the additions of transfers Jamari Wheeler from Penn State, Joey Brunk from Indiana, and Cedric Russell from Louisiana. Wheeler should make an immediate impact after scoring 6.8 points per game last season for Penn State. He’s a redshirt senior who does a little bit of everything. 

Ohio State still has E.J. Liddell, who averaged 16.2 points last season while grabbing just under seven rebounds a game. When Liddell is on his game, he’s unstoppable. 

There are some injuries on Ohio State to monitor between starters Justice Sueing and Kyle Young. If those guys can’t play, transfer Joey Brunk could be playing more meaningful minutes.

On the other hand, Akron will likely finish in the middle of their conference in the MAC. The Zips are going to be without top scorer Loren Cristian Jackson along with Maishe Dailey, Camron Reece, and Jermaine Marshall. Those are some big losses but Akron added K.J Walton from Ball State and Xavier Castaneda from South Florida. Both should be starting right away. 

Akron has a lineup full of juniors and seniors, and has a solid bench that can give production. If everything falls into place, there’s reason to believe Akron can be a Top-4 team in the MAC this season due to all the experience. 

That experience will allow Akron to hang with Ohio State, and it's why I like the Zips to cover this big number.

Prediction: Akron +16.5 (-110)

Over/Under analysis

The Zips got off to a rocky start in 2020, but finished the season 12-6 and placed third in the MAC. 

Loren Christian Jackson is gone, but they’ve got some newcomers who can score between K.J. Walton and Xavier Castaneda. Both seniors should be big-time playmakers for this team including all of the other upperclassmen they’ve got. 

Ball movement will be crucial, however, as no Akron player had more than 2.6 assists per game last year.

Additionally, defense might be a bit tricky for Akron. Two of the five players in the starting lineup are unfamiliar with their teammates' tendencies on the defensive end, and communication could be lacking early.

Ohio State is more than capable of scoring plenty of points just looking at their roster that includes Liddell. Cedric Russell, the transfer from Louisiana also scored 17.2 points per game last season and could be coming off the bench for Ohio State in this one, which gives an already potent offense even more scoring depth. 

Therefore, I’ll ride the over at 144.5. 

Prediction: Over 144.5 (-110)

Best bet

I like what Akron’s building. I’m not sure if it’s all going to click on the defensive end immediately, but offensively, Akron can be seriously good. 

Most are thinking that offensive efficiency will dip this year, but I’m not so sure about that when it comes to the Zips. They’ve got plenty of potential scorers who can take a leap this year. Bryan Trimble hit 41.5 percent of his 3-pointers and has unlimited range. 

Akron features a ton of weapons as every single player in the starting lineup has averaged at least seven points per game.  

With that, my favorite bet of this game is Akron Over 63.5 on the team total. That number just seems a bit low for what the Zips are capable of on the offensive end. 

Pick: Akron Over 63.5 Team Total (-115)

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