Akron Zips vs Arizona Wildcats Prediction, Odds and Picks for Friday, 03/21/25

Akron, a #13 seed in the NCAA Tournament, gets ready to take on #4 Arizona on Friday and it should be a great matchup between 2 high-powered offenses. Last year the Zips made the Big Dance as a #14 seed, losing in the first round to Creighton. Akron has won 7 in a row and 21 of its last 22 games, and facing a Big 12 team doesn’t scare the Zips. The Wildcats lost to Houston in the Big 12 Tournament final, so they will be looking for some revenge and definitely boast the talent to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. As we get ready for tipoff, I’m leaning toward the Zips for my Akron vs Arizona pick.

The Zips enter this game as +14 underdogs, and despite there being a stark difference between conferences, I still believe they can score plenty of baskets in this matchup. The Wildcats’ defense is giving up 72.4 ppg this season, and the Zips are shooting 47.3% from the field. Toward the end of the Big 12 campaign, the ‘Cats gave up 100 points to Arizona State and 96 to BYU. This Akron team can move the ball and has plenty of players who will be able to score some buckets. At the end of the day, I think Caleb Love will help carry Arizona to victory. However, I think the Zips will be tough for the Wildcats to handle and they should be able to cover this large spread — making Akron my best bet of the day. 

Akron vs Arizona prediction: Akron +14  (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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