Ohio (9-9, 3-3 Mid-American Conference) will be looking to be the first MAC team to take down Akron (14-4, 6-0 MAC) when it heads to James A. Rhodes Arena on Tuesday. Not only will Ohio try to hand Akron its first in-conference loss, but it will also look to be the first team to beat Akron at its home arena.
Ohio will enter the matchup having won back-to-back games against Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan.
Here is all you need to know for the matchup:
Game Information:
Opponent: Akron
Location: James A. Rhodes Arena, (Akron, Ohio)
Time: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
How to Watch: ESPN+
Follow live stats here
Meet the Opponent
Head Coach: John Groce (seventh season)
Probable Starters
#3 Kaleb Thornton
#11 Sammy Hunter
#22 Mikal Dawson
# 24 Ali Ali
#25 Enrique Freeman
Statistical Leaders for Akron
Points: Freeman (18.6 per game)
Assists: Thornton (3 per game)
Steals: Nate Johnson (1.1 per game)
Rebounds: Freeman (13 per game)
Field Goal Percentage: Freeman (59%)
3-Point Percentage: Johnson (44%)
Free Throw Percentage: Hunter (86%)
History
Historically, Ohio has had a fair amount of trouble defeating Akron; however, it was Ohio coming out on top in the most recent matchup in 2023.
The Zips lead the all-time series 28-19 and have won 6 of the last 10 against the Bobcats.
Player to Watch (Akron)
Enrique Freeman - Freeman has been Akron’s leading scorer all season and is currently ranked among the top 5 scorers in the MAC. During last year’s matchup with Ohio, Freeman scored 32 points in the game despite the loss. To win, Ohio needs to find a way to contain Freeman’s prolific scoring.
