Arizona vs. Akron Prediction, Odds & Preview Tonight: March Madness Best Bets

The No. 4 seed Arizona Wildcats (22-12) meet the No. 13 seed Akron Zips (28-6) in tonight's NCAA Tournament East Region first round at 7:35 p.m. ET (TruTV) at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Our Arizona vs. Akron prediction, odds, and preview break down the matchup.

The Wildcats are anywhere from 13.5 to 14.5-point betting favorites to advance in the East Region of the March Madness bracket, and we expect Arizona’s transition offense will be the difference in 

🏀 Arizona vs. Akron prediction & picks tonight

Here are my best Arizona vs. Akron predictions for the first round of the NCAA Tournament; use our parlay calculator to get the best odds for any same-game parlay:

✅ Against the spread pick: Arizona -13.5 (-110 via FanDuel) vs. Akron ⭐⭐
🔥 Best player prop bet: Tavari Johnson Over 1.5 made 3-pointers (-125 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐
🎯 Exact score prediction: Arizona 93, Akron 77 (+15000 via DraftKings)

👉 Want more picks? Check out our latest college basketball picks and the rest of our March Madness first-round predictions.

🤖 See our March Madness AI bracket predictions for every game through Monday, April 7

🔢 Arizona vs. Akron updated betting action

• We see some of the most lopsided betting action on the spread of all games today, as 79% of the handle is on Akron to cover as an underdog
• Similarly, we're seeing very decisive action on the total, as 84% of the handle is on the Over
• Despite that, though, Akron has remained 14.5-point underdogs and the total hasn't moved off its opening number of 166.5

🏆 Best Arizona vs. Akron pick, player prop bet & score prediction

Our NEW college basketball player prop odds tool can help you find the best odds for any March Madness market across legal sportsbooks in your area!

✅ Arizona to cover the spread: -13.5 ⭐⭐

Akron allows a 68th-percentile transition rate, which is asking for trouble against a Tommy Lloyd-coached Arizona team that wants to run at every opportunity.

Arizona should also be able to take advantage of its size after playing to an 85th-percentile rim rate and 87th-percentile finishing rate, per Synergy. 

Do not be fooled by Akron’s MAC-best 2-point defense that allowed opponents to shoot just 48.8% from inside the arc. Against the only team that finished inside KenPom’s top 50 (Saint Mary’s), the Gaels burned the Zips for 61 points at the rim.

I am making this wager at FanDuel, as it is the only one of our best March Madness betting sites at which one can back the favorites at better than -14.

📊 Best odds: -110 via FanDuel ($10 to win $9.09)

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🔥 Tavari Johnson Over 1.5 made 3-pointers ⭐⭐⭐

This game sets up as Akron likely needing to trade threes for twos to keep up with the high-flying Wildcats. And if Tommy Lloyd prefers to play to his size advantage and not go smaller to matchup with Akron, look for the Zips to fire away from deep.

Tavari Johnson has made multiple 3-pointers in four of the last six games and is shooting 46.4% from beyond the arc in that span.

Johnson has attempted the second-most 3-pointers (143) on the team and is a volume shooter ranking 12th in league play in percentage of his team’s shots taken.

The Over is juiced to -141 at Caesars, so I am taking advantage of the best price at bet365.

📊 Best odds: -125 via bet365 ($10 to win $8)

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🎯 Score prediction: Arizona 93, Akron 77

Akron went 0-2 against NCAA Tournament teams that earned No. 7 and No. 13 seeds (Saint Mary’s and Yale), losing by an average of 17.5 points in those games. That is why I’m predicting a final score of Arizona 93, Akron 77.

📊 Best odds: +15000 via DraftKings ($10 to win $1500)

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🤖 Arizona vs. Akron AI prediction

For entertainment purposes, we asked ChatGPT to analyze historical trends and live NCAA Tournament stats before predicting the winner and exact score for Arizona vs. Akron. Our AI prediction projects a final score of Arizona 78, Akron 65.

🖥️ AI score prediction: Arizona 78, Akron 65

• Arizona’s potent offense is a significant advantage. Its ability to score in multiple ways, combined with a dominant frontcourt, will likely overwhelm Akron's defense
• Akron excels defensively, but facing an Arizona team with this much firepower will test its limits. The Zips' perimeter shooting needs to be at its best, but their lack of depth and rebounding edge puts them at a disadvantage
• Arizona’s advantage in both rebounding and limiting turnovers will help it control tempo and second-chance points. Akron will need to limit mistakes and maximize every possession to keep the game close

🤔 Betting takeaway: ChatGPT's AI prediction would mean Akron covering the spread (+13.5) and a total of Under 166.5 points. ChatGPT is not a dedicated sports betting model, but it can identify data that March Madness bettors might overlook.

📊 Live Arizona vs. Akron odds

Follow the latest live March Madness college basketball odds and real-time NCAA Tournament scores for the first round.

Latest Arizona vs. Akron odds

Here are the latest Arizona vs. Akron odds via BetMGM in the hours ahead of tonight's tipoff:

Spread

Arizona is a 14.5-point betting favorite but the -115 odds side with Akron +14.5. The line has held at the opening number.

Total

The Arizona vs. Akron Over/Under remains at the 166.5-point opening line.The -115 odds on the Under suggest the line may tick down by tipoff.

Moneyline

An outright win for Arizona carries -1250 odds on the moneyline. The odds represent an implied win probability of 92.59%.

🔢 Arizona vs. Akron opening odds

• Spread: Arizona -14.5 (-110) | Akron +14.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Arizona -1600 | Akron +750
• Over/Under: Over 166.5 (-110) | Under 166.5 (-110)

📅 Check out the full March Madness first-round schedule and opening odds.

🔮 East Region expert picks

• East Region betting preview
• Duke vs. Mount St. Mary's prediction
• Baylor vs. Mississippi State prediction
• Oregon vs. Liberty prediction
• Arizona vs. Akron prediction
• VCU vs. BYU prediction
• Wisconsin vs. Montana prediction
• Saint Mary's vs. Vanderbilt prediction
• Alabama vs. Robert Morris prediction

📺 How to watch Arizona vs. Akron: NCAA Tournament first round

📅Date: Friday, March 21
🕗 Time: 7:35 p.m. ET
📍 Location: Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle)
📺 TV: truTV
💻 Streaming: March Madness Live

💰 March Madness betting odds pages

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