Akron (22-9)
+6, o/u 126
at Temple (17-14), 7 p.m. Eastern
by Ultimatecapper.com Staff
Two teams with equally interesting motivations meet tonight in Philadelphia when the Temple Owls take on the Akron Zips in a first-round National Invitational Tournament game.
Long-time Temple head coach John Chaney announced his retirement Monday, so his Owls would surely love to give him a good send-off (although it's been reported Chaney won't be on the bench tonight, to be with his wife, who has health concerns). And Akron hasn't played in a post-season game (excluding conference tournaments) since 1989, so the Zips should be excited to be where they're at.
Temple finished in a four-way tie for seventh place in the Atlantic 10 at 8-8 this season, then beat George Washington before falling to St. Joe's in the conference tournament.
Akron finished in a tie for second with Miami-Ohio in the MAC's East Division at 14-4 this season, then lost to Toledo in the semis of the conference tournament.
Both teams have been darn good to their financial backers this season. The Owls are 19-12 against the spread, 14-7 ats as a favorite and a rock-solid 12-3 ats at home.Meanwhile, the Zips are 19-10 against the number on the season, but just 2-4 ats as an underdog, 5-7 ats on the road. And Akron hasn't (technically) pulled an upset this season; they're 0-7 straight up when getting points.
In games vs. higher-profile opponents this season, Akron lost to Cal, Louisville and Nevada, while Temple split two games with George Washington, beat Penn, Alabama and Xavier, and lost to UCLA, Villanova and Duke.
The Zips are shooting 45 percent from the floor this season, 73 percent from the line.
The Owls are shooting 40 percent from the floor, and a lowly 60 percent from the stripe. Temple also owns a -3.3 rebounds per game margin.
Both teams' starting line-ups usually consist of two seniors, two juniors and a sophomore.
In the latest RPI at NCAAsports.com, Akron is #70, Temple #74. In the Sagarin PREDICTOR ratings at usatoday.com, the Owls are 54th at 82.2, the Zips 92nd at 78.4.
The Sagarin conference ratings rank the A-10 ninth out of 32 conferences, the MAC 12th.
The over is 13-17 in Temple games this season, 15-13 in Akron games.
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The Ultimatecapper Pick: Under 126
