Akron at Ohio University, 2:00 PM Eastern, espn3
The Ohio University Bobcats have been shut down and unable to play a game since February 2. They finally get back in action this afternoon as they host the Akron Zips in our Under the Radar Game of the Day. Ohio enters this afternoon’s game at 11-6 overall and 7-4 in MAC play. The Bobcats feature a potent offensive attack, assuming they are not rusty from the layoff, led by triple-double threat Jason Preston (16.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game) and Dwight Wilson III (15.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and the nation’s second best field goal percentage of 69.3%). Although Preston has 16 points and 7 boards in the Bobcats late-December 90-70 loss at Akron, no other player, including Wilson, was able to score more than 11 points for Ohio.
Akron currently sits at 14-4 overall and 12-3 in MAC play, only half a game behind conference-leader Toledo and with a real chance at a MAC regular season championship. The Zips are led by Loren Cristian Jackson’s 20.9 points and 6.7 assists per game. Jackson scored 21 points and dished out 8 assists in the Zips December win over Ohio, though Bryan Trimble Jr led the team with 22 points. Performances like that from the Zips’ top two scorers again this afternoon could give them the win and keep them squarely in the conference title hunt. Either way, this should be a fun game as it features two of the top three rated offenses in the MAC according to KenPom.