Place your basketball bets at SBG Global public betting NCAA basketball sportsbook for the Eastern Michigan Eagles at Akron Zips game on Friday, January 20th at James A. Rhodes Arena.
The Eagles defeated the Western Michigan Broncos on Tuesday to win their third straight MAC game. James Thompson IV had his 10th double-double of the season with 26 points and 11 rebounds, while Willie Mangum IV had 15 points. Additionally, Ty Toney scored 26 points. EMU shot 58% from the field (29 of 50), including 69.6% (16 of 23) in the second half. Moreover, the Eagles scored 34 points in the paint – gotta love those paint points – and converted the Broncos’ 15 TOs into 21 points.
Thompson scored 11 of his team’s first 21 but could not prevent EMU from going to the halftime with a four-point deficit. The Eagles didn’t hold back in the second half, though, and after Mangum sank a pair of three-point shots to put EMU ahead 53-47, the Eagles never looked back. Toney was rock solid from the free-throw line, going 7 of 9 for the day. Two Thompson layups – the second following a crucial offensive rebound – and a dunk made it 85-76 with one minute to go. The Broncos kept at it but to no avail, and EMU took the victory 86-80.
Praps you’d rather place your basketball bets on Akron. The Zips zipped past the Ohio Bobcats on Tuesday and are undefeated in conference play. Akron’s Kwan Cheatham Jr. burned the candle at both ends, scoring 17 points and posting 13 rebounds well as limiting Ohio’s chief weapon Kenny Kaminski to 9 points. Furthermore, Isaiah Johnson added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Antino Jackson contributed another 11 points.
Daniel Utomi came from the bench to score eight points. The Zips shot 55% from the field, 47% from the three-point line, and 85% from the free-throw line, and outrebounded Ohio 34-27. “I wanted them to be at full strength so there wouldn’t be any excuses,” Cheatham said of Bobcat Antonio Campbell’s absence. “Since he couldn’t go, it was up to us to go out and play our game. We did that.”
That they did. Zips’ head coach Keith Dambrot also lamented Campbell’s inability to play due to a foot injury. “It would have been interesting if he had (played),” Dambrot said. It sure would have, but Akron regardless smelled blood in the water and made short work of a weakened prey – the kind of killer instinct that could serve them well against the Eagles this Friday.
The former Buchtel College has won eight in a row, and public betting NCAA basketball trends seem to be in their favor in this inter-divisional match-up. The Zips lead the MAC’s East division while EMU is atop the West division. The former’s better winning percentage might convince quite a few people to place their basketball bets on the Zips, but don’t count the Eagles out yet.