Central Michigan vs Akron Prediction 1/6/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Central Michigan Chippewas and the Akron Zips meet Tuesday in college basketball action from James A Rhodes Arena. Here’s a Central Michigan vs Akron prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Central Michigan vs Akron pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.

Central Michigan Chippewas Betting Preview

The Chippewas were only able to win three of their first seven games, taking losses otherwise to Bradley, South Alabama, Northern Kentucky and Marquette. The next seven games were a 1-6 run featuring losses to Loyola Chicago, Saint Louis, Stony Brook, Northern Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio. Through 14 games that would give Central Michigan a rough 4-10 record overall.

In Saturday’s matchup with Toledo, the Chippewas jumped out to a 41-31 edge by the break. Central Michigan was outscored 47-34 the rest of the way however, leading to a 78-75 loss in the end. Phat Phat Brooks led the team on 17 points while Logan McIntire put up 15 points in 23 minutes. Jaxson Whitaker added 14 points with one assist in 24 minutes of work as well.

Akron Zips Betting Preview

Over on the Zips’ side, they were able to win five of their first seven games this year, taking out James Madison, Princeton, Penn State-Shenango, Iona and Evansville. A 5-1 run came in the next six games with wins over Milwaukee, Bucknell, Tulane, Eastern Michigan and Concord. Over the first 13 games of the season that would give Akron a nice 10-3 overall record in the books.

Matched up against Miami-OH on Saturday, the Zips held on to a three-point advantage after one half. Akron was outscored 43-37 from there though, finishing the game with a 76-73 loss. Tavari Johnson was the top scorer on the team with 22 points and Amani Lyles had 16 points with nine rebounds. Shammah Scott put up 15 points with two rebounds and Eric Mahaffey doubled on 10 points and 13 boards.

Central Michigan Chippewas @ Akron Zips Betting Trends: January 6, 2026

Why the Akron Zips will win

• Akron has won each of its last 23 games at James A. Rhodes Arena against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Central Michigan has lost seven of its last eight games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Central Michigan has lost the first half in each of its last four night games against the Mid-American Conference.

Central Michigan vs Akron Prediction

I’ll stick with Akron. Both these teams could use a good showing, though; they’re each coming off a second-half collapse in a loss to a good team. Akron’s defeat came versus undefeated Miami-OH, and the Zips coughed up 15 turnovers in that one. The 43.8 percent shooting from the field and 35-32 rebounding edge was helpful though, as was the 38-18 advantage on points in the paint. Akron is scoring great this year; they’ve hit 73 or more points in all 14 games.

As for Central Michigan they fell to a pretty solid Toledo squad last week with a 36-22 rebounding deficit. The Rockets really won the game at the line, draining 26-of-32 (81.3 percent) from there as opposed to the Chippewas’ 9-of-12 (75 percent). CMU has now lost four straight games, giving up 74 or more points in each.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Akron Zips -22