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Zips Shock Red Raiders in NCAA First Round?
20 Mar
Summary
- Akron Zips enter the NCAA Tournament on a 10-game winning streak.
- Texas Tech will play without key player JT Toppin due to injury.
- A sports model projects over 164 combined points in the matchup.
The 2026 NCAA Tournament's Midwest Region kicks off Friday with a first-round matchup between the 12th-seeded Akron Zips and the fifth-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders. Akron arrives with significant momentum, having secured their conference championship and extended their winning streak to an impressive 10 games.
In contrast, Texas Tech has faced recent struggles, losing their last three games, including a decisive defeat in their conference tournament quarterfinals. Adding to their challenges, the Red Raiders will be without the services of JT Toppin, who is sidelined due to an ACL injury. This is the first-ever contest between Akron and Texas Tech.
Tipoff is scheduled for 12:40 p.m. ET, with the Red Raiders established as 7.5-point favorites. A predictive model simulating the game 10,000 times suggests an over/under total of 156.5 points. The model also projects a combined score exceeding 164 points, with specific player projections indicating strong offensive performances from both teams.
