Tulane Green Wave vs Akron Zips Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 2

Akron is 2-0, scoring 93.5 points a game and allowing just 62.5 at home. Tulane brings Krystian Lewis and his 28.3 points a game on the road for the first time, and the Green Wave defense is the question.

The Matchup

Tulane visits Akron on Saturday at 11:00 AM CT at James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio, on ESPN+, with Akron a 13.5-point favorite, a total of 155.5, and Akron priced at -750 on the moneyline against Tulane at +525. It is the Green Wave's first road game of the season, and it comes against the class of the Mid-American Conference.

Akron is 2-0 out of the Mid-American Conference, scoring 93.5 points a game and allowing 62.5 this season. The standard behind that start is last season's 29-6 team, which scored 87.9 a game and allowed 74.0, and this group has picked up the scoring pace while defending far better in the opening weeks.

Tahj Staveskie leads Akron at 19.0 points a game, Evan Mahaffey leads the Zips at 4.0 assists a game, and Buddy Hammer Jr. leads them at 7.0 rebounds a game. Staveskie, Mahaffey, and Hammer carry no injury designations into this game. Akron shoots 52 percent as a team, averages 46.5 rebounds a game, and hands out 20.0 assists a game.

Tulane is 2-1 out of the American Conference, scoring 87.3 points a game and allowing 82.7 this season. All three of those games came at home, and last season's Green Wave went 18-15 while scoring 72.4 a game and allowing 75.5, so an offense this lively is a genuine change, driven by Krystian Lewis at 28.3 points a game.

KJ Greene leads Tulane at 4.0 assists a game and Tyler Ringgold leads the Green Wave at 6.7 rebounds a game. Lewis, Greene, and Ringgold carry no injury designations into this game, and Tulane shoots 41 percent from three.

Key Factors

The first factor is the defensive gap, and it is wide. Akron allows 62.5 points a game; Tulane allows 82.7. Lewis has been brilliant for the Green Wave, but his shots so far have come against home crowds and softer defenses, and Akron can send length at him while still protecting the rim behind the play. A scorer who has to work this hard for his points usually drags the whole offense down with him.

The second factor is the glass and the ball movement inside a 155.5 total. Akron averages 46.5 rebounds and 20.0 assists a game; Tulane averages 38.0 rebounds and 11.7 assists. That is a possession gap and a shot-quality gap at the same time, and it compounds over 40 minutes: the Zips get extra chances, and the chances they get are cleaner. Tulane's 13.7 turnovers a game will meet an Akron team forcing mistakes at home, which turns a scoring game into a transition game the visitors do not want.

The honest counterpoint is that Tulane's offense is real, and Lewis at 28.3 a game gives the Green Wave a punchers chance in any building. If his pull-up game is falling early and Tulane's threes stretch Akron's defense out of shape, the Zips can spend the afternoon trading baskets instead of building a cushion.

Akron also has to prove its 62.5 points allowed is more than a two-game home stand against overmatched visitors. But the burden of proof sits with the road team here, and Tulane has not carried that burden anywhere yet.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.