CBK NCAA Early Tourney Double Delight -Friday
- Handicapper
- Jim Feist
- League
- NCAAB
- Competition
- Akron vs Texas Tech
- Release Date
- 03/20/2026 02:00 AM
- Event Date
- 03/20/2026 12:40 PM
- Bet Type
- Point Spread
- Pick
-
Akron +8.5 (-115)
(DraftKings)
- Outcome
- Loss
- Analysis
- I'm looking at Akron plus the points against Texas Tech here on Friday, March 20. One obvious note here is the line. As of publishing, Akron sits around +7.5 to +8 depending on which book you look at. Line movement is important because this shows some early respect being shown to Akron as opposed to the books blindly inflating the higher seed.
Akron’s best angle revolves around their offense. The Zips went 29-5 and scored 88.4 points per game this year, which ranks as one of the best outputs nationally. Teams that score like that are tough to fade as favorites because even if they get outpaced for stretches, good shot-making offenses can bail their teams out and keep the score within reach.
Speaking of hot, Akron is riding high into this game. The Zips’ 19 wins in their last 20 games and MAC tournament championship, while Texas Tech limps in having lost three straight including a 75-53 loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 tournament. That feels like a nice momentum differential for a dog getting multiple points.
Players disappearing for either team could also impact the line, specifically for Texas Tech. Several outlets mentioned Texas Tech will be without star forward J.T. Toppin for the game due to an ACL injury suffered in their previous game. This not only takes away one of Texas Tech’s biggest interior threats, but it shrinks the margin for error against an efficient Akron offense. Reuters even tabbed Akron as one of the seed-line teams most likely to make some noise, while SB Nation had a pretty detailed breakdown specifically mentioning Akron as a threat against an injury depleted Texas Tech team.
Lines could shift as the game draws closer, but as of now Akron feels like one of the better 12-seed options to lean on. They’ve got the line movement, efficiency on offense, hot hand, potential injury issue for Texas Tech and even a potential style mismatch to hang their hat on. Texas Tech will likely still win, but expecting them to definitively cover against a 29-win team with a top-30 offense in the country seems like a tall ask.
Jim's Play: Take: 741. Akron
