Texas Tech vs Akron College Basketball Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for NCAA Tournament First Round

The No. 5 Texas Tech Red Raiders (22-10) and the No. 12 Akron Zips (29-5) battle on Friday for a spot in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The opening-round matchup starts at 12:40 p.m. ET.

Before you place your bet on this game at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the NCAA basketball odds and spreads you need to know.

Texas Tech vs. Akron Game Info and Odds

• Game day: Friday, March 20, 2026
• Game time: 12:40 p.m. ET
• TV channel: truTV
• Location: Tampa, Florida
• Arena: Benchmark International Arena

Texas Tech vs. Akron Picks and Prediction

All college basketball win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Texas Tech win (59.9%)

Read these betting trends and insights before you bet on Friday's Texas Tech-Akron spread (Texas Tech -7.5) or over/under (155.5 points).

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Texas Tech vs. Akron: ATS Betting Stats and Trends

• Texas Tech has won 16 games against the spread this season, while failing to cover 16 times.
• Akron has won 17 games against the spread this season, while failing to cover 15 times.
• When the spread is set as 7.5 or more this season, Texas Tech (6-8) covers a lower percentage of those games when it is the favorite (42.9%) than Akron (1-0) does as the underdog (100%).
• Against the spread, the Red Raiders have played better at home, covering nine times in 16 home games, and five times in 10 road games.
• The Zips' winning percentage against the spread at home is .462 (6-7-0). On the road, it is .667 (8-4-0).

Texas Tech vs. Akron: Moneyline Betting Stats

• Texas Tech has been the moneyline favorite in 22 games this season and has come away with the win 17 times (77.3%) in those contests.
• This season, the Red Raiders have been victorious 12 times in 14 chances when named as a favorite of at least -315 or shorter on the moneyline.
• Akron has been listed as the moneyline underdog just one other time so far this season, a game it lost.
• The Zips have played as a moneyline underdog of +250 or longer in only one game this season, which they lost.
• Texas Tech has an implied victory probability of 75.9% according to the moneyline set by sportsbooks for this matchup.

Texas Tech vs. Akron Head-to-Head Comparison

• Texas Tech scored 80.9 points per game and allowed 68.5 last year, ranking them 28th in the country offensively and 70th on defense.
• On the boards, Texas Tech was 84th in the nation in rebounds (33.5 per game) last season. It was 94th in rebounds conceded (29.9 per game).
• Texas Tech was 34th in the nation in assists (16.1 per game) last year.
• Last season, Texas Tech was 12th-best in college basketball in turnovers committed (9.1 per game) and ranked 197th in turnovers forced (11.1).
• Akron owned a top-25 offense last season, ranking eighth-best in college basketball with 84.0 points per game. At the other end of the court, it ranked 271st with 75.0 points allowed per contest.
• Last year Akron averaged 35.0 boards per game (34th-ranked in college basketball) and gave up 30.8 rebounds per contest (153rd-ranked).
• Akron racked up assists last year, ranking fifth-best in college basketball with 17.6 per contest.
• Last year Akron committed 11.5 turnovers per game (221st-ranked in college basketball) and forced 12.2 turnovers per contest (93rd-ranked).

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