Ball State and Akron square off in conference showdown

Akron Zips (21-6, 13-1 MAC) at Ball State Cardinals (14-13, 7-7 MAC)

Muncie, Indiana; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST

Zips -8.5; over/under is 156.5

BOTTOM LINE: Jermahri Hill and Ball State host Nate Johnson and Akron in MAC action.

The Cardinals are 8-5 in home games. Ball State scores 76.6 points and has outscored opponents by 2.4 points per game.

The Zips have gone 13-1 against MAC opponents. Akron is third in the MAC allowing 73.7 points while holding opponents to 42.0% shooting.

Ball State averages 76.6 points per game, 2.9 more points than the 73.7 Akron allows. Akron has shot at a 46.7% clip from the field this season, 2.5 percentage points above the 44.2% shooting opponents of Ball State have averaged.

TOP PERFORMERS: Hill is averaging 15.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists for the Cardinals. Payton Sparks is averaging 16.0 points and 8.2 rebounds while shooting 59.3% over the last 10 games.

Johnson is averaging 13.7 points, 3.3 assists and 1.9 steals for the Zips. Tavari Johnson is averaging 14.5 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Cardinals: 6-4, averaging 77.9 points, 31.1 rebounds, 13.6 assists, 4.7 steals and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 46.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 76.3 points per game.

Zips: 9-1, averaging 84.8 points, 36.1 rebounds, 18.3 assists, 6.9 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 50.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.3 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.