Thursday, March 13th, 2:30 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Quicken Loans Arena (20,562) -- Cleveland, Ohio. Television: FSN. Home Record: CMU 8-3, Akron 13-3. Away Record: CMU 5-12, Akron 6-5. Neutral Record: CMU 0-1, Akron 2-1. Conference Record: CMU 8-8, Akron 11-5. Series Record: Akron leads, 22-13.

GAME NOTES: The third-seeded Akron Zips will begin play in the Mid-American Conference Tournament when they take on the sixth-seeded Central Michigan Chippewas in quarterfinal play at Quicken Loans Arena. The Chippewas soared past the Northern Illinois Huskies in the opening round of the tournament, posting a strong 83-71 victory. It was an impressive win for CMU, which closed out its regular season with five losses in its last eight contests, finishing with a mediocre 8-8 league ledger. The Chippewas have won the MAC title once back in 2003 and overall the team is just 11-13 in MAC postseason play. As for the Zips, they collected an impressive 21 victories on the season, and also posted an 11-5 mark in conference action. Last season the Zips made it all the way to the title match, but fell to Miami-Ohio by a one-point margin. The winner of this contest will take on either Eastern Michigan or Western Michigan in the Semifinal-round. With respect to the all-time series between the two schools, the Zips have a strong 22-13 edge over CMU. However, the Chippewas snapped a seven-game losing skid against Akron with a thrilling, 65-64 victory earlier this season.

The Chippewas were unstoppable in the opening round against Northern Illinois, shooting a strong 52.9 percent from the floor, while also connecting on an impressive 12-of-23 attempts from behind the arc. The Chippewas collected 23 points off 18 NIU turnovers, and also used 33 points from their bench. Giordan Watson led the way with 20 points in the win, while Robbie Harman came off the bench to contribute 16 points. Watson has been the only true scoring option for CMU, as the guard is pacing the team with 16.6 ppg. Watson is also leading the team with 135 assists and 58 steals. Marko Spica added 13 points off the bench, while Chris Kellermann and Jordan Bitzer both tallied 11 points apiece. Throughout the season, Central Michigan has been mediocre offensively, netting 71.6 ppg, while shooting 44.0 percent from the floor.

The Zips are one of the more complete teams in the MAC, and have the ability to defeat their opponents with impressive play offensively, or with a tenacious effort at the defensive end of the floor. Akron heads into this matchup limiting the opposition to just 63.6 ppg. The Zips have also collected 210 steals this season, while forcing an impressive 16.4 tpg. At the offensive end of the floor, Akron is being led by Jeremiah Wood, who is pacing the team with 13.8 ppg and 7.8 rpg. Nick Dials have been a solid contributor in the backcourt, as the guard is netting 12.4 ppg to go along with a team-best 4.3 apg. As a whole, Akron heads into the tournament producing a solid 71.4 ppg, and is posting a solid 44.0 percent shooting effort from the floor.

Akron lost to Central Michigan earlier this season, but the Zips are simply tougher than the Chippewas defensively and if they can shut down Watson, they should win this contest with relative ease.

Predicted Outcome

Akron 74, Central Michigan 64