March Madness bracket analysis: Arizona vs. Akron in East Region
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The Arizona Wildcats (22-12) are dancing once again.
The No. 4 seed in the East Region of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Arizona will head to Seattle this week to play No. 13 Akron (28-6) in the first round on Friday. The game is scheduled to tip off at 5:35 p.m. MST on TruTV.
If Arizona can beat Akron, they will likely play No. 5 Oregon in the second round on Sunday. That's a big "if" when you consider how good Akron is.
Akron's prolific offense
The Zips are one of the best offensive teams in the country, averaging 84.6 points per game, which is No. 8 in Division I college basketball. They've scored 90 or more points 11 times this season.
Akron wants to play fast, and they want to shoot 3-pointers — very similar to Big 12 opponent BYU. The Zips have incredible balance, with seven players who have made at least 30 3-pointers.
The Zips are led by junior guards Nate Johnson (14.0 ppg) and Tavari Johnson (13.0 ppg). Nate Johnson was named both the MAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Their best 3-point shooter is freshman guard Sharron Young (7.6 pgg) who is shooting 40.5% from downtown (45-of-111).
Senior forward James Okonkwo is arguably their most important player. Okonkwo played two seasons at North Carolina and one at West Virginia before transferring to Akron. At 6-foot-8, he's Akron's tallest player and leading rebounder at 7.3 per game. He starts alongside a four-guard lineup and is tasked with guarding the opponent's biggest players.
Arizona has a significant height advantage over Akron and it's a safe bet Tommy Lloyd will start his "two-big" lineup with 7-foot sophomore Henri Veesaar and 6-foot-8 junior Tobe Awaka.
Akron's resume
The Zips set a program record for wins with 28. They won the MAC Tournament championship for the second consecutive season.
Since the calendar flipped to 2025, Akron is 21-1, including a 14-game winning streak. The Zips only loss in that stretch was on the road at Ohio.
Akron got off to a slow start — much like Arizona — losing two of its first three games, including an 87-68 loss at Saint Mary's. The Gaels are the only Quad 1 team Akron has played this season.
Akron's best win was an 85-71 road victory over No. 128 Kent State on Jan. 31.
Arizona is favored by 13.5 points in the early betting line and ESPN's BPI gives the Wildcats a 92.7% chance of beating Akron.
More Arizona & Big 12 Analysis
-029877d49238355bd3388a94f90e3c72.jpg "Ben Sherman")
Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his 27-year journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. A basketball junkie, March Madness is his favorite time of the year.