I don't generally follow the public or care what it is doing, but I just got the DK trends for today's NCAA Tournament early games and Akron is taking by far the most underdog money. I believe the Zips were the best team in the MAC and would have beaten Miami of Ohio in the conference title game had the RedHawks gotten there. TTU is just not the same without injured All-American JT Toppin. Tempted to play Akron ML as I almost did on Miami the other night. But that's my luck these days, had it written and talked myself out of it. Self: Shut up.

Akron is a dynamic offensive team that should be competitive here, given Texas Tech’s injury situation. The Red Raiders come in on a three-game skid. Christian Anderson says he’s close to 100 percent. That should be enough to get the win but not the cover.

We've got a live underdog here with Akron +7.5 against Texas Tech in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament from Tampa. I think Akron can ride some of that MAC momentum after watching Miami-Ohio win its first game. The Zips won the MAC tourney, not Miami, which had a 31-0 regular season. Texas Tech comes off a one-and-done performance in the Big 12 tournament with a loss to Iowa State, which makes it three straight losses for the Red Raiders. Akron has won 19 of its past 20 games and is making its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. They shot 50.3% from the field this season and hit 37.9% of their 3-point shots, while scoring 88.4 points per game. Akron gets the cover.

I wanted to lock in this number early in case it goes down later in the week. I like the Zips to win the game outright as well. If star forward J.T. Toppin was healthy, the Red Raiders might be a Final Four contender. But without him, they were only 3-3 including losing their final three contests heading into the NCAA Tournament. Akron enters on a ten game winning streak, having also won 19 of their last 20 games. Don't be surprised if the Red Raiders and star guard Christian Anderson, who may not be 100% healthy, are susceptible on Friday in Tampa.