Akron vs. Ball State odds, prediction: 2026 men's college basketball picks for Feb. 20 from proven model

One of the MAC's top teams will be on display Friday evening when the Akron Zips travel to take on the Ball State Cardinals in the first tip of the evening. Akron is 21-5 (12-1 MAC), trailing only undefeated Miami (OH) in the conference standings. Ball State, meanwhile, has struggled and enters this matchup 8-18 overall with a 3-10 mark in the MAC.

Tipoff from Worthen Arena is at 6:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network. The latest Akron vs. Ball State odds list the Zips as 14.5-point favorites, while the over/under is 146.5.

Before making any Akron vs. Ball State picks, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times and entered Week 16 on a sizzling 11-1 run on top-ranked over/under picks dating back to last year, and is on an 13-7 run on top-rated CBB side picks. Anyone following could have seen HUGE returns!

The model has simulated this matchup 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is going Over, and it also says one side of the spread hits well over 70% of the time!

So who wins Akron vs. Ball State, and which side of the spread hits well over 70% of the time? Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has simulated this matchup 10,000 times!