In game three of the MAC Quarterfinals on Thursday, the 7^th-seed Miami (Ohio) RedHawks will face the 2^nd-seed Akron Zips. The MAC Conference Tournament is taking place in Cleveland, Ohio, at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. This game is scheduled to start at 4:00 PM ET on Thursday afternoon and will air on ESPN+.

The Miami (Ohio) RedHawks ended the regular season on a two-game losing streak. They lost both games by double digits, with a 63-97 loss at home against the Toledo Rockets and a 59-72 loss at home against the Ohio Bobcats. The RedHawks will face the Akron Zips in their quarterfinal matchup in the MAC Conference Tournament and defeated the Zips in their only meeting this season by a 70-68 win at home. 

Miami (Ohio) went .500 in conference play at 9-9; however, the RedHawks struggled against the top teams in the conference, going 3-7 against the other teams that earned their right to play in the MAC Conference tournament. Miami (Ohio) is one of the lowest-scoring teams in college basketball this season and ranks 250^th nationally in scoring with an average of 71.23 points per game. Miami ended the season averaging 60 points per game over their final four games. It will be going against one of the top teams defensively in college basketball and the best team defensively in the MAC Conference on Thursday afternoon when they face the Akron Zips in the MAC Quarterfinals.

Akron’s strong defensive play this season, ranking 22^nd nationally in points allowed per game with an average of 65.43 points per game, led to the Zips finishing in second place in the MAC Conference with a conference record of 13-5 and an overall record of 21-10. 

However, the Akron Zips struggled down the stretch of the regular season, losing five of their final eight games, including an 84-90 loss on the road against the Western Michigan Broncos in their regular season final, which was tied for the most points Akron allowed in a game this season. The Zips went 7-4 against the other teams in the MAC tournament. However, one of their losses this season came on the road against the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks by a score of 68-70. 

The Akron Zips won the MAC tournament two seasons ago and given their strong defensive play this season; they have a chance to win it again. However, they will need to shake off their struggles and build some confidence if they are going to pull off that feat. That will start Thursday afternoon when they try to avenge the loss against the RedHawks by facing them in the Quarterfinals of the MAC Conference tournament.

BookMaker lists the Akron Zips as 8-point favorites against the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks in the MAC Conference Quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon. The teams had a tightly contested game in the first matchup this season, with the RedHawks pulling off the 70-68 win at home. Before that win, the Zips had defeated the RedHawks eight straight games in the series. However, the RedHawks have covered the spread in two straight meetings. 

Akron enters this game struggling, having lost five of their final eight games of the regular season, while Miami (Ohio) is on a two-game losing streak and has lost their last two games by double digits. The Zips have failed to cover the spread in six of their last seven conference games. In contrast, the RedHawks have covered the spread in two straight against Akron, which is why I am taking the points with the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks when they face the Akron Zips in the Quarterfinals of the MAC Conference Tournament on Thursday afternoon.