Akron, Buffalo meet in MAC semis

Akron (15-7, 13-6) vs. Buffalo (15-7, 13-5)

Mid-American Conference Tourney Semifinals, Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland; Friday, 7:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: A spot in the MAC championship game is on the line as Akron and Buffalo are set to square off. The only meeting between the teams this season came on March 2, when the Bulls shot 41.8 percent from the field while holding Akron to just 38.7 percent en route to a two-point victory.

SQUAD LEADERSHIP: This will be an Ohio homecoming for Zips sophomore Enrique Freeman, who's put up 7.7 points and nine rebounds this season. Loren Cristian Jackson has also led the way for the visitors by averaging 22 points and 6.2 assists per game. On the other bench, Josh Mballa has averaged 15.4 points and 10.4 rebounds while Jeenathan Williams has put up 17.4 points and seven rebounds.

CREATING OFFENSE: Jackson has either made or assisted on 52 percent of all Akron field goals over the last three games. Jackson has accounted for 27 field goals and 12 assists in those games.

FLOOR SPACING: Akron's Bryan Trimble Jr. has attempted 179 3-pointers and connected on 40.8 percent of them, and is 13 for 32 over the past five games.

ASSIST-TO-FG RATIO: The Bulls have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Zips. Buffalo has an assist on 55 of 82 field goals (67.1 percent) across its previous three games while Akron has assists on 25 of 75 field goals (33.3 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: Buffalo is ranked ninth in Division I with an average of 82.3 points per game.

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