After a slow start to conference play, Kent State has won five games in a row to improve to 18-8 overall and 8-5 in MAC play. Two of those wins came by one point — coincidentally both were 76-75 final scores — and one of those one-point victories came in a rare mid-February non-conference game when the Golden Flashes beat Arkansas State. That was an encouraging win for Kent State and it’ll look to secure another one tonight against Miami (OH).
The RedHawks (19-7, 10-3) are second in the conference standings but have dropped their last two games at Western Michigan and at Eastern Michigan.
The Golden Flashes surrendered a nine-point halftime lead when these squads met last month, which ended up being the final difference in the 70-61 Miami victory.
Kent State at Miami (OH) Odds
Kent State is a 1.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM against Miami (OH) while the Over/Under is at 143.5.
The Moneyline for Miami is at -115 and at -102 for Kent State.
Kent State at Miami (OH) On TV
The matchup between Kent State and Miami (OH) will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
Tonight’s game tips off at 8 p.m. ET.
Kent State at Miami (OH) Prediction
I predict Miami will squeak out a win here. I also predict this game will go under 143.5 points.
While Kent State’s offense wasn’t very potent earlier this season, the Golden Flashes have had no problems scoring as of late. They’re averaging 83.5 points per game over their past four and have won despite not playing their usually low-scoring, defensive-minded style of basketball.
This is a good sign for KSU. However, I don’t believe their offense can continue scoring at this rate and will take a step back at some point. This seems like a letdown spot against a Miami team that’s eager for a win and needs to hold onto its spot as the No. 2 team in the league because I don’t believe first-place Akron can be surpassed.
Getting to the free-throw line has been a main reason the Flashes have been scoring so much recently. They’ve shot 105 free throws over the past four games, which is nearly one-fourth of the amount of free throws they’ve shot on the season (454).
Miami isn’t the best at limiting teams from getting to the free-throw line, but its opponents shoot a mere 71% from the stripe. That’s always a stat that can be taken with a grain of salt, though. The RedHawks will just need to play solid defense without fouling.
If this game were to turn into a track meet, I also don’t think KSU would be able to keep pace with Miami’s offense, so it’ll likely try and win in a slower-paced contest. The Flashes allow a league-best 68.9 PPG.
The RedHawks are the third-highest-scoring team in the league, averaging 80.2 PPG, and are the best 3-point shooting team in the league (38.6%).
Redshirt sophomore Kam Craft leads Miami with 14.2 PPG while Peter Suder averages 13.6 points and 3.4 assists per game. Eian Elmer adds 11.2 PPG and five rebounds per game.
Kent State is led by seniors VonCameron Davis (15.6 PPG) and Jalen Sullinger (14.3 PPG). Cian Medley has also been playing a bigger role on both sides of the ball recently and is averaging 13 PPG over the last three games.
Kent State is 1-2-1 against the spread as an underdog and Miami (OH) is 9-6-1 ATS as a favorite. The over is 0-4 when KSU is an underdog and 1-10 when it is on the road.
