Kent State Golden Flashes (13-13) vs. Akron Zips (19-7)
February 23, 2024 6:00 pm EDT
The Line: Akron Zips -7.5; Over/Under: 135
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The Kent State Golden Flashes and the Akron Zips meet Friday in college basketball action from James A. Rhodes Arena. Kent State is currently 13-13 following a loss to Ohio on Tuesday. As for Akron, they’re 19-7 and coming off a loss to Toledo. Let’s get into our Kent State vs. Akron prediction. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Kent State Golden Flashes
The Golden Flashes have been fighting off a .500 record for most of the season and went 10-9 over their first 19 outings. It’s been a 3-4 run since then with losses to Ohio, Miami-OH, Troy and Ohio alongside wins over Buffalo, Western Michigan and Northern Illinois in that time.
In the Ohio matchup on Tuesday, the Golden Flashes were up by six points at the break. Kent State fell behind on a 36-24 run from there however, ultimately falling 63-57. Tops in scoring were Jalen Sullinger and VonCameron Davis, each with 14 points and a combined 10 rebounds.
Akron Zips
Over on the Akron side, they only lost to Utah State, Drake, UNLV, St. Bonaventure and Miami-OH in their first 23 games of the year. The Zips are just 1-2 since then, however. The losses came versus James Madison and Toledo around a win over Buffalo.
Matched up against Toledo on Tuesday, the Zips fell behind 32-22 going into the second half. Akron got slightly better from there on 42 more points but still fell 72-64. Greg Tribble was the leading scorer in the losing effort with his 19 points, two rebounds and one assist.
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Akron Zips Team Facts
- Akron has won each of its last 14 games at James A. Rhodes Arena.
- Five of the last six games between Kent State and Akron at James A. Rhodes Arena have produced a total of 132 or fewer points.
- The home team has won the first half in seven of Akron’s last eight games.
Kent State Golden Flashes Team Facts
- The home team has won each of Kent State’s last four games.
- Five of Kent State’s last six night games against non-AP-ranked opponents at James A. Rhodes Arena have produced a total of 132 or fewer points.
- Kent State has won the first half in each of its last four games against the Mid-American Conference.
ANDREW’S FREE KENT STATE VS AKRON PREDICTION
I’ll stick with Akron. The Zips didn’t play all that well versus Toledo in their last game however, so they’ll need a good bounce-back effort here. In the eight-point loss, Akron managed a tepid 40.4 percent shooting and 13 turnovers but did rebound pretty well (40). The Zips have been below 65 points in each of their last two losses, so offense will be a priority on Friday.
The last time these teams saw each other was back on January 19 in a 77-71 road win for Akron. The Zips got off to a good start in that one and eventually produced 47.5 percent shooting with 42 rebounds. I like another solid effort in the rematch, leading to an Akron cover in the end.
