The Miami (OH) RedHawks & Kent State Golden Flashes will square off at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse this Thursday afternoon in the Quarterfinals of the MAC Championship.
The Miami (OH) RedHawks finished their regular season with an overall record of 14-17 and earned the 7-seed in the MAC Championship after finishing conference play with an 8-12 record. Miami (OH) finished their non-conference portion of their schedule with a 6-5 record with their best win coming in a 72-69 victory at Georgia Tech. Miami (OH) struggled to start off conference play, losing 8 of their first 11 games, however, the RedHawks do come into this game with some momentum as they have won 5 of their last 9 games, including a 76-63 victory against Eastern Michigan in the regular season finale.
On the season, Miami (OH) is averaging 75.3 ppg on 43.9% shooting from the field. The RedHawks are averaging 9.3 three-pointers per game on 35.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Miami (OH) has been led by Dae Dae Grant (17.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 4.1 apg), Mekhi Lairy (13.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.3 spg), Dalonte Brown (11.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.0 apg), & Precious Ayah (9.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.1 bpg).
Defensively, Miami (OH) is allowing their opponents to an average of 73.1 ppg on 44.5% shooting from the field. The RedHawks have a rebound margin of -1.7 and a turnover margin of 2.2.
The Kent State Golden Flashes finished their regular season with an overall record of 21-9 and earned the 2-seed in the MAC Championship after finishing conference play with a 16-4 conference record. Kent State finished their non-conference portion of their schedule with a 5-5 record with their best win coming against the James Madison Dukes. Kent State had some unexpected losses to Central Michigan & Northern Illinois early in conference play, however, the Golden Flashes were lights out during the 2nd half of the season as they enter the MAC Championship on a 12-game winning streak which included a double-digit road victory over Toledo.
On the season, Kent State is averaging 71.2 ppg on 43.9% shooting from the field. The Golden Flashes are averaging 7.6 three-pointers per game on 32.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Kent State has been led by Sincere Carry (18.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.5 spg), Malique Jacobs (12.0 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.5 spg), Giovanni Santiago (8.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.2 spg), & Justyn Hamilton (8.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.3 bpg).
Defensively, Kent State is holding their opponents to an average of 64.1 ppg on 40.4% shooting from the field. The Golden Flashes have a rebound margin of 3.8 and a turnover margin of 1.6.
The RedHawks are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 Thursday games, however, are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games. The Golden Flashes are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games following a ATS win & 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 games overall.
Kent State defeated Miami (OH) in their only matchup of the regular season as the Golden Flashes defeated the RedHawks by a 78-65 margin on the road in early February.
Miami (OH) has been decent on the offensive end this season, however, the defense has really struggled, ranking just 275th in scoring defense & 245th in defensive FG%, and struggled on the road, posting just a 5-9 record. Kent State has been playing the best basketball in the MAC over the past month and as I think their defense, which ranks 38th in scoring defense & 37th in defensive FG%, gives Miami (OH) trouble, I think Kent State does enough to cover this mid-range spread. Good Luck!