Buffalo Bulls vs Kent State Golden Flashes Prediction, 1/27/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Buffalo Bulls vs Kent State Golden Flashes

Date: Friday, January 27, 2023

Location: M.A.C. Center in Kent, OH

TV: ESPNU

M.A.C. Center is the site where the Kent State Golden Flashes (16-4) will compete against the Buffalo Bulls (10-10) on Friday.

The Buffalo Bulls faced Ball State and earned the victory with a final of 91-65 in their last contest. Buffalo ended the contest with a 59.7% FG percentage (37 of 62) and converted 11 of their 22 three-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Bulls knocked down 6 of 7 shots for a rate of 85.7%. With respect to grabbing boards, they collected a total of 38 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 14 assists for this contest while forcing 11 turnovers and having 7 steals. In regard to the defense, Buffalo allowed 40.0% from the floor on 24 of 60 shooting. Ball State doled out 12 assists and had 8 steals for this game. Moreover, Ball State totaled 22 rebounds (5 offensive, 17 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Ball State ended up going 50.0% when shooting free throws by making 8 of 16 tries. They buried 9 of their 23 attempts from beyond the perimeter. With respect to fouls, the Bulls ended up walking away with 13 while Ball State accumulated 11 fouls.

Curtis Jones is one player who was a major contributor for this contest. He finished the game shooting 52.4% from the field but wasn't able to get a dime. He was on the court for 30 minutes and pulled down 3 boards. He ended up with 27 points on 11 of 21 shooting.

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Buffalo will play this game with a mark of 10-10 on the campaign. They have an average of 80.3 pts per game (25th in D-1) while shooting 46.9% from the field. The Bulls are hitting 33.6% on shots beyond the perimeter (144 of 428) and 68.3% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Buffalo is snagging 38.5 boards per game and has earned 310 assists this year, which is 68th in the nation in terms of passing. They are turning it over 14.8 times per game and as a group are committing 19.1 fouls per game.

On defense, the Bulls are forcing their opponents into 15.2 turnovers every game and they draw 16.9 fouls. They rank 251st in D-1 in allowing assists to their opponents with 280 surrendered on the campaign. The Bulls are giving up a shooting percentage of 43.5% (533 of 1,226) and they concede 35.8 boards per game as a basketball team. They are conceding 33.3% on shots from downtown and they are 343rd in college hoops in PPG allowed (77.0).

When they last stepped on the court, the Kent State Golden Flashes walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 86-76 against Northern Illinois. In relation to rebounding, Kent State permitted Northern Illinois to get 26 in total (4 offensive). They finished 46.4% from distance by shooting 13 of 28 and finished the contest at 17 out of 20 from the free throw line (85.0%). The Golden Flashes allowed Northern Illinois to make 28 of 54 tries from the floor which left them shooting 51.9% in the game. In all, the Golden Flashes finished the game shooting 28 for 53 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 52.8%. With regard to shots from beyond the perimeter, Kent State converted 8 of their 20 attempts (40.0%). They were able to make 12 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 63.2%. Northern Illinois had 16 fouls for this contest which got the Golden Flashes to the free throw line for a total of 19 attempts. They also gave up possession of the ball 12 times, while recording 5 steals in the game. The Golden Flashes collected 21 defensive boards and 6 offensive boards for a total of 27 for this contest.

Jalen Sullinger was important for the Golden Flashes in this game. He buried 6 out of 9 for the contest for a field goal percentage of 66.7%, and tallied 2 rebounds. He accumulated 17 points in his 24 minutes on the hardwood, but didn't get an assist.

Kent State has a win-loss mark of 16-4 for the year. On the offensive side of the court, the Golden Flashes are shooting 44.5% from the floor, which is ranked 189th in the nation. Kent State has scored 1,505 points this season (75.3 per game) and they pull down 34.9 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 12.3 times per game (260th in the country) and they cough up possession 11.4 times per contest. The Golden Flashes commit 18.7 fouls every game while shooting 74.6% from the charity stripe.

The Kent State defense allows 31.4% on three-point shots (139 of 443) and opponents are knocking down 70.2% of their free throw shots. They surrender 11.2 assists and 36.2 rebounds per contest, which has them ranked 71st and 292nd in those defensive categories. The Golden Flashes on the defensive end are ranked 38th in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 63.6. They are able to force 16.9 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 39.5% from the floor (23rd in the nation).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Buffalo

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