Kent State Golden Flashes vs Akron Zips Prediction, 2/4/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Kent State Golden Flashes vs Akron Zips

Date: Saturday, February 4, 2023

Location: James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, OH

TV: fuboTV

James A. Rhodes Arena is where the Akron Zips (16-6) will meet the Kent State Golden Flashes (18-4) on Saturday.

The Kent State Golden Flashes played Central Michigan and went home with a win by a final score of 81-69 in their last contest. When talking about fouls, the Golden Flashes ended up with 18 while Central Michigan recorded 24 fouls. They made 10 of their 25 attempts from distance. Central Michigan finished the game at 52.9% at the free throw line by making 9 of 17 attempts. Furthermore, Central Michigan collected 27 rebounds (10 offensive, 17 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Central Michigan doled out 14 dimes and had 3 steals for the matchup. When it comes to the defense, Kent State allowed 44.6% from the floor on 25 of 56 shooting. They also distributed 13 dimes in the game while creating 10 turnovers and having 6 steals. With regard to hauling in rebounds, they collected a total of 31 with 13 of them being of the offensive variety. At the charity stripe, the Golden Flashes made 21 of 33 tries for a rate of 63.6%. Kent State ended having earned a 46.4% FG percentage (26 of 56) and made 8 of their 25 3-pointers.

Chris Payton is someone who was a factor for the contest. He notched 18 points on 6 of 6 shooting. He played 30 minutes and totaled 12 rebounds. He finished shooting 100.0% from the floor and also recorded 1 assist.

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Kent State heads into this matchup with a record of 18-4 this season. They currently have an average of 75.5 points per game (92nd in the country) while going 44.4% from the field. The Golden Flashes are hitting 33.5% on shots beyond the perimeter (178 of 531) and 73.2% from the free throw line. As a team, Kent State is pulling down 35.2 rebounds per game and is sitting with 271 dimes for the campaign, which ranks 269th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 11.1 times per contest and as a team they are committing 18.9 fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Golden Flashes are forcing 16.5 turnovers per game and they draw 18.1 fouls. They concede 31.4% from beyond the arc while they are 42nd in Division 1 in PPG from their opponents (64.0). The Golden Flashes defense is allowing a FG percentage of 39.4% (479 of 1,216) and they surrender 36.4 rebounds per game as a squad. They are 76th in Division 1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 248 conceded this year.

When they last played, the Akron Zips got the win with a final of 81-64 when they played Buffalo. The Zips were able to corral 19 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive rebounds totaling 24 for this contest. They also gave up possession 15 times, while earning 10 steals in this contest. Buffalo committed 14 fouls for this game which got the Zips to the free throw line for a total of 10 attempts. They were able to knock down 7 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 70.0%. In the matter of three-point attempts, Akron converted 12 of their 18 tries (66.7%). When this game wrapped up, the Zips walked away from this one shooting 31 for 56 from the floor which had them sitting at 55.4%. The Zips permitted Buffalo to bury 24 out of 57 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 42.1% for the game. They finished 25.0% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 5 out of 20 and ended up shooting 11 of 16 from the free throw line (68.8%). When it comes to rebounds, Akron permitted Buffalo to pull down 31 overall (11 on the offensive side).

Xavier Castaneda was important for the Zips for the contest. He scored 32 points in his 36 minutes on the court and had 1 assist for the contest. He made 10 of 12 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 83.3%, and added 3 rebounds.

Akron has a win-loss mark of 16-6 on the season. The Zips commit 15.5 personal fouls every game and they go 72.2% from the free throw line. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 13.4 times per contest (174th in D-1) and they are turning it over 11.3 times per game. Akron has 1,588 points so far this year (72.2 per game) and they collect 36.2 rebounds per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Zips are connecting on 43.3% from the floor, which ranks 255th in the nation.

The Zips on the defensive side of the court are 28th in college basketball in PPG given up with 63.0. They are forcing 13.2 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.8% from the field (90th in college basketball). The Akron defense gives up 33.3% on 3-pointers (141 of 424) and their opponents are connecting on 69.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They allow 11.5 assists and 33.0 total rebounds per game, which is 97th and 114th in college basketball.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Kent State

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