Kent State Golden Flashes vs Eastern Michigan Eagles Prediction, 1/6/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Kent State Golden Flashes vs Eastern Michigan Eagles

Date: Saturday, January 6, 2024

Location: George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti, MI

TV: ESPN+

The Eastern Michigan Eagles (7-6) are welcoming the Kent State Golden Flashes (8-5) at George Gervin GameAbove Center on Saturday.

The Kent State Golden Flashes faced Ball State and notched a win by a score of 82-69 in their last contest. Kent State finished with a 52.8% FG percentage (28 of 53) and made 5 out of their 13 3-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Golden Flashes made 21 of 24 attempts for a percentage of 87.5%. In relation to pulling down rebounds, they compiled a total of 31 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 15 assists in the matchup as well as forcing 11 turnovers and getting 4 steals. Concerning defense, Kent State allowed the other team to go 40.0% from the field on 24 out of 60 shooting. Ball State doled out 6 dimes and had 6 steals for this game. Moreover, Ball State collected 25 rebounds (7 offensive, 18 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Ball State finished shooting 93.8% from the charity stripe by making 15 of 16 tries. They converted 6 of 18 shots from 3-point land. Concerning personal fouls, the Golden Flashes finished with 16 and Ball State finished the game with 20 personal fouls.

Chris Payton is a player who was a contributor for the matchup. He finished the game shooting 57.1% from the field and dished out 3 assists. He saw the court for 33 minutes played and pulled down 6 rebounds. He ended up with 20 points on 8 out of 14 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks

Kent State will enter this contest with a win-loss record of 8-5 for the season. They lose possession via turnover 13.3 times per game and as a squad are committing 18.2 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Kent State is pulling in 36.0 rebounds per game and has racked up 175 dimes for the campaign, which has them ranked 242nd in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Golden Flashes are shooting 34.6% on shots beyond the perimeter (98 of 283) and 78.3% from the free throw line. They average 80.1 points per game (65th in college basketball) while connecting on 45.6% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Golden Flashes are forcing their opponents into 15.4 turnovers every game and they draw 19.7 fouls. They are ranked 206th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 178 surrendered on the year. The Golden Flashes defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 43.9% (332 of 756) and they concede 33.5 boards per contest as a team. They are relinquishing 33.6% on three-point shots and they are 220th in college hoops in opponents PPG (72.6).

In their last game, the Eastern Michigan Eagles took a loss by a final score of 92-90 against Bowling Green. In relation to cleaning up the glass, Eastern Michigan allowed Bowling Green to snag 41 in total (9 on the offensive glass). They wrapped up this game 29.6% from distance by going 8 out of 27 and finished the contest at 24 out of 38 from the charity stripe (63.2%). The Eagles permitted Bowling Green to knock down 30 of 65 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 46.2% in this matchup. At the conclusion of this game, the Eagles shot 38 out of 76 from the floor which had them sitting at 50.0%. In the matter of shooting from downtown, Eastern Michigan knocked down 5 of their 17 tries (29.4%). They were able to make 9 of those for a percentage of 64.3%. Bowling Green was called for 16 fouls for this game which took the Eagles to the charity stripe for 14 attempts. They also coughed up the ball 7 times, while earning 5 steals in this matchup. The Eagles were able to pull down 33 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards for a total of 41 in the matchup.

Tyson Acuff was important for the Eagles in the game. He made 13 of 29 in this contest for a field goal rate of 44.8%, and had 4 rebounds. He tallied 31 points in his 43 mins on the court and had 4 assists for this game.

Eastern Michigan has a win-loss mark of 7-6 for the season. The Eagles are responsible for committing 16.5 personal fouls every game while shooting 68.0% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 10.7 times per game (338th in college basketball) and they turn the ball over 12.1 times per contest. Eastern Michigan has accounted for 897 points on the season (69.0 per contest) and they pull down 34.5 boards per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Eagles are connecting on 45.6% from the field, which ranks them 152nd in the nation.

The Eastern Michigan defense allows 31.6% on shots from beyond the perimeter (97 of 307) and their opposition knocks down 68.6% of their free throw shots. They surrender 13.3 assists and 35.3 rebounds per game, which ranks them 233rd and 197th in college hoops. The Eagles on defense are ranked 269th in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 74.5. They are forcing 10.1 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.0% from the field (288th in the country).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Kent State

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here