Akron Zips vs Kent State Golden Flashes Prediction, 2/1/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Akron Zips vs Kent State Golden Flashes

Date: Saturday, February 1, 2025

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

TV: ESPN+

The Akron Zips (15-5) are traveling to M.A.C. Center on Saturday where they will attempt to beat the Kent State Golden Flashes (13-7).

The Akron Zips faced Northern Illinois and went home with a win by a final score of 80-70 in their last contest. In reference to personal fouls, the Zips left the arena with 21 and Northern Illinois totaled 21 personal fouls. They also knocked down 7 of 23 tries from 3-point land. Northern Illinois finished the game at 65.5% at the charity stripe by knocking down 19 of their 29 attempts. Moreover, Northern Illinois grabbed 25 boards (1 offensive, 24 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Northern Illinois distributed 12 assists and had 10 steals in this contest. With respect to defending, Akron allowed their opponent to shoot 39.3% from the floor on 22 out of 56 shooting. They also doled out 14 dimes for this game while forcing 12 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In terms of pulling down boards, they earned 42 with 10 of them being of the offensive sort. From the free throw line, the Zips made 16 of their 21 shots for a percentage of 76.2%. Akron finished the game with a 42.9% FG percentage (27 of 63) and made 10 of their 33 three-point attempts.

Tavari Johnson is someone who was a major contributor in this contest. He finished the game shooting 63.6% from the floor and recorded 4 assists. He was on the hardwood for 26 mins and collected 1 rebound. He totaled 21 points on 7 of 11 shooting.

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Akron steps onto the court with a win-loss record of 15-5 this season. They turn it over 12.7 times per contest and as a group are committing 18.4 fouls per contest. As a unit, Akron is grabbing 41.2 boards per contest and has tallied 367 assists so far this year, which has them ranked 14th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Zips are shooting 36.2% on three-point attempts (230 of 636) and 75.8% from the charity stripe. They average 84.0 pts per game (17th in the nation) while connecting on 45.6% from the floor.

Defensively, the Zips are forcing their opponents into 13.7 turnovers every game while drawing 16.0 fouls. They are ranked 82nd in college in allowing assists to their opponents with 244 conceded so far this season. The Zips defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 41.8% (516 of 1,235) and they concede 36.3 rebounds per game as a group. They are conceding 31.8% on shots from beyond the arc and they rank 230th in college in opponents points per game (73.0).

The last time they took the court, the Kent State Golden Flashes walked away with a victory by a final of 75-57 when they faced Bowling Green. In relation to rebounding, Kent State allowed Bowling Green to collect 23 in all (6 on the offensive glass). They went 26.9% from distance by connecting on 7 out of 26 and finished the contest at 16 of 20 from the charity stripe (80.0%). The Golden Flashes allowed Bowling Green to make 17 of 53 tries from the field which left them shooting 32.1% in the game. Overall, the Golden Flashes went 28 for 54 from the floor which had them sitting at 51.9%. When talking about shots from distance, Kent State buried 10 of 22 attempts (45.5%). They were able to knock down 9 of the free throw tries for a rate of 69.2%. Bowling Green earned 15 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Golden Flashes to the charity stripe for 13 shots. They turned the ball over 11 times, while getting 7 steals in the game. The Golden Flashes corralled 23 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive boards totaling 28 in this contest.

Voncameron Davis ended up being a factor for the Golden Flashes for the matchup. He made 10 of 16 for the matchup for a rate of 62.5%, and accumulated 4 rebounds. He totaled 24 points in his 34 mins of playing time and totaled 4 dimes in this contest.

Kent State has a win-loss mark of 13-7 for the season. When it comes to offense, the Golden Flashes are hitting on 41.7% from the field, which ranks them 326th in the nation. Kent State has scored 1,399 points on the year (70.0 per game) and they collect 36.3 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 12.7 times per contest (266th in the nation) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.4 times per contest. The Golden Flashes commit 18.6 fouls per contest while shooting 73.0% from the free throw line.

The Kent State defense gives up 30.4% on shots from behind the 3-point line (128 of 421) and their opponents are connecting on 73.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 12.2 dimes and 32.4 boards per game, which ranks them 101st and 72nd in college. The Golden Flashes on defense are ranked 20th in college in points given up per game with 64.2. They are forcing their opponents into 14.2 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 40.9% from the floor (60th in the nation).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Kent State

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