Kent State Golden Flashes vs Akron Zips Prediction, 3/1/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Kent State Golden Flashes vs Akron Zips

Date: Saturday, March 1, 2025

Location: James A. Rhodes Arena in Las Cruces, NM

TV: ESPN+

The Akron Zips (22-6) will go up against the Kent State Golden Flashes (19-9) at James A. Rhodes Arena on Saturday.

The Kent State Golden Flashes played Toledo and went home with a win by a final score of 105-65 in their last contest. Kent State ended having earned a 58.9% field goal percentage (43 of 73) and knocked down 9 of their 24 shots from distance. From the charity stripe, the Golden Flashes converted 10 of their 15 attempts for a rate of 66.7%. With regard to hauling in rebounds, they compiled 38 with 17 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 15 dimes in the matchup as well as forcing 13 turnovers and having 11 steals. Regarding the defense, Kent State allowed the other team to go 42.1% from the field on 24 out of 57 shooting. Toledo earned 7 assists and had 7 steals for the game. Moreover, Toledo collected 21 rebounds (9 offensive, 12 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Toledo shot 75.0% at the free throw line by burying 15 of their 20 tries. They also buried 2 of 13 tries from distance. With respect to personal fouls, the Golden Flashes walked away with 16 and Toledo finished the game with 16 personal fouls.

Voncameron Davis is a guy who was a factor in this contest. He went 53.3% from the floor but finished the game without an assist. He played for 28 mins played and also snagged 1 rebound. He left the arena with 21 points on 8 out of 15 shooting.

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Kent State heads into this one with a mark of 19-9 this year. They average 74.0 points per outing (184th in Division 1) while connecting on 43.9% from the field. The Golden Flashes are shooting 31.3% on 3-pointers (205 of 656) and 76.2% from the charity stripe. As a team, Kent State is snagging 36.2 boards per contest and has 367 dimes so far this season, which is 237th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 11.6 times per game and as a group are committing 18.4 fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Golden Flashes are forcing their opponents into 13.3 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.5 fouls. They are currently ranked 136th in the nation in giving up assists to the opposition with 358 conceded on the year. The Golden Flashes are allowing a field goal percentage of 41.8% (625 of 1,497) and they surrender 31.6 boards per game as a team. They give up 31.8% on three-point shots and they are 63rd in D-1 in PPG allowed (67.7).

In their last game, the Akron Zips went home victorious with a score of 87-82 when they faced Ball State. When discussing how they rebounded, Akron allowed Ball State to collect 26 in total (5 offensive). They finished 45.5% from downtown by going 10 of 22 and finished the game at 16 out of 21 at the charity stripe (76.2%). The Zips allowed Ball State to bury 28 of their 61 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 45.9% in the game. When the final whistle blew, the Zips ended up shooting 34 out of 67 from the floor which had them at 50.7%. In reference to three-point shots, Akron made 9 of their 30 tries (30.0%). They were able to knock down 10 of them for a rate of 76.9%. Ball State earned 17 personal fouls for this game which got the Zips to the free throw line for 13 tries. They also turned it over 7 times, while getting 3 steals in the matchup. The Zips were able to corral 25 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 35 for this contest.

Tavari Johnson ended up having an impact for the Zips for the contest. He scored 21 points in his 17 minutes of playing time and totaled 2 assists in the matchup. He made 9 of 13 for this contest giving him a rate of 69.2%, but wasn't able to grab a board.

Akron has a win-loss record of 22-6 for the year. On the offensive side of the court, the Zips are hitting on 46.8% from the field, which is 75th in the country. Akron has tallied 2,343 points this season (83.7 per game) and they average 39.6 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 18.4 times per contest (3rd in college) and they turn the ball over 12.4 times per contest. The Zips have committed 18.4 fouls per game and they connect on 74.7% from the free throw line.

The Akron defense surrenders 31.3% on three-point shots (210 of 672) and their opposition knocks down 71.8% of their shots from the free throw line. They have surrendered 11.9 dimes and 35.1 total boards per game, which ranks them 70th and 234th in D-1. The Zips on defense are ranked 252nd in the nation in PPG given up with 74.1. They are forcing their opponents into 12.6 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 42.2% from the floor (96th in college hoops).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Kent State

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