The 3rd-seeded Akron Zips (22-10) and No. 2 Kent State Golden Flashes (26-6) meet in a Mid-American Conference Tournament semifinal Friday. The intrastate battle at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland will tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Akron vs. Kent State odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Akron defeated No. 6 Buffalo 101-77 as an 8.5-point favorite on Thursday and is 5-2 over its last 7 games. Its last loss was 89-84 in overtime to Kent State on March 3 as 4.5-point underdogs. Kent State shot 51.7% from the floor in that game after Akron had held the Flashes to a 37.5% mark in a 67-55 Zips win on Feb. 3.
Kent State trounced No. 7 Northern Illinois 76-57 Thursday to cover as 13.5-point favorites. The Flashes have won 4 straight and 8 of their last 9. KSU is looking to get to its 1st NCAA Tournament since 2017.
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